Boris FX ships Optics 2022.5
Originally posted on 18 February 2022. Scroll down for news of the Optics 2022.5 update.
Boris FX has released Optics 2022, the latest version of its tool for applying cinematic effects to still images, available as a standalone application and a plugin for Photoshop and Lightroom.
The update integrates Particle Illusion, Boris FX’s particle generation tool, into the software, making it possible to apply and edit over 1,500 preset particle effects inside Optics’ host applications.
Other changes include more effects from Sapphire and Continuum, Boris FX’s suites of effects plugins for compositing and editing software, and native support for Apple’s Metal graphics API and M1 processors.
Making DFT and Sapphire effects available to Photoshop and Lightroom users
First released in 2020, Optics is pitched as providing “visual effects for photographers”.
The product is a renamed version of Digital Film Tools’ DFT, which Boris FX acquired in 2019, expanded with filters from Sapphire. Boris FX discontinued DFT itself in 2021.
Integration of Particle Illusion makes over 1,500 preset particle effects available inside Photoshop
The biggest new feature in Optics 2022 is the integration of Particle Illusion, Boris FX’s particle generation tool, available as both a free standalone application, and as part of Continuum.
Optics users get over 1,500 preset particle effects that can be added to still images, ranging from natural phenomena like fire, smoke, dust and water to sci-fi effects, magical sparkles and graphics HUDs.
Users can customise each effect directly inside Photoshop or Lightroom, scrubbing through the timeline for the effect, and adjusting parameter values, as shown in the workflow video above.
New effects from other Boris FX products, better masking, and native Metal and M1 support for Macs
The update also adds new effects from Sapphire, including UltraZap, UltraGlow, EmbossGlass and WarpWaves, plus new portrait retouching tools, including Continuum’s Beauty Studio filter.
Workflow changes include improvements to masking, with users able to move layer masks between Optics and Photoshop. The masking tools, lighting effects and render generators now also process alpha channels.
Changes under the hood include native support for Apple’s Metal graphics API and M1 processors, improving performance on Macs.
Updated 10 October 2022: Boris FX has released Optics 2022.5.
We can’t find full release notes on Boris FX’s website, but the update adds the option to render Particle Illusion particle animations on top of still images to create cinemagraphs, as shown in the video above.
Pricing and system requirements
Optics 2022.5 is available as a plugin for Photoshop CC and up, Photoshop Elements 2018+ and Lightroom Classic, and as a standalone application for Windows 10 and macOS 10.14+.
A new perpetual licence costs $149; rental costs $9/month or $99/year. A single licence provides access to both the plugins and the standalone editions.
Read an overview of the new features in Optics 2022 on Boris FX’s blog
Find a full list of features in Optics on the product website