Lights Camera...........Actions

[mmmbisto]

I've been eyeing up both ittybittyactions and EZactions and I'm not too sure which ones I'd be best getting.

Can anyone recommend either one, based on my photos:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mmmbist...7594129162756/
(lol, you can tell which ones I took with my sony cybershot and which ones were with my Nikon D70s!)

I've got a family wedding in September, two friends has asked for some glamour type shots to be done, and I have an engagement shoot to do as well for my other friends

[Hollie]

I wish I could help but I don't have any experience with those actions. I'm sure someone else will chime in soon Hope you can get what you are looking for!!!

[Lanne]

thought i would throw in my 2 cents worth... totally my own opinion!

but...

I love the itty bitty actions. I also think they are excellent value for money - if a) you do ALOT of photos.. and it is you PASSION....etc
b) you make a living.. from photography (BUY THESE NOW!! lol)
c) you are going to be paid for some photos and would be willing to reinvest.

If you are a happy snapper or someone who takes the nicest photos at a party/wedding and enjoy snapping your kids... have a serious think about them. I am in Australia and so with the bad exchange rate these were closer to $200 for me... and I am so pleased I bought them - but I always wonder if they suit everyone.

I just looked at your photos.. and I think you could improve them enough in photoshop without going to the actions but again.. I really dont want to sway you, because the actions are great and do some brilliant things... but to just do some basic improvements - try the following:

Adjust the colour balance. I find most photos have a little too much blue in them. So .. I would try - +20, 0, -20 and then adjust the hue saturation.. by upping the saturation by about +20. ..... This will make a big difference. You could also try a very very faint dodge tool on the whites of the eyes of participants.. but without any photoshop skills some colour balance and some saturation will make a world of difference.

I really hope that helps...

[mmmbisto]

Thank you Lanne I'm not really a Photoshop girl, more a PSP7/8 lol. But the first picture in that set is of me that I altered in PSP7 by adding the dodge tool and blurring everything as it was only taken with my cybershot and I was desperate for a Tara Whitney look lol!

But I love Barb's photos after Tara plugged her site in a podcast for the candid frame, and I've got lots of photos to take and do hope to make some money doing photography in the future.

I'm still torn as to whether to hold off a little longer or just suck it up and buy them lol, seeing as I'll more than likely need them for the wedding pics anyway as there's going to be so many to proof it'll be far more easier to press a button and it do it all for me. They'd cost me £50 (which works out at $122 Australian dollars) I live with my parents so I don't have any bills and my dad gave me the majority of the money for the camera anyway, as he saw how much I loved to take pictures.

Saturday alone just at my nan's house, I took over 100 haha!

Such a hard decision lol.

[Lanne]

me again..LOL

I think you might enjoy them but remember.. no one takes Tara pictures except Tara... Some magic you cant buy and even tho you press a button.. you have to adjust.. you should work this out quickly enough but you will end up with several layers to play with... and make adjustments accordingly.

Barb and Tara both make my world a nicer place to be... (and so does Amber Ludlow.. if you are looking to be inspired.. check her out too...

[mmmbisto]

Awesome Well, I can still pretend, wish and practise lots lol! Could you post me a link to Amber?

[Lanne]

Soooo many photos... so few hours in the day to poor over them

http://www.amberludlowphotodesign.typepad.com/

[cesstrelle]

I know this is not an action, but for photos it's so easy to use and free. www.optikvervelabs.com has virtual photographer. I love that thing. I use it in photoshop and photoimpact.

It's great for pepping up images you'd normally delete.

Here's a quick example I did of one of my photos with and without one of the filters. The original was a little on the blurry side and I didn't like the colors, so I played with it and gave it an 'old timey' look.

[sevenupps]

Hi! I'm new to digi scrapping and this site. I've been a wanna-be photographer for a while though.

I like the actions from http://www.ezactions.com/

They have a download wizard now so you don't have to install them yourself.

HTH!
Heather