I spent some time looking at the upgraded panels and watching and readings tutorials. I have been using the quick selection for quite some time but just the basic mask selection. I didn’t really manage to fully master the refine part. I would like starting using the artisan more frequently, especially the adjustments, in view of faster and more accurate post-processing. All I can say is: brilliant! Congratulations, you made an amazing job which goes well beyond of being a photographer. I would like to suggest something. Probably this is just me getting older and dumber but I think that what would support even more these fantastic products is a single thorough comprehensive spoken tutorial for each of them, focusing especially on what I think are the most valuable parts, meaning advanced/microzones adjustments in the artisan and refine in the quick mask, showing what is doing what on the image, the differences, and maybe keeping the behind the scene theories in a separate document. While you have a number of resources for the artisan, I find the non-spoken videos for the quick mask too fast for my aging brain. There are several resources for the artisan in the dropbox but maybe they could be consolidated. Again, this is just me, I am sure other people can pick it up much faster than me, but I think that these are brilliant software, venturing in areas where nobody, without having the resources of Adobe, has ventured since Ansel Adams. I think they are revolutionary.

Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge about Black and White photography and post-processing. Your tutorials and videos have cut my learning curve in half. You get to the point. Others just show how to do it. You don’t, you “explain why” and then show how to use your panels. By the way, your panels are the best for Black and White. Sophisticated in what they do, yet simple to use. Keep up the good work.

A BIG THANK YOU to Joel. I have been following Joel for a long time silently since I am just a hobbyist and own his magical B&W Panels that I use for my personal creations, as I learn to use them in my limited time. I would like to say a few words about something very special that happened today. Kindly excuse the length of this. It’s very rare that something truly honest like this happens in today’s world. It so happened that I had upgraded to the Version X a few days back but missed to apply the discount coupon. When I received another reminder on the expiry of the Version X offer via email today, I popped an email to Joel saying that I had paid the full amount. There was an immediate response with an offer of partial refund and I replied that I am happy without the refund since the panel was that beautiful but if it was offered I would accept with appreciation and if not possible, I would still be happy owning the X Panel for the original price I paid. NO SIR! The refund with difference came within minutes and all this in 20 minutes! I have never experienced such service and for that, I say a Big Thank You to You Joel. Finest Service! Cheers!!!

Hi Joel, just wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed your new video – From RAW to final image. It was filled with a lot of great tricks and tips. Made me slow down and take the time to really analyze the image. It was a treat to watch you work and see how you approach different parts of the image. I was never much for post-processing until I came across the artisan pro panel. Now I can’t stop, haha. Thank you,

Joel, The split one generator is a bit of a lottery but as you said you can customise it in the layers. I was feeling a bit sorry for myself when I said i would revert back to the old software. I really like the simplicity and user friendly interface which to my mind is designed for photographers. At the same time I downloaded your latest software I also downloaded the most recent TK action V6 panel and without praising you I have to say the latter is a very much bloated panel setup that’s not easy to navigate and most of it merely repeats what is in Photoshop anyway especially if you know your shortcuts.I see you have deliberately steered away from that approach and just focused on photo editing. Thank you very much

Joel: Panel X is a tour de force. Though I did not truly understand the sculpting parts of it until last nights session, you have created something that over the years I have had to do by hand with subtle D and B techniques. To subtlety craft the light around a building or shaped is so much easier to think about now and when I am in the field just responding to the light falling on shapes. Now I can craft that, tweak it, refine it to what I saw. That part of the panel is just brilliant and I so appreciate the work and thought that went into it. Just wanted to let you know that. hope you are well! Bob

I have used the Artisan Pro panel extensively now, and not just for FineArt images, but to enhance and improve all sorts of B&W photographs. To 1) quickly and accurately bring out very subtle details in precise areas of shadows, 2) to pull down highlights that my printer cannot find enough info to fill the print area with ink (greater than 210/255 in my case) and 3) create a hugely improved final result, particularly when trying to produce a balanced set of b&w tones across 3 shots to be presented as a group, is a godsend. Without this panel I don’t think my patience would have been robust enough to attempt this in Photoshop and/or Lightroom alone. This is an indispensable tool for me now. Highly recommended. My thanks to Joel and his team

[…] From there the file is taken into Photoshop, I do not use Lightroom at any stage during my edit. In Photoshop I run the Nik ‘Define’ Plugin to eliminate any small areas of noise which may be present. I then convert to monochrome. To do this I use Joel Tjintjeelar’s B&W Artisan Pro Panel, using the standard neutral setting. That panel also affords me a host of other excellent editing options. It is quite possibly the best £25.00 I have ever spent on my photography.[…] Quote from an interview with Jim Graham in LEmagazine.

