Vertus Fluid Mask

We have made the following fixes available on Fluid Mask 3.0.6

Mac OS:

* MacOS Leopard

Mac version now uses Leopard installation technology. Since Mac OS Leopard was released we identified some incompatibility issues which have been fixed in Fluid Mask 3.0.6.

* “Repeated” prompt for registration cured

Some users reported that they repeatedly had to activate Fluid Mask 3 again with their serial key on the same machine as before. A change in our licensing will cure this problem - users who experienced this please download the update from the usual location or use the “Check for updates” option under “Help” in Fluid Mask 3.

Windows:

* We added a few other minor tweaks to the way the full version of Fluid Mask 3 is installed on Windows Vista. Users who had trouble when installing as admin, but used Fluid Mask 3 without admin rights should definitely download the update.

All platforms:

* New trial period

Some users of the trial version didn’t get the chance to test Fluid Mask 3 before their trial was expired. Fluid Mask 3.0.6 will now provide a fresh trial period of 14 days

* Change of serial key format

The format of our serial keys has changed – the ‘#’ sign is no longer used at the end of the key, and we’ve added a new prefix at the beginning of the key. Please note that existing registered customers do not need to worry about this change unless instructed by our support team.

* Can save tiff as .tiff as well as .tif

The stand-alone version of Fluid Mask 3 can now save .tiff as well as .tif files on both Mac and Win now.

* Minor tweaks

Textual changes in error reports and manual registration requests for more efficient support

Fixed causes for crashes that were reported

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Important Update Installation Instruction:

1. Do _not_ uninstall your current version of Fluid Mask 3. The update will replace your current version automatically.

2. Go to the Fluid Mask download page (look up your order confirmation e-mail - it’s the same link) and choose the Mac or Windows version of Fluid Mask 3.0.6 for download. If you can’t find the link please do contact our support team at support@vertustech.com

3. When the download is complete please do close all programs (especially Photoshop) before running the installation.

4. Double click the downloaded file to start the installation. Click “OK” in case see a warning message that “a version of Fluid Mask 3 is already installed”.

5. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation.

6. Done!

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We would like to thank Gary Coyne & Apple Links for writing such an in depth review on Fluid Mask 3. We feel Gary has really put our software through its paces - over to you Gary…

“Photoshop is filled with redundant features. For every task there needs to be a variety of mechanisms to accomplish the same thing, because every image is different. And because every image is different, some tools work better in one image while other tools work better in other images. Amongst those redundancies, none of them have more redundancy than selection tools. I just made a mental count of about a dozen different ways to create a selection in Photoshop, and when it gets right down to it, that’s not enough. That’s why there are third-party solutions, and I have to admit that of all of the solutions I’ve seen, none creates as good of a selection as Fluid Mask 3. With great power comes great responsibility, however, and that means that Fluid Mask has a greater learning curve and is a bit more challenging to learn. But the results you achieve will be exactly what you wanted.” read the full article >>

We are delighted to announce our recent review on www.MacWorld.com

Here is an excerpt:

“Fluid Mask does an excellent job of isolating and cutting out objects that have high contrast or sharp edges from an image background. But the product really shines in difficult situations where foregrounds and backgrounds are similar, or where objects have soft, unfocused edges. Fluid Mask analyzes an image and creates outlines at the edges of areas with distinct color and texture, breaking the image into regions that you can choose to keep or to delete. It also blends image edges to avoid artificial-looking, hard-edged cut-outs. The initial edge analysis occurs automatically and without noticeable delay.”

To read more on the www.MacWorld.com review by Jan Kabili click here>> 

We have an update for Fluid Mask 3 of Windows available on our download pages. The latest update is 3.0.4 (instead of 3.0.3) for technical reasons, so it’s not that you missed a whole version or anything ;o)

Before you download and install please read this

- Do _not_ uninstall your current version of Fluid Mask 3. It is not necessary and will save you time and a re-registration. Simply go to the usual download page, download and run the new installer. Fluid Mask will ask you if it is okay that it overwrites the previous version. And yes - that it okay

Changes in this release:

- some users experienced that they had to re-register their copy of Fluid Mask 3 although they had already done so. This was connected to the licensing technology that we use and has been sorted out now

- problems installing and registering FM3 on Vista (a user who installed as admin was not able to use FM3 when logged in as a standard user. There was a workaround available in the past. This workaround is now redundant and the problem fixed with 3.0.4.

