I have to be honest for many years I wasn't really that thrilled with many of the offerings from Alien Skin Software. A lot of their plug-ins were kind of on the cutesy side and not really something one used for serious work. Sure, the web designers I am sure loved them, but for Photographers they really didn't have a whole lot to offer.

That however is changing. First they released Image Doctor and then Blow Up which is now considered one of the best image enlargement packages on the market. Then came Exposure 1.0 which allowed you to take any photograph, image, etc. and apply film effects to it. Film effects like cross processing and a couple of others. But, what was really thrilling about Exposure 1.0 was it brought film in to the digital age. There are few digital cameras that allow you to shoot a digital photo and have it apply an effect that makes it look like it was shot with film, certainly none that applied the films grain, or accurate special color characteristics that the film might have had. In fact the only camera that I am aware of that has anything close is the Fuji S5 Pro and it is limited to a few different color characteristics for some popular films (they don't even tell you which ones).

Exposure not only has perfect matches for the color characteristics of many old films, some of which are no longer being made, but it also perfectly reproduced the grain of those films too. They actually digitally pulled the grain off the film and used that in Exposure so Exposure 1.0 represented the first and still only way to make your digital photographs look like they were shot with a film camera. Yes, there are other products that attempt this, even some Photoshop actions that attempt this, but none of these do a really convincing rendition and some just try to fake it completely using the noise or film grain filter in Photoshop. None of these other products offer the wide and growing array of film stocks either.

But, not happy with being the best Alien Skin recently released Exposure 2. Exposure 2 raises the bar even higher by adding some really nifty new features and enhancements. These improvements include:

• More Film Stock Settings. They doubled the number of settings, adding a bunch of color print ­ films, various Polaroid looks, hard-to-find and discontinued ­ film stocks. They even saved a few films from extinction in Exposure 2. In sheer quantity of styles, not to mention quality of reproduction, no other software comes close to the sophistication and power of Exposure 2.
• The Most Realistic Grain on the Market. Exposure 2 simulates the size, shape, and color of real film grain and then applies the variations separately to the shadows, mid-tones, and highlights. It also automatically adjusts the grain size to image size for consistent results across cameras and resolutions.
• More Than 200 Presets. Exposure 2 offers more than 200 presets for a look or you can take them and tweak them for a specialized custom look and you can then of course save these custom looks as new presets.
• More Effective Effects. Exposure 2's special effects give users even more control of photo adjustments that were in the past thought of as film lab and darkroom techniques. Exposure 3 features push and cross processing, vastly improved infrared simulation, sophisticated black and white conversion, color shifting, fading and more.
• Easier to Use. Alien Skin really listened to the suggestions offered by user's of Exposure 1. New interface improvements include the organizing of settings in to groups, the preview is zoomed out to fit the image to your screen like Photoshop, the last setting used is remembered and highlighted and more.
• Performance Enhancements. Exposure 2 is multithreaded for a noticeable speed boost on multiprocessor or multi-core systems. It is also a Universal Macintosh application, so it runs native and fast on Intel processors.
• Technical Goodies. When you run Exposure 2 for the first time it automatically upgrades and copies all custom settings from Exposure 1. And, because Exposure 2 is compatible with CS3 Smart Filters, effects can all be applied non-destructively.

The range of film stocks in Exposure 1 was impressive and included some of the most popular slide films available from both Kodak and Fuji, including Kodak's Ektachrome and Fuji's Velvia, Provia and Astria. Also, included were popular print films like Kodak TRI-X and T-MAX P3200. Here is a bit of information on some of the films included in Exposure 1 and some of the new ones in Exposure 2.

Sample Images

1. Original Image
2. Black and White Calotype
3. Black and White Fuji Neopan 1600
4. Black and White Kodak Tri-X 400 Pushed 1 Stop
5. Black and White Mostly Green
6. Color Cross Processing Fuji Sensia
7. Color Fuji Reala
8. Color Golden Hour Orange
9. Color Kodak Ekatachrome 1970's
10. Color Polachrome Yellowed

Kodachrome - Popular Film from Exposure 1

Kodachrome was introduced in 1935 and was, for many years, the standard ­film for professional color photography, especially when submitting images to major magazines such as National Geographic. Exposure keeps alive Kodachrome's intense reds and natural color palette.

