Filed under: For Photographers
I wanted to share a little bit about my thoughts on the use of Photoshop Actions and also share a couple of resources that I have found to be very useful. Simply put, an action is a series of commands in Photoshop that are roped together into a bundle and allows the user to simply press “Play” in order to run the series. They allow for tweaking and customization during each use, while giving the user the benefit of increased editing speed. The use of Photoshop actions is a touchy subject in modern photography…everyone has an opinion about their use and over-use. And, of course, I have an opinion too! 
Personally, I love using actions in my work. It speeds up my editing time, and allows me to be more creative with my work. I use actions I’ve created myself, as well as purchased actions and free actions. My only strong opinion is that a photographer should avoid using actions as a crutch, and instead try to understand the workings of their camera and the Photoshop program itself. I think that a great goal would be to not use an action unless you truly understand how it is editing your image. That way, you’re forced into learning the process of editing and by understanding the parts of the action, you can create a more unique and personal style. Not every action that can be purchased or downloaded is right for every image, and many need to be customized each time you use them. It’s important to have a knowledge of layers and layer masks. (And if you don’t know what I’m talking about, then perhaps you’re not quite ready to use actions! )
Here are some links to the actions I use/have used/think are cool (each one has a link to their site, BTW):
Pioneer Woman Photography: Ree has two sets of free Photoshop actions, which she created with Doug Boutwell from Totally Rad Actions. They are FANTASTIC, especially for the price! In my opinion, these actions could complete your collection and you’d be quite happy. She also has some great tutorials on her website, it’s a wonderful resource. Plus she’s funny and witty and the whole site is a lot of fun to read!
Speaking of Doug Boutwell, his Totally Rad Actions are uh.maze.ing. I love them. They are a little advanced, so like I’ve said before, you might want to know a little bit about the Photoshop program itself (as well as basic darkroom techniques) before you purchase his actions. They are not cheap, but I have found them to be worth every penny.
A great photographer named Heather Ward has put together her own set of actions. I have a few and love ‘em!
Jodi Freeman of MCP Actions is a great resource for actions, as well as a wealth of information on how to use her actions AND Photoshop in general. She also guest-blogs on Pioneer Woman’s blog. I have a few of her actions, and I have found that her Magic Skin set is one of the best retouching sets around. If I could suggest one set to purchase, that would be the one!
Kevin Kubota’s actions are great, too. I don’t own any, but I know some photographers who can’t live without them!
And don’t look past creating your own action set. If you find yourself doing the same editing strokes each time you open an image, you might want to create your own action to save you a little time. It’s an easy thing to do! Maybe someday soon, I’ll create a little tutorial on it. For now, if you’re interested in learning how to do it, you can always call upon my good friend, Google.