Just purchased the @joeltjintjelaar Artisan Panel for black and white images. I’m blown away with how easy it is to use. Jasper, as stated on Instagram

Yesterday I tried the BW Artisan Pro panel, and it showed to be excellent. I experimented with different types of photos, architectural and portraits, also scanned 4×5 inch BW negatives (file sizes up to 400MP), and it worked fast, accurate and very subtle. The panel itself is clear, uncluttered and intuitive. I would like to encourage every genuine BW photographer to try this BW Artisan Pro panel. Bravo, Joel

Joel – Just wanted to let you know I’ve been using the new panel a lot for landscape work and it’s fantastic. You really came up with something outstanding. I have so much more control than I did before in a very easy and intuitive way. It lets me experiment with different directions so quickly and easily and the panel is totally seamless in terms of its effects on the image. There are no harsh edges, it blends in very naturally. Congratulations! Rodrigo

Joel your new panel is amazing, I just did some quick edits with it. The way to select subtle parts in an image and play with light and shadows is brilliant. I was on my way to get more and more used to your ISGM2 method, but with your new panel, processing is much easier. I must admit that for ‘big’ corrections on the sky I used a gradient, but that’s more due to the fact I have to get familiar with the new panel. In other words get the right effect with the lasso tool. As I am used now to look first to the correct luminosity mask(s) and apply a gradient. […] I just processed a photo, you and your team did a very well job. It’s unbelievable how subtle transitions between the different tonings can be created. And so easy, it’s a very powerful tool Joel. Thank you for sharing and making this panel available to the world

I downloaded the panel yesterday, what an amazing piece of work! its still incredible! I like the new toning presets a lot, but especialy the new sections, which allows a very fast post processing and most of the time without creating accurate masks, what is always horrible. I really like the panel!! could you make a short tutorial where we can see some more steps than in the actual videos? I ask for a specific reason, I’ve edited an image which I’ve already edidet with ISGM technique, the result with Artisan was still great and in a very short time. But I would like to see, how you combine the new functions with your isgm technique, because I like those reflecting metall look, which comes from the reflecting gradient, a lot. here is a part from an image where you see the difference […] I tried it in the way how you have described, and it works fine and especially fast. For example creating a vignette is still amazing with the smart linear adjustments (based on an accurate sky selection), no need for iSGM what takes some time also for a vignette. Here is the result, I’ve made all with smart linear or the micro zones, only the bright reflecting of the “grid” from the building was done with iSGM. but looking forward for a complete workflow tutorial.

Dear Joel, I procured recently your panel, ‘B&W Artisan Pro’. Indeed the title covers the subject. This panel makes it truly easy to focus on the development of your creativity instead of on the technical aspects. That makes a huge difference with other panels. The choice of the right technical aspects is facilitated and therefore made easy by the ‘simple’ interface (panel). Therefore there is less distraction on the technicalities and but more on the creativity. The panel is only a part of the product you are offering. The manuals and videos guides you through the panel and that is a huge advantage and makes the difference with other panels. The language used in the manuals is simple with a lot of easy understandable graphics. The videos are of a high quality. Full screen shots of Photoshop, the picture and the panel. Luckily no focus on the teacher, which often distracts your attention from where it is all about. The use of the software. Your explanations in the videos are underlining the most important aspects on how to use the panel. You are using an easy understandable English. Not many technical terms. That is important for the many non native English speakers, which is a big part of your audience. May be I am too enthousiastic. That might be true, but it brought my pictures to a higher level. A big thanks and both thumbs up.

Hi Joel, that panel is excellent. I still have a lot to play with to understand. The 8 videos are very helpful. It makes your work easier and you can let your imagination run free. I find the Tonal-Option very successful. Very good work the new panel BW Artisan Pro.

I purchased the new panel and am impressed with its ease of use and results. Great job!

I’m a nature photographer and I’ve had the B&W Artisan Pro for a week now. It’s incredible. The blending it does from my selections is amazing. It brought detail back to my dark shadows that I’ve had a really tough time with previously. Well done and thank you for this.

This simple email to tell you all the good I think of B&W Artisan Pro. This is really the product I’ve been waiting for. Very intuitive. Thanks Joel for offering us such applications. I wonder what else you could do to help us enhance our images…??? Pierre

Hello Joel The B&W Artisan Pro panel is a great tool that saves a lot of time. The update that offers the possibility to keep the selection is really a plus. One can dream that the panel can allow to integrate certain shades of grey predefined as for example silver grey, metallic grey etc in a click in a selection but it is certainly easier to imagine than to program in data processing. In any case the B&W Artisan Pro is now my tool of construction, creation as well for the black and white as for the color . Well done master Tjintjelaar

Joel, thanks for publishing this plug-in. There’s a certain elegance to the approach you’ve used – enabling beautiful subtle adjustments!