TRI-X - Popular Film from Exposure 1

Black-and-white Kodak TRI-X­ film was once one of the most popular­ films used by photojournalists. It offers a gritty, genuine and grainy look using Exposure's push processing feature.

T-MAX P3200 - Popular Film from Exposure 1

T-MAXP3200 black and white negative ­film is the grainiest ­ film currently available. T-MAX P3200 delivers an intense, artsy look. This ­film particularly shows off the realistic grain attained with Exposure 2.

Kodak Portra 160NC - Commercially Available Film

Portra is especially notable for subdued, natural colors, ­fine grain, and low contrast. Portra is frequently used for portrait and wedding photography, where its excellent balance of moderate color saturation and lower contrast delivers beautiful skin tones. Exposure 2 also includes simulations of Portra 160VC as well.

Fuji Superia Reala - Commercially Available Film

Reala is considered to deliver sharp prints with true-to-life colors, particularly on outdoor subjects like scenes with a large amount of greenery. Reala is in the same subtly realistic family of print ­films, such as Fuji Pro 160S, but is known to give slightly higher contrast and saturation.

Polaroid - Commercially Available Film

There may be no film stock with a more devoted fan base than Polaroid. There are collections on the Internet and blogs where people exchange Polaroid photos as postcards, and groups who argue the relative merits of the rectangular format versus the square format. So many will be thrilled that Exposure 2 includes Polaroid settings – the retro ones that look old, faded or color shifted. With the range of Polaroid stocks now available in Exposure 2, users can produce photos with looks from the funky to the sublime.

Agfa Scala - Extinct Film

Agfa Scala, the only black-and-white slide ­film ever created has low sensitivity to red light and provides rich detail across the tonal range. Alien Skin managed to save a few rolls when it was recently discontinued. And now, in Exposure 2, its look lives on. Another Agfa ­film, Agfa APX, was also discontinued. Fortunately, they had a few rolls stashed in the freezer so Exposure 2 users needn't mourn its untimely demise either.

Fuji Velvia 50 - Extinct Film

The Fuji Velvia line is a color slide ­ film known for intense, saturated greens and reds, and high contrast. Used mostly for nature and landscapes, Velvia offers a very distinctive and memorable look. While Exposure 1 offered simulations for Velvia 100 and 100F.

Exposure 2 now offers a simulation for Velvia 50, the most over-the-top Velvia stock, which is known for such intense coloration that some detractors called it "Disney-chrome" or "Crayola-chrome."

Polaroid Polapan - Extinct Film

Full of expression, with high contrasts and rough grain, Polaroid's Polapan is a discontinued black and white print film associated with a ­film noir look. With a frequent bluish or brownish cast in the shadows, Polapan was used by pros to convey the rough details of urban decay. Polapan comes alive again to tell more stories in Exposure 2.

These are just some of the film stocks you will find in Exposure 2. The range is impressive and with each new version is growing. Myself I would like to see some of the more common consumer films from the 1960's and 1970's like the 126 film, disc film, even some of the more mundane films that were popular during the end of films high popularity.

Because a lot of the film simulations require just more than the grain, Exposure 2 offers a lot of controls that when used with the grain turned off can do a lot of impressive, fun and useful effects.

These special effects give you sophisticated yet easy-to-use control over a vast permutation of photo looks. Exposure 2's special effects give digital photographers and graphic artists alike the ability to achieve looks that were formerly reserved for darkroom and film lab processing.

Color to Black and White Conversion

Exposure 2 includes a powerful yet intuitive interface for converting color photos to black and white images. Color channels can be mixed in any proportions while Exposure 2 keeps them balanced to maintain the overall brightness of the image.

Toning

Exposure 2 has a sophisticated interface for performing color toning of black and white photos. In fact, it can even do split toning (two colors other than black), with results as subtle or dramatic as the user prefers. Toning photographs is an art in itself. For up to two inks, the user selects the color, strength and position and decides where it falls in the spectrum from shadows to highlights. Included in the dozen toning settings are blue, gold, sepia, selenium and sulfide toning. With Exposure 2, users can create duotones, mimic bleaching effects, and more with one-click settings for selenium, sepia, and sul­fide toning.

