Free Photoshop Actions And The Automatic Album Creator
We recently talked with Gavin Phillips, owner of ‘Photographers Photoshop’ about his latest Photoshop Actions package deal. You can view some demo movies, and you can also download some free actions from his site. They are located in the menu bar, top left. In the download you will also find a PSD that contains some nice actions tutorials that will walk you through installation and some tips on how to use the free actions. Here's the interview...
What does your company offer?
We’ve developed 5 sets of creative Photoshop ‘actions’ and short movie tutorials over the past 5-years. Photographers and graphic artists can create great images by clicking a button or watching a 3-minute movie.
But there are thousands of free ‘actions’ available online. Why pay for them?
Yes, there are thousands of free ‘actions’ online, and that’s the problem. Good luck sifting through the junk to find one that creates a great photo ‘look.’ There are hundreds of free Photoshop tutorials online as well, but the bookstores graphic design section is loaded with Photoshop books. Professionals will always pay for products that give them high quality results rapidly.
We work with professional photographers and listen to what they tell us the market demands are. We add some of our own ideas into the creative mix before producing a set of ‘actions’ and movie tutorials. In each set we invest at least 1,000 hours development time.
How do the movie tutorials fit into your program?
Our creative ‘actions’ are powerful tools, but there are limitations to what you can do with an ‘action.’ Our movies serve three purposes.
1. Sometimes they work with an ‘action’. Our hand-tinted infrared technique is a good example of this. The Infrared ‘action’ runs through 15 or more steps automatically. Then the movie shows you the next few manual steps required to finish the effect.
2. A movie may give advice about different creative ideas about how to use an ‘action.’ An example of this is our ‘All-in-one ‘action’. This ‘action’ creates many different photo ‘looks’ on the same photo. You then go to the history palette to see which effect suits that photo.
3. Traditional movie tutorials that show manual techniques that cannot be created with an ‘action.’ For instance, one of our instructional movies shows you how to apply our art/sloppy borders to your photographs.
Speaking of ‘art/sloppy’ borders, what is the point of them?
They set your photographs apart from their background, and they add another artistic dimension to your imagery.
Once again we have created and discarded dozens of borders in order to give you borders that enhance your images. The image is the focus of attention, not the border.
How many sets of creative ‘actions’ and movies do you offer?
We offer five sets of creative ‘actions’ and movies. They were developed to offer photographers and graphic artists different types of imagery.
Infrared and Elegant Tones
Many soft types of photo ‘looks’. Some of the most popular ‘actions’ and techniques are Infrared, hand-tinting, skin-soften, cross-processed, 1950s, antique-color.
Stylish FX
Edgy effects for high-schoolers and young adults. The most popular are pop-art, tinted-litho, bleached, color wash, out-of-photo technique and Classic frame. Includes several custom gradients.
Black and White, Artistic Borders and Unique Tones
Many BW tones using custom 'curves'. Lith print, Vintage, Camelot, Autumn, Mystique, All-in-one, teal. Also includes Art/photo borders and Collage 'action'.
Portrait and Glamour Retouching
Includes two sets of movie tutorials that show you different retouching techniques. Our Glamour Gal retouch get’s great results in less than 5-minutes. Several ‘actions’ included.
Paint like Monet
How to create authentic hand-painted portraits in Photoshop using out custom art history brushes and techniques. You do not need any other software, like Painter, to achieve great painted photographs. Popular ‘actions’ are Color-art, Stylize, Paint-bold, Watercolor, Pencil-sketch.
Do you package the sets of ‘actions’/movies together?
We used to offer 1-set for a certain price, and then offer discounts if you purchased two or more sets. We now offer two packages. Infrared/Elegant Tones and Portrait /Glamour Retouching. The second package is all 5-sets at a great price.
You mentioned a unique special offer this month. What is it?
Actually we have two unique special offers this month. The first offer is that anyone who purchases one of our sets of creative ‘actions’/movies this month will receive the Automatic Album Creator.
We are working with ‘Pixel Creator Pro’ whose software completely automates photo album design. You simply click on the custom JavaScript for a particular collage template; it then creates that template and prompts you for each image.
But what about positioning and resizing the images?
The software automatically allows you to resize each image after placement in the album page design. You can move any image around.
How many images can you put on a page?
