Some people feel that using actions is cheating when it comes to editing. However, many of us have busy lives and rather than spend hours upon end editing a series f photos, we can use an action to speed up the process. I’ll be honest, if I had Photoshop, I’d probably write my own actions…but I use Photoshop Elements 7, so I use any freebie actions I can get my hands on. You’ll often see me using CoffeeShop’s Little Perk (that I often call “just a perk”). It’s great for adding that little burst of color, contrast and sharpening without much effort. In most cases, this is all you need to make a SOOC photo pop. In the example to the left (middle), after a closer crop, I applied Little Perk to give you an idea of what that effect with nothing more adds to a photo.
Another action that I’m becoming a fan of is Amy McMaster’s Apricot Cream. I used this action after my crop in the example to the left (bottom) following Little Perk. I love vintage-looking photos and this action has that vibe without any sepia.
If you haven’t tried actions before or you’re looking for a great source of freebies (either PS or PSE), check out CoffeeShop and Amy McMaster. You’ll find some cool stuff and tutorials for how to install these actions.
