Ready, Set, Actions!

Ready, Set,Actions!

guide to Photoshop Elements

your

“I didn’t know I could

do that!”from the experts at

Texas Chicks

Ready, Set, Actions! Texas Chicks Blogs ‘n Pics | Page 1

Summary Table of ContentsNavigating this PDF and Copyright ......................................6Meet Your Expert ..................................................................7Introduction ..........................................................................8Chapter 1. Why Use Actions? .................................................9Chapter 2. Running Actions ..................................................11Chapter 3. Photoshop Elements Tools ...................................19Chapter 4: Additional Need to Know Info ..............................28Chapter 5. Perfecting Action Results ....................................32Chapter 6. Start to Finish Edits Using Actions .....................49Chapter 7: General Troubleshooting ....................................73Appendix 1: Installing Actions ..............................................76Appendix 2: Featured Actions & Learning Resources ..........89

Ready, Set, Actions! Texas Chicks Blogs ‘n Pics | Page 6Ready, Set, Actions! Texas Chicks Blogs ‘n Pics | Page 6

CopyrightNavigating this PDFI’ve done my best to make it easy for you to navigate through the PDF and

get the information you need at the click (or right click) of a mouse!

You may already have noticed that the Table of Contents is hyperlinked:

just click on the section you’d like to read, and the PDF should take

you there.

Throughout the book, you’ll see some text formatted like this. This indicates

an internal hyperlink. For example, I repeatedly remind you to flatten your

images before you run an action. You’ll find that “flatten your image”

ususally appears like this “flatten your image.” If you need a refresher,

click on that text and you’ll be taken to the section of the book that details

how to perform that task.

You’ll also see some text formatted like this. These are external hyperlinks

(for example, links to Actions or learning resources, my blog and my

Facebook page). Click on them and they’ll take you directly to the external

resource.

Ready, Set Actions! ebook by Erin Peloquin.

Copyright © 2011 by Erin Peloquin of Pelo Media LLC.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be copied, reproduced or

distributed in any form electronic, printed, photocopied or otherwise without

specific written permission from Erin Peloquin, except in the case of brief

quotations used for reviews.

I worked really hard to make this book a valuable and useful resource for

you. Please treat it as you would want others to respect something unique

that you created.

Thank you!


eRin peloquin

texAS chickS blog & picS

Hi, I’m ErinWelcome to Ready, Set, Actions! I am delighted you’re here.

Whether you’re a just-starting-out-newbie, or a more seasoned photographer

hoping to gain skills to that add that certain little something to your

images, you’ll find what you’re looking for here.

This book covers Photoshop Elements actions from A to Z. That’s right, A (for

action) to Z (for unzip). I’ve packed in every tip, trick and proven technique I

know to help you create keepsake images for your family, friends and clients.

Why should you listen to what I have to say? My site, texas chicks blogs &

pics is widely regarded as one of the Web’s most content-rich resources for

Photoshop Elements and actions. I am the Elements specialist at mcp actions

and I am one of two specialists who converted the popular pioneer woman

actions to work with Photoshop Elements.

I’ve done my best to write the book in plain English. You won’t find lots of

tech-talk, but you will find plenty of clear, step-by step instructions to help

you navigate your way through the land of actions for Photoshop Elements.

(I used to teach Latin to middle schoolers. Teaching actions for Elements to

you is a lot easier!)

I’m so pleased to share all my experience with you!

Now let’s get started, shall we?

http://www.texaschicksblogsandpics.com/

http://www.texaschicksblogsandpics.com/

http://www.mcpactions.com

http://thepioneerwoman.com/photography/2010/03/pioneer-woman-actions-for-photoshop-elements/

http://thepioneerwoman.com/photography/2010/03/pioneer-woman-actions-for-photoshop-elements/


INTRoDUCTIoN

So, you’ve heard that actions will rock your photos. You download a few and spend way too long installing them into Photoshop Elements. And then, you come to realize that actions won’t help you at all if you don’t know a little about Elements to begin with!