There are many different page designs ranging from 2-6 images per page. The page design below took less than a minute to make using the Automatic Album Creator.
What is the second unique offer?
This is for anyone purchasing all 5-sets of ‘actions’/movies this month. They will receive the Automatic Album Creator , and a 1-hour ‘live’ online Photoshop training session with me.
I will show them how I use my creative ‘actions’ and movies to get them up and running fast. And give them different ideas about how to maximize sales.
What exactly is this ‘live’ online training? Do you need special equipment to take part? Is it interactive?
Yes, it’s completely interactive. ‘Live’ online training is a way for me to share my computer screen with participants on the Internet. They see exactly what I'm doing in Photoshop as I do it. They follow along with the tutorials just as you would in a traditional class.
We are also phone-conferenced in as well, so clients may ask questions at any time. You only need a high-speed Internet connection. I supply you with a free small software download. No other equipment is required.
Sum-up in a sentence the benefits of your program.
Makes you more money, gives you more creative ideas and harnesses the power of Photoshop by clicking a button or watching a 3-minute movie.
Thank you for your time.
Thank you.
Find all the details on these special offers at the Photoshop Actions Page at Gavin's site, as well as a link to some free actions you can download and use instantly.
Photoshop Actions & Brushes Create Realistic Painter Effects
Gavin Philips has released a new set of creative Photoshop actions and art history brushes that create painterly effects. Below is an interview with Gavin that explains his new ‘Paint like Monet’ program. (There is a free action available at Gavin's site. Try the free 'Pastel' creative Photoshop 'action' for PC or the free 'Pastel' creative Photoshop 'action' for MAC.)
What does your 'Paint like Monet' program do for photographers and graphic artists?
It shows them how to quickly create authentic painted portraits using only Photoshop and our custom art history brushes. Also included are several creative Photoshop 'actions'.
How do the creative 'actions' work?
Many photographers and graphic artists use Photoshop ‘actions’ for doing repetitive tasks, such as converting to black & white, or converting from RAW to JPG.
Our creative ‘actions’ combine many complex steps and produce stylish imagery at the click of a button. We also include text messages to give the artist suggestions about how to customize their photo during the ‘action’, or after it has finished playing.
Don't you need a program like 'Painter' to paint digitally?
Our painted examples prove that you do not. Photographers and graphic artists want a streamlined workflow where they do not have to keep switching programs.
There is also the issue of the large amount of time needed to learn ‘Painter’ in order to produce high-quality paintings with it.
I tried using Photoshop's art history brush and all I created was a mess. How are you using it to create these painted photos?
The way to make Photoshop’s art history brush a great tool is the design of our custom art history brushes. We invested considerable time creating the custom brushes in Photoshop that are all included in the set.
The settings of the brush, and when to change the settings is also crucial. Through hundreds of hours of testing, we came up with the best techniques. This is what we teach in our movies.
Read the full interview and find out more about this program.
3 Free Photoshop Actions - Plus Photo FX Actions Discount
Gavin Phillips, creator of some very popular FX Photoshop Actions, has set up a new special discount deal for all PhotoshopSupport visitors, plus he is offering 3 free Actions that you can test drive and keep. Here are the details from Gavin:
"Our creative Photoshop Actions and short Flash movies enable you to create elegant imagery in minutes. Our Actions incorporate dozens of steps in Photoshop that you can apply by simply clicking a button. In addition to the Photoshop Actions, our short Flash movies give you other creative ways to use our actions, explain a technique or finish what the Action started. Our specialized program has been published by the 'Professional Photographers of America' (PPA) twice as well as in other publications. Try my 3 Photoshop Actions for free. They produce the effects above (from left to right — Infrared, Toned and Softly).
"We offer 4 sets of Photoshop Actions and Flash movies and we are offering a special discount for a limited time. Purchase one set of Photoshop Actions and get a second set for free. Visit the special Actions discount page for details."
Gavin has also kindly written up a nice Photoshop Actions Tutorial that will give you a quick course on Photoshop Actions.
Photoshop CS3 Upgrade Options And Bundles From The Adobe Store
Photoshop CS3 Extended is ideal for film, video, and multimedia pros and for graphic and web designers using 3D and motion. Get the full version for US $999, or upgrade for US $349. The standard version of Photoshop CS3 is available for US $649, or as an upgrade for US $199.
