To get things started in this new SA Preset Samples group, here is a link to a comprehensive set of version 4 preset samples of mine--enjoy!
https://app.box.com/s/ou9mtenbjgx5g4ul1b18uaqr3mcxiius
It includes samples of all 6,261 of the non-MSG presets. But you’ll find 8,784 sample images in total, since some of the presets generate different outputs each time they are run. Total size for a download of all of them is around 674 Mb, but any can be viewed online if preferred, or downloaded in smaller groups.
Each filename has the format ’YourImage_SAPresetName_low.jpg’, which includes the name of a source image, the SA preset name, and the ‘low’ to indicate it is a low-resolution sample (typically 720x480). Variant outputs for some presets are indicated by SAPresetName.2, .3 etc. The folders are nested with exactly the same structures and names as the original SA4 presets themselves, namely by a type - collection - category - preset files structure.
The value of such samples is that they provide a much more detailed indication of typical transformations produced by a preset than the tiny thumbnails that the main SA window can provide. I used just two or three of my images to produce the samples, so that meaningful direct comparisons are easier to make on presets from different types or collections, as well as within a category.
Nevertheless, I’m sure that the full variety of effects that could be produced from a given preset would only be revealed by running it on a wide range of initial images. So I encourage others to post similar sets or subsets of samples using very different starting images, so that we can all learn what is possible!
By the way, let’s distinguish newer versions of the Studio Artist program itself--such as the new version 5--from the presets included in each version from V1 onwards. The processing in V5 is better than that in V4, so V5 processing replaces V4 processing once you have upgraded to V5.
However, the presets included with each version, V1-V5, retain their own integrity and value, since they work with any version of SA. Also, the V4 presets, as sampled here, are very different from the V5 presets, so that their unique artistic powers of transformation are not undermined at all by the newer V5 presets. On this see my post
which includes valuable support from John Dalton, who still uses V1-3 presets at times because of their special features.
Replies