View this article at: http://www.macnn.com/articles/04/12/08/eye.candy.5.nature/
Wednesday, Dec 08, 2004 7:45am
Alien Skin ships 'Eye Candy 5: Nature' effects
Alien Skin Software has announced Eye Candy 5: Nature, a set of 10 plug-in filters for Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Photoshop Elements, Jasc Paint Shop Pro and Macromedia Fireworks. As the second of a three-part upgrade to Eye Candy 4000, Nature simulates a variety of phenomena, including fire, smoke, rust, snow, ice and more. Nature features four all-new filters and reincarnates six Eye Candy classics. Version 5 refines the features of previous Eye Candy versions, simplifying usage and supporting the latest digital imaging innovations. The electronic version is available now, while boxed versions will ship on December 14. Upgrades to the $100 application are $50 for users of previous versions.

Nature uses familiar keyboard shortcuts and is scriptable in Photoshop using actions. Presets provide over 200 quick and easy effects for rushed designers and complete novices, and an improved settings management system makes it easier to browse, share and add new presets. Nature works with 16-bit images; color transitions are smoother, with less banding, and print documents reproduce colors more accurately. Unlimited undo and redo speeds the process of selecting the right effect, while context-sensitive online help prevents perplexity.

Nature is the second of three Eye Candy 5 plug-in collections. The first upgrade, Eye Candy 5: Textures was released in 2004 and produces a wide variety of seamless, texture effects, including snake and lizard skin, fur, brick, stone and wood. The final upgrade, Eye Candy 5: Impact, will be released in 2005--with graphic design effects that "made Alien Skin Software famous." For those who want chrome, bevels, shadows and other classic effects now, Eye Candy 4000 remains available.