As if it’s not hard enough to install actions into Photoshop Elements, what happens to your actions when you decide to upgrade to the latest version of PSE?

The unfortunate answer is that you have to re-install the suckers.

Luckily, you can, in most cases, just copy the files from your old version of Elements to the new one.  Here’s what you do:

For actions installed into Photo Effects

1. Close or Quit Elements – this isn’t the same as hiding or minimizing.
2. Navigate to the Photo Effects folder on your hard drive where you installed your actions into the old version of PSE.  You can find instructions for the path specific to your version of PSE and your operating system here.
3. Open the Photo Effects folder and copy all files related to the actions that you want to transfer.  Make sure your folder is sorting by name rather than type, so that you can grab all related files together.  (I probably shouldn’t admit this, but I copy ALL the files in the old Photo Effects, including the actions that Adobe put there in the first place. As far as I know, Adobe doesn’t change these actions from year to year, and I never use them anyway.  So I’m not worried terribly about overwriting new Adobe tricks.  If you are, don’t Copy All, just copy the specific files you want to transfer.)
4. Navigate to the Photo Effects file in your new version of PSE.  It should be in the same location, just in the directory for the new version rather than the old.  You can look up the location here if you’d like some guidance.
5. Paste the files into this Photo Effects folder (for the upgraded Elements).
6. Navigate to the Mediadatabase file in the new version and delete it.  Look up the location for your version of Elements and your operating system here, if you need it.
7. Open Elements and let it process.  Remember that this part takes a long time – don’t touch your computer, and ignore it if PSE says it’s not responding.  It will eventually respond.  If you do interrupt Elements, it will look like your Effects Palette is incomplete or empty and you’ll need to close Elements, return to mediadatabase, delete it, and reopen PSE to let it process again.

For actions installed into the Action Player

1. Close or Quit Elements – this isn’t the same as hiding or minimizing.
2. Navigate to the Workflow Panels/Actions folder on your hard drive where you installed your actions into the old version of PSE.  You can find instructions for the path here.
3. Open this Actions folder and copy the actions that you want to transfer.
4. Navigate to the Workflow Panels/Actions file in your new version of PSE.  It should be in the same location, just in the directory for the new version rather than the old.  You can look up the location here if you’d like some guidance.
5. Paste the files into this Actions folder (for the upgraded Elements).
6. Open Elements.  And that’s it!

Important Notes:  

• This works for upgrading Elements on the same computer, or transferring your actions to a new computer.  On a new computer, you’d just need to copy your files to a thumb drive or CD so that you can paste them into the new Photo Effects folder.
• Remember that actions can be installed into EITHER Photo Effects OR the action player, but not both.  So you can’t decide to switch methods when you’re moving your actions.
• The action files for Elements 7 and up, or at least Elements 7-10, are the same.  So those files are completely interchangeable between versions.  However, if you’re upgrading from Elements 6 or prior to Elements 7 or later, you will need to get the updated version of the files from the action maker.

Did you know that you can read the first 2 and a half chapters of my eBook, Ready, Set, Actions! for free, just by liking my Facebook page?

You will learn:

• What actions will do and what they won’t do
• An overview of the two ways to install actions into PSE
• What to do before running an action
• How to run actions
• An important note about messages that pop up while actions run
• What to do after running an action
• Which order to run actions in
• What to do with those Levels dialog boxes that pop up
• The SECRET to creamy newborn skin
• A coupon to save on the purchase of the full book

And all that comes just from the first 2 and a half chapters.  Imagine what’s in the remaining 60 plus pages!

Here is a sampling:

• Chapter 3:  Sharpening, Free Trasform
• Chapter 4:  Tools, File Types, Resizing
• Chapter 5:  Layers and Masking
• Chapter 6:  Start to Finish Edits Using Actions
• Chapter 7:  Troubleshooting
• Appendix:  Everything I Know About Installing Actions

After liking Texas Chicks Facebook page, look for the free eBook download link on the left side of the screen.

I hope you like it!

You guys have heard me talk about Photovision before, right?  This is my favorite photography video series.

Every other month, I receive a DVD from them with 3 or more hours of content.  Several professional photographers are featured on each DVD, doing things like:

• setting up shoots and posing clients
• post-processing their images
• describing various aspects of their business, from marketing to getting started to sales.

I put these videos on my Ipad and watch them while I work out.  I have also had a couple of viewing parties with photographer friends where we pop some popcorn and talk photography.  Either way, I learn tons – this is one of the best learning tools I’ve found for photography  - especially for shoot set up and interacting with clients.

Those of you that subscribe to Photovision know that they had a contest last year for people that referred new subscribers to them – a drawing for a Canon 5D Mark ii.  And I won it!!!!

I found out just a couple of weeks ago and have been playing with and learning this new camera ever since.  I am beyond excited, so I’m sending this post to Photovision as a big huge THANK YOU!

