Actions

Before I got my PSE9 (and wouldn’t you know it just like with anything else electronic a new version came out not that long after I purchased it) I used another photo editing program.  And before that it was just how it came out of the film and my first digital cameras.  Photography is a never ending learning curve as far as I’m concerned.  New cameras, new lens, new editing programs, new techniques…there is always something new.  That is not to say that all things new are better.  Sometimes oldies and tried and trues are still the best.  It just depends on you and what you want to achieve.

Photoshop is going to be a never ending lesson because there is just so much to it!  Some things you can do with it I have no desire to learn but a lot I hope to,  albeit slowly.  I’ve been exploring different websites lately and a recent thing I finally decided to give a go is actions.  My portrait photographer friend told me about them and where she got hers a year ago but sometimes I take a lot of time trying something new.  Well I did try something else new and I am having fun with it.

Actions – for those who do not know – are basically pre-recorded steps that someone makes to achieve an end result in photo editing.  You can make them yourself but I am not that savvy, thank you very much.  Some actions will do just whatever they were recorded as and some let you tweak along the way.  It is a major time savor for those who do batch editing.  While searching the net to find free ones to try, I came across this wonderful persons site and well….yippee!!  Rita has some awesome stuff on her site and let’s just say I will be doing a lot of reading here.  Muchas gracias, Rita! (Rita of http://www.thecoffeeshopblog.com)

Not every action/effect  is for me and being new to the technique I am only dipping a little toe into the action waters, but here are some examples of what I have tried so far.  I love learning new things.  Oh, and yesterdays daisy picture? That was an Orton effect action that was used to achieve that oh so soft and dreamy outcome with a wee bit of tweaking by me.  So here we go…same daisies but different effects.  What do you think?

Color Pop action which brings out the colors of the original image (can be adjusted to pop to ones own preferences)

Again, Color Pop action but with black and white filter added

Black and white with a “chocolate” tint to it action

This action is called Pink Glow.  Can you guess why?  😉

(Since this was first posted I have gone way further with PSE and am now using Lightroom and presets.  Will talk about those one day soon)