A a few years back I had the pleasure of demoing a program nicknamed Houston by the folks at Macphun. Houston, which later became known as Tonality, had a very successful launch (pun intended) by some of the very same people that made Nik Software so great. I’ve been working with Tonality for a while now and I think it’s safe to say it’s a real player in the black and white conversion world. Here is my review of Macphun Tonality.
The tools I love
Tonality has a host of tools that I love and which have become the backbone of my workflow. These include basic tone adjustments (exposure, contrast), clarity and structure sliders, and tone curve and color slider adjustments.
The user interface is very similar to most image editing software programs with an easy to follow, top-down approach to editing. If you’re familiar with Lightroom or Silver Efex Pro then this workflow will feel very natural. But, what’s great about Tonality is they didn’t stop with the basics. They have provided us with a host of other creative editing tools including lens blur, glow, texture overlay, and more for artists who want to create a very unique style.
Presets
For the preset lovers out there, Tonality comes with a ton of presets already loaded. If you’d like more you can visit their Tonality Preset Page and download presets from some of your favorite artists, including your’s truly. I created a Travel preset series while on our Italy workshop, pulling inspiration from my amazing surroundings while fueled by good food. I’d like to say that these presets are sponsored by Italian pizza and gelato. 🙂 The Presets are incredibly easy to install: simply sign up and download them, then drag the file onto the Tonality icon at the bottom of your screen and the presets install themselves.
Another cool feature is the ability to dial back the opacity of a preset’s effects simply by moving a slider. You can also stack presets and effects in layers.
What about Silver Efex Pro 2?
I love Silver Efex Pro 2, and while the program is still functioning on most operating systems, it’s been made clear by Google that future developments will be limited to updates to guarantee compatibility with the latest operating systems. Frankly, this isn’t news and is simply a confirmation of what many of us had suspected for years. Google needed Nik’s algorithms and technology for other projects (e.g. Google Plus and Snapseed). PC users: Nik is still is probably one of your best bets outside of Lightroom because Tonality only works on Macintosh computers.
Looking Ahead
If I had to envision a future for Silver Efex Pro then Tonality would be it with only one caveat: I wish it was available for PC users as well. However, I respect a company that sticks to its core competency and creates great products. Tonality has a rich feature set that perfectly melds the tools we love in Photoshop with a user friendly interface that is intuitive too.
Here are a few images processed using one click of my Travel presets for Tonality
Classic BW Preset
Gritty Preset
Deep Shadows Preset
My nit picks
An honest review of Macphun Tonality wouldn’t be complete without a few constructive criticisms, so I have some small complaints, but they really are nit picking if anything. There is a small lag in rendering the after-image when you resize the screen. Importing presets is extremely easy — simply drag the presets onto the Tonality Icon and they’re installed — however, adding presets to already established categories (or folders) is less intuitive and appears to be done at the system folder level. But, these are far from deal killers and if anything they’re just fixes to look forward to in future releases.
Conclusion
For Macintosh users, Tonality is the future of black and white processing. Its algorithm creates beautiful black and white images and is supported by a strong suite of tools. But, like with anything, I always recommend kicking the tires first. You can download Tonality for free HERE to try it on for size. Check it out and let me know what you think by leaving a comment here on the blog. I have a feeling you’re going to truly enjoy it.
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Thank you very much for the tip on Tonality. I purchased the PRO version a few months back but haven’t brought myself to abandon Silver efex . Will definitely give it an honest try over the next couple weeks. Will I miss the u-point (control point) in your estimation?
Barry
Barry,
I’m a huge fan of the ease of use of Control Points but with that being said a lot of other programs are catching up. Lightroom introduced the radial filter and Tonality has introduced the ability to use brushes without leaving the host application. Many of these tools will achieve the same results. Ultimately, I think it’s a workflow issue and what works best for you. However, I suspect suspect SEP2 is running out of runway and eventually will discontinue working with future software updates. I’ve gradually been encouraging many of my clients to start looking very seriously at other products for BW conversion. There’s nothing worse then getting up to speed with a program only to find out it’s being dismantled.
Lightroom is an obvious choice and does a stellar job for most, but many users want more conversion features. I have a lot of clients who prefer to use dedicated black and white conversion software, and if you’re a mac user I’ve been directing them to Tonality. There are things I would like to see changed in Tonality, but most of them are related to aesthetics and minor functionality. I of course remind myself that SEP2 didn’t become a powerhouse product overnight, and I think with former Nik people at the helm of MacPhun that’s incentive enough for me to take step a out of my comfort zone and try something new.
I know this is a very long answer to your question, but ultimately (long term view) I would seriously start considering other options to SEP2. I suspect Google will keep it operation for maybe one or possibly two OS cycles then I bet it gets retired (strictly a guess on my behalf).
Best,
John
My B&W work is split 60/40 between Nik SE/Tonality. I have also used Topaz BW. The Control point tech is pretty amazing. I agree though that the purchase by Google is long term death for the Nik package — why buy shot to kill it, just one more reason I hate Google.
The one thing Topaz has are the best Dodge and Burn tools, but Control Points are pretty amazing. I think Adobe should go to Google and offer to buy out the tech to add to PS and Lightroom.
Your Nik SE presets are the starting point of 100% of my Nik BW work.