templates and actions
Thursday, December 30, 2010 at 4:26PM TEMPLATES:
I have been getting a ton of emails and comments lately regarding what templates and photoshop actions I use so, I figured it was worth a blog post. I know this won't be helpful to most as they require photoshop to use.
I LOVE Design Aglow and from day one in my business they have been where I purchase the templates that I use for branding, cards, price guides etc. They are so easy to use and and can be customized to match your branding so easily.
For my post on christmas cookies I used this template called Mr. Big. I just grabbed bits and pieces of it to create what I wanted. It didn't start out looking at all like a Holiday template but I just customized it that way.
Design Aglow has so many amazing and wonderful products to choose from.
ACTIONS:
For those of you who are wondering what actions are, they are simply layers that are placed on original photos to give them a different look. You need the program photoshop to use them.
There are tons of options out there as far as actions go but my favorites are from Totally Rad Actions. Some of my favorites are pool party, lux and grandma's tap shoes. I always turn down the opacity on the actions so that the finished look is a bit more subtle than the action at 100%. I like my photos to have just a touch of a warm vintage feel to them.
Here is an example of what a photo looked like SOOC (Straight out of camera) and then after processing with actions.
In my opinion (for whatever that is worth), I think that it is so important to find a style that you feel fits your brand of photography the best and try to stick with it as much as possible. That doesn't mean that all of your photos should look exactly the same but there should be a common thread. It took me awhile to find my groove and I made some major rookie mistakes when I first started out. I see so many photographers these days go crazy with all of the options that are there in terms of photoshop that their work ends up all over the board and you never know what you are going to get. There are lots of amazing photographers that rock the super saturated, glowy looking photos. I have nothing against photos like that, I even love a lot of them. But that is not my style it would be a huge disconnect if I processed any of my photos in that way.
So, if you are new to the game. Keep playing around with the endless options that are out there and find something that fits YOU. Make it your own. Don't try to mimic what another photographer is already great at. Do something different.
That's it for today. I hope that was helpful to some of you. If you enjoy posts like this, I would be happy to do more so please let me know. Otherwise, I apologize if you are not a photographer and this flies way above your head. I will be back with plenty of photos of my little two year old for you to enjoy. ;)
Reader Comments (7)
Wonderful post, you seem very sweet. Thanks for the link to Design Aglow, they have some great ideas over there.
I had inquired about the templates because I was inspired to create scrapbooks of the kiddos after seeing these, http://i51.tinypic.com/2m47lfl.jpg. (She makes a 12x12 page of each, but I just moved 4 pages onto 1 to show as an example.) The digital scrapbooks she has created for her girls are just incredible. I'd love to see more FAQ blog posts in the future from you!
So great to hear your feedback Lisa! Thanks!
I would love to hear more of your tips and tricks!! Thank you for your beautiful and inspiring photographs! I just found your blog not too long ago but I love it and it is a favorite on my Google Reader!
Happy New Year!!
I love your blog!! I love looking at your beautiful pictures!! And i love posts like these!!
Happy New Year!!
I love your blog. it was great to have some tips from you.Pls do it again
I love your blog and since I'm just learning the technicalities of photography all tips, tricks and advice are greatly appreciated! Keep up the good work!
Loved this post Shannon! I couldn't agree with you more. I love how every photographer has their own style and once you get to know that person's style, it's like you can look at a photo and say, "Hey, I know how took that" because you recognize the style. I was feeling like I needed to try some crazy textures and stuff at one point because I was seeing alot of photographers who did that and I realized - HEY, THAT'S NOT ME! So I quit. Btw...we have a mutual friend - Ashley Campbell. Just thought you might want to know how I knew about you. :)