Photoshop Extended is also available as part of Adobe Creative Suite 3 Design Premium ($1,799/$440), which combines all-new CS3 versions of Photoshop, Flash Pro, Dreamweaver, Illustrator, InDesign and Acrobat 8 Pro. International options are available at Adobe's UK Store, Europe Store, and Australia Store.
Photoshop Actions Tutorial By Gavin Phillips - Toning With Duotones, Tritones And Quadtones
The Toning With Duotones, Tritones And Quadtones tutorial will teach you how to create duotones, tritones and quadtones inside of Photoshop. At the end of the tutorial you'll find a link to 8 custom duotone/tritones as a complimentary download.
One of the main purposes behind Gavin's creative action sets is to free up photographers time and give them more creative ideas. He has invested thousands of hours developing his programs so that you do not have to. At the click of a button, or watching a 3 minute movie, you'll have many more creative options and ways to distinguish yourself from the competition. All this for around $100. Find all the details, including special pricing at Gavin's PhotoEffects website.
Free Photoshop Actions For Photo FX Styles - Plus Discount Deals
Gavin Phillips is a Photoshop trainer who helps photographers expedite their digital workflow by offering several creative ideas using custom 'actions.'
We've set up a special discount deal with Gavin, so if you like what you see you can purchase his time-saving actions at a very low price. Here are the details from Gavin:
"I have a written tutorial as well as a 'Flash' movie tutorial already created that I made for the 'Professional Photographers of America' (PPA). This really shows the benefits of my program. The short 'Flash' tutorials give creative ideas of how to use certain of my 'actions.'
"I also give two other 'actions' away at my site, as well as a free movie showing how to load and create 'actions.' All 'actions' work with CS3 and are cross-platform.
"As an incentive, I'm offering PhotoshopSupport clients 40% off if they buy both sets of 'actions'/tutorials. And as a special bonus I'm giving PhotoshopSupport users my IR 'action' as well for free!"
So if you'd like to have a look around and see the actions, along with the exclusive discounts, use the following special links to Gavin's PhotoEffects.biz site:
Photo FX Action Set - Discount Page
Infrared and Elegant Tones Action Set - Discount Page
3 Free Photoshop Actions From Addicted To Design
Alex, who runs Addicted to Design (A2D), has told me that he has some nice free actions for everyone to go and download from his site. Simply visit his sample actions page and you'll find 3 cool actions. My favorite is his Polaroid 600 Instant Film action. Very nice.
I asked Alex to tell us a little about himself and this is what he sent back: "I have a degree in Multimedia — and web design and digital photography has been a hobby of mine for years. At Addicted to Design we are committed to creating high quality commercial and freeware Photoshop actions for our fellow digital photographers of all levels."
You'll also find some tips and tricks on how to install actions at Alex's site.
PlyPix Launches Professional Online Photoshop Action Service
[Press Release] Several websites offer ways to lose red-eye, correct tone or eliminate scratches but there are limited websites that offer image editing using a professional hand. Effects such as Grunge, Pop Art and Burnt take a detailed eye and organization. Josh Zuercher, a photographic retoucher for national ad campaigns, has planned and built downloadable actions aforementioned using Adobe Photoshop. By downloading a selected action and applying it to your snapshot, people can turn an everyday photo into artwork.
While surfing the Internet, Zuercher found limited professional work available to people who had an interest in altering their personal photographs. "Most sites you find offer elementary Photoshop Action concepts and basic tutorials. I wanted people to have something worthy of hanging on the wall, to take their own images and make it look like a professional shot." Plypix.com offers these actions, built by Zuercher using Adobe Photoshop, at a reasonable cost. The site offers before and after example shots and a tutorial on each download. The photographs may be sized up and down after the action has completed. New actions are added on a regular basis.
For more info visit PlyPix.com.
What Is An Action?
Adobe Photoshop includes the ability to record commands and tool operations in real-time and to save them in a script known as an 'action'. When played back an action will execute all the recorded steps and apply changes to an image. An action can also be used in conjunction with Photoshop's automation tools to form the basis of a batch process that will apply the same settings to a 'batch' of many images.