Or, maybe you do know a little about Elements, but feel like you could be getting

more out of your actions. You’re not using them to their full potential or your

photos are still lacking the finesse you want. Maybe you can’t even figure out

how to install your actions. In the interest of full disclosure, I will tell you that

people pay me to install their actions for them. I have done it more times that

I can count. But you don’t need to pay me—everything I know about installing

actions is in this book. I promise!

Now, there are all sorts of books and tutorials on the internet about Photoshop

Elements. I’ve spent years learning and studying myself. But you don’t need to know

everything about the program to use an action well. This book cuts through the fluff

and gives you the important things you need to run actions in Elements to their

fullest potential. No need to sift through unimportant material to find out what you

need—this book covers only the tools used in running and modifying actions.

Here’s something else I should tell you. I teach classes on how to use actions

in PSE. The benefit of a class, of course, is that you can ask the teacher questions.

You can’t ask an ebook questions, but I can assure you that I’ve taken care

to include everything I can possibly think of about actions in this book.

There are lots of ways you can use this book. You can read it from start to

finish. Beginners should work through chapters 3-5 before going back to the

first chapter. If you’re a fast learner or relatively comfortable in Elements,

skip over to chapter 6 and link back to the explanatory text only if you need

more info. The table of contents and troubleshooting sections are hyper-

linked to make it super easy to get to the info you want. I’ve even included

some power user tips designed for people who are computer savvy.

The screen shots in this book come from Elements 8 and 9 on a PC. The

instructions are applicable to versions of Elements all the way back to 5,

and Mac modifications are given as necessary. Mac shortcuts are presented

parenthetically after PC shortcuts when they differ.

Are you ready? Dive in and enjoy.


Chapter 1Why useactions?

Let’s start atthe beginning,

shall we?Actions are quitesimply fantastic. And here’s why.


CHAPTER 1: WHY USE ACTIoNS

And no action is going to convert an everyday snapshot of your child into

one of the beautifully styled photos of the girls with large eyes, lip gloss

and pettiskirts.

here are two more things that actions won’t do:

• Recover completely blown-out highlights in an overexposed photo

• Sharpen an out-of-focus photo

ok then. what will actions do?

Well, the way I look at it, there are three main categories of actions:

1. Actions that correct close-but-not-perfect photography (exposure, white

balance, color casts, mild softness, etc.)

2. Actions that artistically enhance your photos—create black and whites,

pop the colors, add haze, shift colors, create a vintage look, etc.

3. Actions that help you present your photos—these actions sharpen,

watermark, size for the internet and create storyboards or collages.

You might have heard that actions are miraculous rescuers of photos that miss the mark, or artistic tools that turn an ordinary photo into fine art. I’ll tell you this straight out—no action is going to save a bad photo.

Each of the above types of actions gives you at least one of the following

benefits:

• Saves you time—think about an action that creates 20 new layers, each

with unique settings, for your photo. Can you do that in 30 seconds or less?

• Saves brainpower—think about that same photo with 20 new layers

again. Can you really remember which 20 layers at which settings to

add to get that look? Don’t feel bad, i can’t either.

• Sneaks in power not normally available in Elements—actions can be used

to apply some edits that are normally only available in full Photoshop,

like Curves or the Channel Mixer.

in the best of cases, actions can teach you to be a power elements user.

What better motivation do you have to learn layer masks? Or, if you like the

way a specific action brightens an image but don’t need the rest of the effect,

examine how the brightening layer works and duplicate it yourself. In most

cases, you’ll be able to read the settings and apply them to another photo.


Chapter 2Running Actions

Everything the beginner needs

to know to run an action!


CHAPTER 2: RUnnING ACTIoNS

Step 1. Configure Elements for using actions

Recent versions of Elements have

two modules—the Organizer and

the Editor.

The Organizer might be where you

import photos, tag them and even

print them.

