We previously
reviewed regular ol' BladePro from Flaming Pear Software
and gave it high marks for its ability to create metallic
textures inside Photoshop. Super BladePro, which was released
just a couple of weeks ago, comes out even stronger—and
$15 less than the original filter. What could I do? I had
to buy it—and that's saying something for a guy who
gets his software for free.
Super
BladePro, available as an online download order for $30,
is a plugin for Photoshop designed to create 3D and 2D textures
on any object, with an emphasis on metals. But, really,
any texture effect can be created—stone, bark, wood,
fabric, etc.
How
it works
It starts with a selection of 14 bevel shapes, ranging from
a spherical effect to multiple ridges surrounding various
types of hills and valleys. It also has 12 preset textures.
Any PICT file can also be used as a texture and can be easily
imported just by clicking on the currently selected texture.
It also ships with 246 spare environments and bump maps,
and more are available for download from the Flaming Pear
Web site. Bump maps can be scaled, and environments can
be rotated and flipped. The effect can be applied 15 different
ways—normal, procedural+, procedural-, lighten, darken,
add, subtract, multiply, screen, tarnish, caustic, abrasion,
difference, height and unlit.
Now,
the previous version, BladePro, allowed you to adjust each
effect through the interaction of 12 sliders. The new one,
Super BladePro, adds 12 more, for a total of 24. These controls
include:
- Radius,
which lets you set the radius of the bevel;
- Height,
which adjusts the height of the bevel from -100 to 100;
- Smoothness,
which adjusts the fidelity of the texture from 0 to 100;
- Texture,
which sets the relief of the texture from -100 to 100;
- Embossing,
which sets the overall emboss effect from -100 to 100;
- Gloss;
- Glare;
- Reflection
(of the environment);
- Glassiness;
- Caustic;
- Iridescence;
- Iridescence
Colors, which are set along a slider;
- Tarnish;
- Rain,
which adds striations;
- Evaporation,
which affects the appearance of the rain striations;
- Diffusion,
which also affects the rain effect;
- Wander,
which alters the pattern of the rain effect;
- Dust,
which adds layers of dust (0 to 100) to certain areas
of the object;
- Grit;
- Abrasion;
- Moss;
- Leakiness,
which affects the pattern of the moss;
- Blotches;
- Blotch
Size.
Super
BladePro lets the user select the colors for several of
these slider effects, including rain, evaporation, dust,
tarnish, abrasion, moss, leakiness and blotch size.