Photoshop Actions Tutorials & Free Actions
You can find free tutorials and free actions from our friend Gavin Phillips. The Toning With Duotones, Tritones And Quadtones tutorial will teach you how to create duotones, tritones and quadtones inside of Photoshop. At the end of the tutorial you'll find a link to 8 custom duotone/tritones as a complimentary download. Gavin has also kindly written up a nice Photoshop Actions Tutorial that will give you a quick course on Photoshop Actions. That tutorial ends with 3 free Photoshop Actions that produce beautiful photographic effects.
Photoshop Actions - Video Tutorial
To learn quickly how to make Photoshop actions, see our Video Tutorial from Total Training on how to create a Photoshop Action.
Photoshop Actions - Tutorials
You'll find a very good Tutorial On Actions by Trevor Morris. This tutorial walks you through the whole process with simple and clear explanations.
For a comprehensive tutorial about Photoshop Actions, read Photoshop Actions - The Mother Of All Tutorials by Danny Raphael of Action Central. This is a Photoshop Actions Tutorial like none other, addressing action topics from soup to nuts.
Adobe Studio Exchange - Free Photoshop Actions
Adobe Studio Exchange is a great resource for free actions for Photoshop. You can also create your own files, upload them, and share them with the Adobe Studio Exchange community. At the start page of the Studio Exchange area look for the Photoshop section (first one at the top) and select Actions from the pulldown menu. On the actions page you'll see the actions in the following categories:
 Actlets
Buttons
Command Shortcuts
Frames/Borders
Image Effects
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Other
Patterns
Production Shortcuts
Text Effects
Textures
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Also find a list on the right side of the page that highlights the Newest, the Most Popular, and the Highest Rated.
Action Central - Photoshop Actions
Action Central is devoted to the exchange of Photoshop actions among users, and is provided as a service to the image editing community. This site has many great resources, including a legendary Actions Tutorial and a nice assortment of great actions. The actions are free downloads and are available in the following categories:
Image Enhancements
Frames & Mattes
Sharpeners & Correction Tools
Editing & Highlight Recovery Tools
Action FX - Photoshop Actions Site
This action site by Al Ward hosts a huge collection of free actions and lots of good information and links to other resource centers for Photoshop actions. Site includes a Tips & Tutorials Section, an Articles Section, and the Downloads Section where you will find links to all the free actions.
PicsToBits - Photoshop Actions Manager & Free Actions
PicsToBits specializes in providing productivity improvement tools for photographers, graphics designers, and hobbyists in the world of digital imaging. Makers of ActionDex, the action manager for Photoshop. With ActionDex you can organize your Photoshop actions the way you want to and even save sample images showing what each action does.
Look for P2B Perfect Skies, a free action. Easily replace overexposed skies with a picture perfect sky, complete with randomly generated light clouds.
Adobe Evangelists - Free Photoshop Actions
A great collection of Photoshop actions from the Adobe Evangelists site. Look for:
Density and Color Variations — This action will create multiple copies of an area of your image and vary its density and color. It is a good way to test the output of an image to a printer if you choose not to use a color managed workflow or don't have a profile for your printer.
Nine Different Effects — This action will create nine different versions of your image including a color version, B/W, sepia toned etc. on a single template page that you create. In order for the action to work, you must first create a template file (8 inches by 10 inches at 250 PPI) to use as the background sheet (this can include important information such as your logo and contact information).
Saving out Snapshots — To use this action, select the bottom snapshot in the History palette and play the action. Each snapshot in the file will be saved to a separate file by: selecting the snapshot, creating a new file, saving the new file (it automatically will prompt you to name the new file) and closing the new file. It repeats this sequence of commands until up to 5 snapshots have been saved as separate documents.
Stippled Effect — This action creates a monochrome stippled effect on an image. The larger the file, the more detail will be maintained.
Photoshop CS3 Upgrade Options And Bundles From The Adobe Store
Photoshop CS3 Extended is ideal for film, video, and multimedia pros and for graphic and web designers using 3D and motion. Get the full version for US $999, or upgrade for US $349. The standard version of Photoshop CS3 is available for US $649, or as an upgrade for US $199. See all upgrade options at the Adobe Store. See our CS3 Resource Center for free Photoshop CS3 tutorials.
Photoshop Extended is also available as part of Adobe Creative Suite 3 Design Premium, which combines all-new CS3 versions of Photoshop, Flash Pro, Dreamweaver, Illustrator, InDesign and Acrobat 8 Pro. Upgrade options for customers in Europe, the UK, Australia, New Zealand and Asia can be found at the Adobe International Store.