Are you interested in joining the Photovision fan club with me?  You can watch free previews of the 2012 series on their website.  And, you can purchase all the 2012 videos for only $49 using coupon code VOD.

My photography inspiration for the week is coming from the Fly Guide again.  Last week, I shared my favorite photos as part of an exercise from the Fly Guide.  This week, I worked on an assignment to document my life and household and help me identify who I am and what I truly love.

I’ve decided to share some of my photos from the Fly Guide with you, but I do need to say that this book is much much more than photography prompts.  So, even though I’m sharing my photos with you, I’m not talking about the journaling, the discussion, or all the other wonderfulness that make the Fly Guide.  I don’t even think Angie Warren, the author, knows I’m writing here.

My intent is not to replace the Fly Guide or to convince you to buy it.  I just want to share my photos with you, and maybe some inspiration as well.

I have lots of photos of our home from working on A Week in the Life for the past two years.  This week, I was really feeling the need to document and celebrate just my office.  I have a new desk that fits the space so well, and gives me so many options for organizing.  I feel creative and productive just by sitting at the desk now!

Nearly everything worth knowing about me is represented somewhere in these photos.

What could you take photos of around your house that would identify who you are and what you love?  What a great gift this would be to your kids as they grow up.  It would be direct insight into you were in addition to being a mom.

This is a great project to work on if you need more about you in your scrapbooks or photo collection.  Plus, it’s an easy way to practice.  Household items don’t wiggle and they’re easy to pose!

If you have photos that represent you, I’d love to see them.  Link to them below or post them on my Facebook page.

 

 

My source for paper for my home printer paper has been Red River Paper for a couple of years now.

You Texas Chicks old timers might remember a series of posts on print quality that we did a couple of years back with Drew Hendrix of Red River Paper.

• Editing on a laptop, fine art paper
• Working space:  Adobe RGB vs. sRGB
• Prints are too dark

Even if you have read those posts already, they’re worth a re-read.  They contain lots of good info about how to make your prints look their best.

I use Red River’s papers for tons of reasons.

• First off, the customer service is speedy and responsive.
• 2nd, they carry scrapbook sized paper – 12 inches wide.  That can be hard to find.
• 3rd, well, yes, they are another Texas company.  And a small business at that.
• The Red River website is full of good info about getting great prints.  Check out Red River’s 12 tips for getting great prints in 2012.
• And finally?  My prints look great on them.  They match the quality of the Epson paper that the printer manuals recommend and they often cost less.  And they’re way better than the cheap stuff I buy from the office supply store when I’m desparate.

So when Drew asked me about advertising on Texas Chicks, I was proud to say yes.

What are my favorite products?

• Ultra Pro Satin – a good luster finish that costs less than comparable Epson paper
• Arctic Polar Satin – luxury luster.  Can you tell that I’m a luster girl?
• Green Pix Warm Tone – size 10×7 for notecards that I print from home.  Love this especially because it’s made with recycled paper!  You can use this for the notes created by my free action.

• Anything 12×12 – lots of options, including 3 double sided choices.  What could be better for digital scrapbookers?

Even if you don’t need printer paper right now, read Red River’s 12 tips for getting great prints in 2012.  You’ll learn something good, I promise!

Photography inspiration quote of the day:

It struck me so much that I wanted to present it in a memorable way.  You can click on that image to download it as a PDF (with a hyperlink straight to Ira Glass’s This American Life) if you’d like to save it for yourself.

The project I’m working on?  Angie Warren’s Fly Guide. Photography inspiration is so important to me – I need to practice every day, but sometimes I get into a rut.  Nothing new to take pictures of, kids tired of the camera, boring backyard.  Have you been there?

I like to sign up for online courses from time to time to revitalize my creativity and suggest new perspectives inside my home and neighborhood to practice on. The Fly Guide is my current source of inspiration.

Now, I’m not going to tell you what the book says to do with these photos after you’ve chosen them.  That’s what the Fly Guide is for.  But I will say that Angie is as much therapist as she is author and photographer. 

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  This was a time consuming process.  I put lots of thought into finding photos that I like.  Not photos that other people said they liked.  Not photos that would make my photography teachers happy.   I was quite relieved to see that they’re not all photos of my kids.  That means that the “mommy goggles” aren’t skewing my choices.

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The photo above might be called BFF goggles though.  Does that count?

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I wasn’t sure what tied all these images together and made them my favorites, until I found Ira Glass’s words.

It’s not that something about the composition, colors, depth of field or anything like that united these photos for me.  It’s simply my personal taste that brings those images together.

Something tells me that Angie might be trying to tell me that in the Fly Guide, but I haven’t read that far yet.

Would you like to share some of your favorites?  I would be so interested to see what defines taste for other people.  Link to them in the comments below or on  my Facebook wall if you’d like.

A camera straps is one of those things that you don’t think about until you have a new one to compare to.  Especially if you’re dense like me and don’t make the connection between the crick in your neck and a long day of shooting….

