I took a break today from editing and writing to attend a webinar hosted by Nik Software and conducted by macro photographer Mike Moats.

I’ve had the Nik Color Efex Pro 4 software for some time now but hadn’t taken the time to really learn how to use it. Mike edited macro images using this software, and the audience was able to view his desktop while he worked and explained how and why he was making his choices. It was a great way to see how the filters work together and how the fine-tuning tools are used to enhance an image further.

Mike said this process works especially well with macro images as well as those with repetitive features. I recalled my images from the Worldwide Photo Walk last fall, where I’d enjoyed photographing buildings and classic cars, and decided to experiment while the lesson was fresh in my mind.

For this image, I used the Detail Extractor (x2), Glamour Glow and Image Borders filters, along with some custom changes using the sliders.

I now see how this editing method could be really fun and useful for certain types of images. Let me know what you think!