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Available At The Adobe Store
There are tons of new features in Adobe Lightroom 1.0 that you won't find in the beta version. From Clone and Healing functionality to metadata browsing, you'll be able to free-up post-processing time like never before. Get it now at the Adobe Store. Customers in Europe, the UK, Australia, New Zealand and Asia can find special pricing and offers at the Adobe International Store. For free Lightroom tutorials see our Lightroom tutorials page.
SiteGrinder Photoshop Plugin - Create Websites Instantly
There often seems to be a strict division of labor within the world of web design and development. Creative professionals tend to stick to the Photoshop domain, while those well-versed in scripting are left to the task of implementing their work. Indeed, the two realms are quite different from each other, to which any of us even vaguely familiar with either can easily attest.
Essentially, Photoshop is a no-holds-barred design studio, offering the artist a seemingly endless array of creative options. On the other hand, HTML, CSS, Java and the like follow strict rules of engagement, requiring the developer to take any number of esoteric concerns into consideration in order to ensure that designs are properly displayed on the web.
Turn Photoshop Into A Complete Web Design Tool
SiteGrinder seeks to bridge this gap between design and development. Basically, this program turns Photoshop into an easy-to-use and fully functional web design tool. With SiteGrinder, designers will now have the freedom to totally let their creativity loose and then, without skipping a beat, transfer their designs to the web. Bringing esthetic concerns together with more practical considerations, this program is an amazingly powerful tool that would make a fantastic addition to any web designer's bag of tricks.
Generate Your Web Pages Directly From Photoshop
By generating web pages directly from Photoshop, you'll be able to spend much more time on the creative end of the spectrum, since you'll know right off the bat how well particular designs will translate to the web. No more going back to the Photoshop drawing board after getting a phone call from your development team, telling you that what you had envisioned doesn't have a chance of being displayed on the web. You can immediately visually and interactively test your designs, which permits you to then make changes to either esthetics or functions while it's still relatively early on in the design process.
Pricing and Availability
Mac OS X and Windows versions of the SiteGrinder unlockable demo are available now via download. SiteGrinder can be ordered from Media Lab's online store.
Photoshop CS3 Book - CS3 Essential Skills - By Mark Galer And Philip Andrews
Brimming with beautiful pictures, Photoshop CS3 Essential Skills guides you through a project-based, progressive curriculum so that you can build all the essential skills to enhance photographs creatively and professionally with Photoshop CS3. If you are an aspiring professional, enthusiastic amateur photographer, or a student learning photography, digital imaging, art and design, or design graphics, you'll be amazed at the stunning results you can achieve. A DVD is included free.
The Essential Skills Photography Series from Focal Press uniquely offers a structured learning experience for photographers of all ages, with both the underlying theory and loads of invaluable 'how to' and real-life practice projects - all from the most talented photography practitioners/educators in the world.
Read 2 free sample chapters:
Adjusting Exposure in Adobe Camera Raw CS3
Photoshop CS3 Tutorial High Dynamic Range
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Photoshop CS2 Book - Photoshop CS2: Essential Skills - By Mark Galer And Philip Andrews
An inspirational and user-friendly guide to creative image editing, Photoshop CS2: Essential Skills provides direction for photographers and designers alike who have ventured into the realm of the 'digital darkroom.' The book offers a progressive curriculum to guide you through Photoshop with a series of clear, step-by-step projects designed to place knowledge into a practical context.
Whether you simply want to retouch an image, create a glamour makeover or create a highly sophisticated montage - this book will give you the essential skills to complete the work to a professional standard.
Read 2 free sample chapters:
How To Sharpen An Image In Photoshop — Advanced Sharpening Techniques
Working With Shadows In Photoshop - Advanced Shadow Techniques
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Photoshop CS2: Essential Skills (Amazon.com - $20.76 - save 37%)
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Total Training for Adobe Photoshop
Learn Adobe Photoshop with 21 hours of interactive Adobe Photoshop tutorials. This is training for real-world situations and includes additional tips and techniques used by the pros.
View Sample Photoshop, Dreamweaver and Flash Pro Video Tutorials
Free Adobe Photoshop CS3 video tutorials
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