Plug-ins for Lightroom, Photoshop and Aperture can be used to add an artistic flair to images. The creative possibilities are endless. Above I used two filters in Nik Color Efex Pron 4 – Bi-Color User Defined and Image Borders – to create a more artistic rendition of the image below.
One of the cool things about Color Efex Pro 4 is that you can add filters. Try it, you'll like it.
Plug-ins can also be used for image correction. Below I used the Spificy filter in Topaz Adjust to open up the shadows, as well as to add some color to the sky.
Below is my original image. As you can see, the shadows are blocked up and the sky is dull.
Explore the light,
Rick