Actions

A lot of photographers use actions in Photoshop for a few reasons, 


They want to save time in Photoshop


They have a specific look they are going for, but are not sure how to create it.


Any one using Photoshop and heavily using actions needs to know that any action you have is something you can create yourself. You just need to learn how to use Photoshop to your advantage! Creating your own custom actions are extremely easy, but we will save that for another day. 


There are a lot of actions available out in the world wide web, both free and ones that are not.  There are a few I use;


MCP Actions are great and have a lot a free actions. My favorite actions are their Free Sharpening Photo Actions and Mini Fusion Set.


Every time I upload a photo I use the 


Crystal Clear Web Re-size & Sharpening action 


"prepares your images for the web. As it resizes and sharpens, it will provide a low resolution super sharp image that's perfect for the web. You may again want to adjust the results by using a layer mask or the opacity slider. From there, it's all ready to be uploaded to the web!"


I love this action because even if I don't add my logo to a photo, I know someone can not steal and print the photo. Even if it is used as a desktop wallpaper it looks pixelated. 


Here is a side by side example of a non sharpened and sharped photo;


Left - unsharpened 


Right - sharpened and re-sized


















And here is an example of their High Definition Sharpening for printing;

Left - unsharpened 
Right - Sharpened


"With just one click, you can inject new life into your photos and enjoy stunning color conversions. Optional tints and exposure fix layers let you further customize your images."

There are a few different things I look for in actions, first being the ability to easily change the layers. With this set there are lots of different layer options. This set gives you three different options in editing your photo;

Pink Cadillac
Cool Blue Sea
On Cloud Nine

Pink Cadillac;

Left - Before

Right - After

Cool Blue Sea

Left - Before
Right - After

My personal fave;

On Cloud Nine

Left - Before
Right - After

These actions are super quick and easy to use and give a helpful pop to photos.

I have one other action that I use a lot that I downloaded ages ago from a "free actions" Google search. It doesn't have any copy right info like most actions do and I can't remember where exactly I downloaded it. If I can find it, I will be sure to share!

This one is very fun and versatile and has lots of layers to play around with.

Left - Before

Right - After


Click here for a link to 100 Free Photoshop Actions! Plus, info on how to install, and make your own.

What are some actions you use or things you feel are extremely helpful in speeding up your post production time?

Happy Tuesday! 

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