Obssessed with Photoshop Actions

Because I'm not a particularly good photographer, I was syked to discover Photoshop actions - preprogrammed actions that you "play" in Photoshop that boost your photos, add or take away color, etc. You can find all sorts of actions. Some of my favorite websites that offer free actions include CoffeeShop Actions, the Pioneer Woman, and MCP. You can run them several times on the same photo or combine different actions for tons of different effects.

I took this photo of our good friends Craig and Amanda Williams at our block party. I thought it was a great shot of them, although the exposure and shadows were a bit off.

Here is my original pic:

This set is from the Pioneer Woman (which if you haven't already discovered her blog you have been missing out!!!!).

Here is her Ethereal Action:And her 70s Action:And her Vintage Action: The following actions are from Coffeeshop Actions - another great site with tons of freebie for photo correction and general photography insight:

Here is the Perfect Portrait Action : which whitens teeth/eyes and softens skin

While the Williams certainly don't need any help in these areas, some us *cough cough* do.

Here is the Coffeeshop Urban Action:

It is one of my favorites because it makes all photos took really cool and a little grungy. (I use it a lot on photos of the boys.)Here is the Coffeeshop Vivid Action:

I use this one a lot too because it sharpens, highlights, and boosts color. I used this action in most of my block party pictures because it was so bright outside that day and most of the photos had a lot of shadows. The last action comes from MCP Actions.

This is their free Pencil Sketch action, which is really cool!
Download some actions today and have some fun with your photos!