How about two little actions? You can learn all about Photoshop actions in Rebecca Cooper's "3-Minute Makeovers" article in our inaugural Scrapbook Ellaments eZine. AND on the Ella blog today, you can enter to win some fabulous actions from Rebecca's favorite action-makers, Maggie Holmes and Brenda Acuncius.
Brenda is offering a full set of 16 actions, valued at $50, and Maggie has donated a set of her three action packs, valued at $70. In addition, Maggie has donated a spot in her upcoming online photography class, a $200 value! So please visit the as-yet-unnamed Ella blog to see if you can win. I'm posting late, but you've still got at least 12 hours to enter! (Winners are announced on the Ella blog in the morning.)
The thing about Rebecca's article is that her photos were fantastic to start with. I, on the other hand, do not always start with fantastic photographs. So let me show you the results of adding these cool actions to a very mediocre photo of mine, which features the lovely Megan Hoeppner, the effervescent Wendy Smedley, the adorable baby Elise Jolley, and me in unflattering overhead fluorescent restaurant lighting.
Original
With Maggie's "Lighten Up" Action
It's subtle, but do you see how much brighter our faces look? This seriously took 10 seconds. I pushed one little button and I was done! I also cropped in to remove a few distractions. Don't you hate exit signs?
With Brenda's "Color With Brown Tone" and "Vignette" Actions:
This gives the photo a nice, dramatic, vintage look. And the vignette centers your attention the subjects of the photo rather than all the discractions round about. I applied the color action first, and then the vignette. Total time: about 2 minutes, 30 seconds.
