ReStyle Photoshop Plugin from TopazLabs – A First Look

Topaz Labs recently announced a new photo processing plugin called ReStyle that allows you to easily and quickly apply new looks and styles to your photos.  But with all the photo processing plugins on the market and on my computer, do I really need another one?

In this blog post, I take a look at the new TopazLabs ReStyle Plugin, its uses, features, and usability.  I’ll also give you my take on whether you should add this plugin to your ever growing list of photo processing plugins.

Basically, what Restyle gives you is quick access to over a thousand tones and styles that you can quickly preview and apply to your images.   As in most plugins from Topaz, you can further tweak the image by modifying the sliders in the right hand column.  There is also a masking function where you can selectively apply these changes to the photo.

There are two features of ReStyle that I find very useful and handy.

• Opacity Slider.  You quickly change the opacity on a preset by using the slider to determine if the preset will work if you tone it down.
• Blending Options: There are also 8 different blending options for each preset giving you additional variety of looks.

TopazLabs has also added features that allow you to quickly find a desired preset.  You can mark presets as favorites, browse for similar presets, and search for presets by keyword (like “green” or “dark”).

Is it Worth It?

With all the features and power built into the ReStyle plugin, the main beauty of this application is its ability to quickly preview and apply different tones to a photograph.  I don’t see myself using this plugin for the majority of the photos that I process.  However, there are some photos where I really like the composition of the photo but the tone and style just don’t fit.

A good example is this series of benches taken in the early spring.  I like the composition but the mood of the photograph just isn’t right.  I can quickly use TopazLabs ReStyle to preview different tones on the benches photo to see the mood I’d like to apply to this composition.  I found I really like a darker, less saturated look to the photo that allows the brightness of the bench seats to guide the eye through the photograph.

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