The Editor (Fig. 1) is where you can

use Elements photo correcting and

enhancing tools. If you open a photo

in the Organizer module, you can

click on the Edit Photos button to

move to the Editor module.

fig. 1: photoShop eleMentS eDitoR MoDule

fig. 2: photoShop eleMentS SplASh ScReen

Or, you can open the Editor Module directly by clicking on Edit from the

Splash Screen (Fig. 2).

this book is focused solely on the elements editor. So keep in mind that

all instructions refer to the Editor workspace, rather than the Organizer work-

space.


Chapter 5Perfecting

Action Results

OR

Everything else you need to know about Elements

to RoCK your actions!


CHAPTER 5: PERFECTING ACTIoN RESULTS

“oK, the action has run. Eeeeek!

What are all those new things in my layer palette?

What do I do with them?”

Now we’re getting to the good stuff. This is where you get to

perfect the results of the action on your photo.

And here’s the first thing you need to know.

Actions are meant to be modified!

very few actions are going to look good on every picture

without a little tweaking.

Some actions even give you choices.

So in this section of the book, you’ll learn how to use these

basics of Elements in order to rock your photos and get the

most out of your actions.

Ready? Set? let’s take a look at...



LAYERS

Layers are the basis of just about anything Elements does.

Understanding how to modify and manipulate them is the key to perfecting

the results of your actions.

Most actions give you one, if not multiple, new layers. Each of these layers

will provide a different effect to your photo like brightening, darkening, add-

ing contrast, converting to black and white, etc. (Fig. 28).

You can modify layers in three global ways. Global means that these

modifications will affect every part of your photo, or the entire image.

1. turn the layer off or on by clicking on the eyeball. When running an

action I’m not familiar with, I usually start by turning each layer off and on in

succession to see what that layer does.

If you don’t like or need a particular layer, just leave the eyeball turned off

(invisible). Also, some actions produce layers that are off by design—you only

turn them on if your photo requires it.

2. change the opacity of a layer. Use the opacity slider to make the effect

of a layer stronger or weaker. 100% is the strongest, 0% is the weakest.

3. change the blending mode of a layer. Blending modes change the way

the pixels in a layer interact with the pixels below them. In most cases, the

action maker will have chosen the blending mode for a reason, and you won’t

need to change it.

The major exception to this is actions that apply textures to an image. The key

to beautiful application of textures is to find the blending mode that works for

the particular combination of image and texture, so you might need to change

blending modes for texture layers if your action doesn’t give you choices. You will

know if you have a texture layer because the name of your action will be

something like “texture applicator.” Otherwise, don’t worry about it.

tyPeS oF lAyeRSLayers come in two main types.

1. Pixel layers have a small thumbnail image of your photo.

2. Adjustment layers have a tool or color icon on the left,

and a layer mask on the right. By double clicking on the tool

or color swatch icon, you can further refine the results of

the action.

power

user tip

fig. 28: lAyeRS pAlette



Layer Styles

Some action will apply layer styles such as a stroke (outline) to your layers.

You can identify layers with styles applied by the “fx” on the right side (Fig. 30).

lAyeR StyleSDouble click on the layer style “fx” to refine or add

to the style.

Layer Masks

As a smart reader (I know you are one) you’re probably thinking “Ok, so you

said those changes to layers affect the image globally (all over it). What

happens if I just want to apply the changes to part of the image?”

OMG, since you are asking that question, that tells me that you are totally

rocking and ready to move on to layer masks! Good job!

Say you have an image that is mostly bright but has a few areas of dark shad-

ows. If you turn on a “brightening” layer, it’s going to make the bright areas

too bright. That means that you just want to brighten the dark areas, right?

That, my friend, is where Layer Masks come in. If you are asking the question,

you already get the concept.

Congratulations!

what does a layer mask look like? A layer mask is a rectangle on the right

side of a layer (we saw them in Fig. 28 and Fig. 29). It is usually all black or

all white. Some actions, however, build a mask for you, so you might see

black, white and shades of gray on your layer masks.

