Trial Software...

I have been playing about with some trial software from the Topaz folks. I must say it's pretty darn nifty. The only catch is the entire suite of plug-ins costs $379.00. Yikes! 

 

In my opinion, the complete suite is much more than anyone needs. They do have separate stand alone plug-ins for Adobe Light Room, Photoshop, and others, available at a lower cost. However,  if you have some cash to burn they are worth a look.

  

For you Scotty's out there, who have moth's in their wallets, many of the same effects can be accomplished with free programs such as Googles Picasa and the open source software, GIMP. 

 

However, many of the effects are amazing. Ansel Adams eat your heart out. The samples below were processed with their plug-in Simplify using the oil painting effect on the following photos.