Below are the 3 camera straps I own.  The first one on the left is the strap my camera came with.  I’m embarrassed to admit that I used it for an entire year before I got a real strap.

Embarrassed because, when I  moved up to the green strap in the middle, the change was like night and day.  I bought the green strap mostly because it was cute – I didn’t expect the softness and thickness to add to my comfort level.  But suddenly, that crick in my neck disappeared.

Can you see in the shot above how the green strap is much thicker than the Canon?  I really didn’t think I could improve on it.  And I certainly wasn’t shopping for a new camera strap.

Enter the brown strap that you see above, which I received to review.  It’s the Coronado, made at the home of Gina of Stylish Beach Bum.

It has faux leather on one side and soft black chenille on the other.  Wow.  I am in love.

First off, the strap is twice as wide as my old green one – 3 inches vs. 1.5 inches.  And it’s softer and thicker too.  (I can’t remember how thick the green one was before a year and a half f use, but I do believe it wasn’t as thick as Gina’s Coronado model.)

The width is fabulous – the wider the strap, the less digging in.

The other amazing thing?  This strap holds a lens cap!  I mean, duh, shouldn’t they all?  Gina, I think you’re amazing for adding this feature.  The straps with faux leather like mine have the lens cap pocket on the inside.  It’s on the outside on the non faux leather models.

This pocket is big enough to hold most of my lens caps.  The cap for my 24-70, for instance, is too wide, but my 50mm 1.4 cap fits with no problem.

The styles Stylish Beach Bum offers are fabulous.  The Cardiff is one of several that have sparkles.  You can’t beat bling on your camera strap, right ladies?

Gina has graciously offered a new camera strap to a Texas Chicks reader.   Are you ready to enter this contests?  Between now and Monday, January 16 at midnight CST, leave a message on this post telling me which strap you will choose if you win.  Your camera strap choices are here.  Leave a SEPARATE comment ON THIS POST ON MY BLOG if you like my Facebook page.  I’ll announce the winner next Tuesday.

Can’t wait for the end of the contest?  I don’t blame you.  Prices run from $19.99 to $28.99.  Use coupon code TexasChicks to save 15% through January 31.

Valentine’s photos are usually much easier for me to manage than Christmas photos of the family.  Since I didn’t get Christmas cards out last month, I just might send Valentines to everyone on my list this year.

I haven’t decided what the pose will be yet, but I’m playing with some ideas.  Do you have any ideas for Valentine’s day?  I’d love to hear them!

Here are the cards my girls gave to their friends the past two years.

This shot was a pretty standard set up.  Large aperture with focal point on the glitter heart.  I ran MCP’s Mini Fusion free action for Elements and popped the photo into a card template.   I attached a Hershey’s Kiss over the heart for class distribution.

The key to getting this photo is to focus on the outstretched hand using a wide angle lens.

What’s a wide angle lens, you ask?  A wide angle is a zoom that goes down to something under 30mm or so.  Or a fixed lens of that size or less.  A lens like a 10-22 or 16-35 would be great.  For the above shot, however, I used my 24-70.

Wide angles make whatever is closest to the lens look larger in proportion to the rest of the image.  That’s what makes the hand seem to pop out of the photo in the Valentine above.

Also, when taking this shot, I stood on a chair and aimed down so that her hand wouldn’t hide those blue eyes.   I used a moderate aperture because I didn’t want to blur out her face too much.

 I cut a slit over the hand in the photo to hold the lollipop, and the kids loved it.  The moms loved it too – this is a great way to spread the word that you are a photographer.  Assuming, of course, that your kids don’t roll their eyes and groan too much when you suggest making a Valentine’s photo for their cards.

After a nice, relaxing holiday, I’m ready to dive back into work for the year!

Live, Online Classes

Texas Chicks’ 2012 classes for Photoshop Elements and Lightroom are open for registration.

For you guys that have been requesting classes for a while now, I set up an early bird registration discount.  Through Monday, January 2, everything over $50 at Texas Chicks is 20% off.  No coupon code required.  Just add the class to your cart and the discount will be applied automatically.

Read more about the classes here:

• Photoshop Elements
• Lightroom

The Photoshop Elements class series consists of 3 hour and a half long sessions.

The Lightroom series consists of 2 hour and a half long sessions.

I have scheduled a morning and an evening series of each class during January and February to suit your schedule.  All you need is an internet connection and your thinking cap.  We cover a lot of information in these classes!

Pre-Recorded Elements Videos

Elements users, are you worried that you won’t be able to remember everything we cover?  You can also purchase pre-recorded videos to refer back to after class.  These videos are great to use as a reference for looking up those little details that you forget.  They have clickable tables of contents and are keyword searchable, so that you don’t have to watch to entire video to find what you’re looking for.

If you sign up for the Elements series (all three classes), you can purchase the videos at a 50% discount.  Depending on whether you take the morning or the evening classes, there is a different discount code.

• Purchase the videos here
• For the morning series, use code videoAM
• For the evening classes, use code videoPM