Power users, layer masks can appear on both pixel and adjustment layers.

power

user tip

fig. 30: Applying lAyeR StyleS

Both Levels 1 and Color Fill 1 in Fig. 29 are adjustment layers—they have tool

or color icons on the left and a layer mask on the right.

You can modify the Levels adjustments after an action runs by double clicking

on the Levels tool icon (next to the arrow). And you can modify the color

selection in Color Fill 1 by double clicking on the color box (next to the arrow).

fig. 29: ADjuStMent lAyeRS


Chapter 6Action!

start to finishedits in

Elementsusing actions


CHAPTER 6: START To FINISH EDITS USING ACTIoNS

Click Ok and the following message

(Fig. 62) will appear. Read it and

continue.

Next, your photo will probably look

very funny and the Levels Dialog will

open (Fig. 63). Keep in mind here

that you are telling Elements where

to build the mask—you want all the

skin to be white so that the skin

softening is revealed.

Remember: “white reveals and

black conceals.”

So, select the white eyedropper and

click once or multiple times on your

image until the skin is white or at

least bright.

It will look something like Fig. 64,

although you might see some areas

of bright color.

Click OK and the action will finish

running.

fig. 62: MAgic Skin MeSSAge

fig. 63: MAgic Skin levelS DiAlog box

fig. 64: MAgic Skin eDit

fig. 65: iMAge with DefAult MAgic Skin opAcity

fig. 66: ReDucing lAyeR opAcity

I find that the default Magic Skin

opacity is usually too strong

(Fig. 65). So I reduce it. For this

particular image, I reduced the

opacity of the Magic Skin layer to

just under 50% (Fig. 66).

Note that, if I wanted to (I never

do), I could adjust the opacities of

Glowing and Creamy Foundation

layers individually, instead of

adjusting the Magic Skin Opacity.

However, because Glowing and

Creamy Foundation are parts of a



Let’s look at the second set of layers in the Fusion action that I ran earlier.

I have turned each layer off and on by clicking on the empty square box on

the left side of the layer to turn on the eyeball.

fig. 74: lAyeRS pAllette AfteR Running Mcp fuSion

I decide that I like a combination of

Lemonade Stand and Jenna’s Sweet

Shop here. I changed the Lemonade

Stand opacity to 59%. And Jenna’s

Sweet shop made the subject’s

skin a bit too red, so I used a black

brush at 50% opacity on the Sweet

Shop layer mask to hide some of

the effect just from the skin areas.

Fig. 74 shows my layer palette—the

special treatment section—after I

completed my adjustments.

And here is the final before and after.

befoRe

AfteR



Fig. 87 demonstrates how to size and move the photos.

fig. 87: ReSizing AnD Moving photoS

fig. 88: lAyeRS pAlette AfteR Running pRint it Action

fig. 89: iMAge ReSize DiAlog box

When you are happy with the size

and location of your photo, click on

the green check mark to commit

your changes and the action will

continue to run.

The action will prompt you to select

other photos, and size and move

them.

When Print It finishes running, you

will have a layers palette something

like the one in Fig. 88, where you

can change the color of the outer or

inner borders. Remember that you

can match the color to something

in your image using the eyedropper

tool, if you’d like.

To make the storyboard smaller, the

Print It action set includes actions

such as Shrink a 10 x 20 to 5 x 10.

(I don’t recommend trying to make

a storyboard larger, by the way.)

However, if I want a size that the

action set doesn’t give me an option

for, I’ll use the Image Resize Dialog

in Elements by going to the Image

menu, and selecting Resize/Image

Size (Fig. 89).

With Constrain Proportions checked,

Elements will calculate the height

for any width you type in, or it will

calculate the width for any height.


Chapter 7general

troubleshooting

what to dowhen thingsjust don’t

go your way


Appendix#1

everythingyou need toknow aboutinstallingactions

Documents

Ready, Set, Actions!