Infrared

The infrared settings in Exposure 2 are significantly better than those in Exposure 1 and the results, if we do say so, are impressive. The infrared effect, once achieved only by professional photographers with special and hard-to-use infrared equipment, is positively otherworldly. Skies are dark, plants are bright, details are enhanced, and there's an ethereal glow, known as halation, around especially bright areas.

Push Processing

This is a film lab technique that intentionally overdevelops film that has been underexposed, push processing sacrifices details for increased contrast and more noticeable grain. Exposure 2 has a push processing slider that encompasses many effects including granularity, grain size, grain sharpness, and loss of detail. It's a retro effect that would require many tedious steps in Photoshop to achieve.

Cross Processing

Processing slide film as negative film or negative film as slide film is called cross processing, and usually increases contrast and causes dramatic color shifts. Exposure 2 includes settings for many distinct cross processing looks.

Softening

Exposure 2 has controls that help simulate the effect of soft lighting. Exposure 2 can also simulate the familiar hazy glow of glamour portraits, a great effect for making wrinkles and blemishes less obvious.

Dynamic Range: Curves and Contrast

Exposure includes a standard Curve Editor for the manipulation of contrast. Adding, moving, and removing points to the curves for RGB (red, green, and blue) makes­ fine-tuning contrast easy. Because some users ­find Curve Editors intimidating, Exposure includes high level sliders that adjust shadow, mid-tone, and highlight brightness.

Features I Would Like to See in Exposure 3

Exposure 2 is a fantastic upgrade to Exposure 1 which was an incredible plug-in package. Exposure just keeps getting better and better. However, there are some things I would like to see added to Exposure 3. These include:

• Robust dodge and burning tools within the plug-in using paint brushes, I would like to see this feature offer something that Photoshop and most other image editors don't and that is a mode that stops the effect from building up. When dodging and burning in Photoshop as long as you hold the mouse button down you can keep adding to the effect causing the area to go completely black or white. It builds up with each pass. I would like to see this option in Exposure 3 have this mode but also a mode that as long as the mouse button is held down it doesn't keep adding to the effect, the build up is turned off. Once you release the mouse button and then press it again it will add another application of the effect with the amount you choose. An option to lock this so that even if you release the mouse button, move the mouse and then press it again causes no build up would be good too.
• I would like to see edge effects brought in. Not a full edge or frame function, but for example when you choose a Polaroid or a daguerreotype it applies the appropriate edge effect so that it completes the effect. I would like to see this edge option available for all appropriate effects with the option to turn it off if you don't want it. Basically I would like to see them take the film effects to the extreme and allow for a lot of the old style darkroom and film effects to be applied and have it to go to the point that your image really looks like the photographic effect in question including the appropriate edges.

For an example and more information go to: http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/bldaguerreotype.htm

• To go along with the second suggestion above I would like to see Exposure 3 offer as many of the old style print effects as possible from daguerreotype, to tintype, to glass negatives, to gelatin emulsions, to the brownie and pinhole camera looks to, Kodak's autographic look and more.
• Finally to go along with the above I would like to see them offer simulations of the old photographic paper textures. You know what I am talking about those textured print papers that we hate to scan today because they make it hard to restore your photos. Well, I would like to see these supported as well.

All of the above suggestions would take Exposure 3 to the level of truly offering analog film capabilities to the digital workflow. Being able to take a photo from any digital camera and make it look like a real life like analog print from the 1800's or the 1970's would be very cool.

I think it is important that the old analog photo styles and types be preserved for the digital era. Digital has brought photography to the masses; I see no reason why it can't bring the analog styles to them as well. Exposure 2 is well on the way to doing that.

Supported Host Applications:

• Adobe Photoshop CS2 or later
• Adobe Photoshop Elements 4 or later
• Adobe Fireworks CS3*
• Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo XI

* Using Alien Skin plug-ins as Live Effects in Fireworks CS3 is not supported.

Needs

• Pentium 4 processor or compatible
• Windows XP or later
• A monitor with 1024x768 resolution or greater