- a few improvements to usability during the installation and registration process - this was necessary mainly for our Vista users

- this new version will not remove the license file any more when a users uninstalls FM3 (this was not the case for Windows versions up to 3.0.2). That’s a good thing because a user will not have to register again after uninstalling+reinstalling

Questions and postcards to support@vertustech.com, please ;o)

Kat

Only a few days left to get the most out of your photos by creating high quality digital compositions easily and fast

Dear Photographers,

October 14th is coming round fast and this means there are only a few days left to benefit from these amazing bundles we’re offering with DxO Labs.

We know that making quick masking selections and correcting optical defects in photographs can take forever and sometimes (OK, mostly!) the end results are not exactly what we set out to achieve.

If you would like to add realistic film effects, correct optical defects and apply professional masks to your photography all at the click of the mouse then this offer is just for you!

We have put together 3 bundles to suit your needs:

Learn more >>>

For all users trying to register/activate Fluid Mask 3 - the maintenance work that we announces earlier has been completed - and a lot faster than expected. So the activation process is available again.

Kat

The Fluid Mask registration server that is used when you as a user activate your software is undergoing some maintenance work today, Sept 24th, 2007. Maintenance will be complete at around 5 pm GMT. Users who have not registered/activated Fluid Mask 3 yet are asked to wait with the registration until then.

For all photographers…

We’ve teamed up with the amazing DxO Labs to bundle together our Fluid Mask 3 with DxO Optics Pro (Standard & Elite) & FilmPack.

We’ve seen a great response to this promotion already and with so many of you opting for these bundles I thought it would be good to comment on how our award winning software could be used together.

Fluid Mask 3 with Optics Pro (Standard & Elite)

You would use Optics Pro to correct your photographs before applying your masks with Fluid Mask. DxO Optics Pro allows users t perform batch enhancements of their digital images eliminating distortions, optimizing exposure, dynamic range, and correcting noise (to name just few corrections) in a few clicks of the mouse. This bundle is an awesome time saver that delivers impossible results!

Here are some of the key features:

Fluid Mask 3 with DxO FilmPack

If you want to add excellent ‘old school’ film effects to your digital compositions then FilmPack is the application for you. It allows users to mimic the style and grain of the most celebrated conventional films, by reproducing the aesthetic properties of these film types and applying them with a single click. Apply this to your final composition and see your digital images take on a new life - with a click of the mouse.

For more information on this offer check out http://www.vertustech.com/promopages/dxo_bundle.htm

I hope these products will help to improve your digital workflow - enjoy!

Steveo
Vertus

ps. these bundles are available until Oct 14th

The following read is an interview excerpt between the wonderful team at www.photoshopsupport.com and our very own James Carr-Jones.

What is the story behind Fluid Mask 3?

“We had great reviews and response for Fluid Mask 2. While other masking programs could do certain jobs very well they didn’t have the coverage in depth we had across a range of masking issues – because they were mostly driven by single algorithmic solutions. For instance Corel’s Knockout has a great reputation for smoke and glass – but how often do you mask these? We found we could cover more masking situations than others so in terms of crude percentages we could do more.” [interview in full…]

What’s new in Fluid Mask 3?

“Well we have 3 different kinds of edge transition algorithms or blending besides the simple feather. In fact an updated one will be coming out in the next month or so… and of course current Fluid Mask 3 users will get the upgrade for free. This is so that whatever the image, there is more often than not a blending solution for your problem.

Using Fluid Mask 3 can now more usefully be seen as a process or workflow with a tool kit focussed on that hard to do 10% mentioned above.” [interview in full…]

How does Fluid Mask compare to the new selection features in Photoshop CS3?

“It would be great if the new Quick Select Tool, the new edge feathering features and other features answered all our needs. But they don’t. They’re better but don’t effect really knotty problems like hair masking, complex backgrounds, compression anomalies at edges, lattices, wires etc., etc. and that is what Fluid Mask 3 is designed to tackle.” [interview in full…]

There are some big claims here. Does it do all that, really?

“The answer is yes and no. Yes Fluid Mask does accomplish all the above… but not in all cases. No image editing tool will do everything automatically because some images are just impossible. Like extracting hair detail from a complex background.

The litmus test is: when you are zoomed in at pixel level; if you can see the edge so should the program. What you will find is that mostly you can’t pick out the edge at this level and that is because our eyes and brain construct edges: we fill in the gaps and at this zoom level you see these gaps.” [visit photoshopsupport.com to read full interview]