Gettin some Action

First, what is an action?


I think for some people, they think Actions are ways of cheating in photography.

I say actions are recorded moves performed in Photoshop, so that you don't have to take the time to redo the exact same moves ever time you want to create a certain look.

It can be cheating, and it can also be incredibly helpful. One way I'm learning to do my own PP is by running an action, going back through the history and all the moves from the action, and studying what was done to create that action.

When working with Actions, it's like instead of me going to the store to buy all the ingredients for a bunch of different desserts, especially when I don’t know what half the ingredients are or where to find them or what they do for the desert, I purchase an ingredient package. It has all that I need, but nothing is measured out. If I were to just dump all the ingredients into a bowl, mix and bake, I'd have a really bad desert. Too much salt, not enough moisture, not to mention, if everyone did this, we'd all have the same crappie dessert.

Actions to me are kind of the same way. A great way to get started, and have all I need to make a final product, but it's not measured out. It's given to me in full strength and I have to make necessary adjustments to get that perfect flavor.

Now I do highly recommend learning how to use all the tools of Photoshop (okay, who - by the raise of hands - knows how to use ALL the tools in Photoshop? ::I'm NOT raising my hand, and probably neither are you::

The more you understand why your photo looks the way it does, the more options you have in creating your own style. So don't become dependent on actions as a sole means of creating a photo. I find I often create new adjustment layers, along with any action I run, to create a certain desired look that I want. It's like adding chocolate chips to my pumpkin spice cookies when the recipe doesn't call for it.

I know that not everyone knows how to create layers, layer masks, or some people don't even know what a layer was (boy I sure remember when I didn't have a clue what all those boxes were jumping around when I pressed on an action, I thought it was something magic inside the program that I didn't have the ability to touch, adjust, manipulate or control.

So that said, if you don't know what a layer is, or what a mask is, or how to create them. You are welcome (of course) to check out some of my favorite tutorials in the tab at the top of the page (check frequently, I'm always adding new as I learn myself), or just go to YouTube and search for your own favorites. And with an understanding of what layer masks are, when you run an action, you will understand that you have so much control over your picture. You can erase over saturated areas that you don't want saturated. (Like a picture of people with the fall leaves. Saturation in the leaves is beautiful. Saturation in skin tones, not so beautiful. So brushing out that saturation can make a normal (yet beautiful) looking person appear to standing in an amazingly colorful scenery (careful not to brush out too much if the skin starts to appear gray).

I hope this all makes sense and is helpful. I am super-de-duper tired today and not sure if what I'm writing is coming out the way I'm thinking. And remember, this is only my thoughts and opinions in the matter.

And to help you along on why layers are so awesome, here is a tutorial on adjustment layers. Notice there is a layer mask on the adjustment layer that you can brush back in the original photo (or brush out the new adjustment), this tutorial just doesn't cover using the layer mask, it only covers creating an adjustment layer.




And here is another favorite on using layer masks and brushing in (or out) what you desire to show/hide.