MCP’s Finish It action for Photoshop, and, YES, Photoshop Elements is available!  If you want your images to be beautiful, unique, and optimized for posting on the internet, this is the action set for you.

As I mentioned last week, I have been working with Jodi of MCP Actions to convert her actions to be Elements compatible.  What an exhilarating process it has been working on Finish It the past couple of weeks.

Jodi’s actions are superb  – very professional and tested extensively on a wide range of photographs.  And rest assured that there are many more good things in store from MCP for Elements users down the road.

So, what exactly does MCP’s Finish It do?

• Resizes your image to fit your website, blog, Facebook, Flickr, wherever – 9 different web optimized sizes
• Sharpens your image for the internet
• Adds an adjustable watermark from your logo wherever you want it
• Unlimited branding options – a variety of styles in any color you can imagine to help establish your identity as a photographer
• Reminds you to convert your image to sRGB, which makes your colors look best on the web.  (This part isn’t actionable in PSE, but it is completely automated in the full Photoshop action)
• Gives you lots of options for journaling, captioning and sharing info about your pictures with family and friends

Check out MCP’s blog for a beautiful slideshow with more examples.  You can also watch the video tutorial that teaches how to use the actions before you buy.

]]> http://www.texaschicksblogsandpics.com/mcps-finish-it-changing-the-way-you-prepare-and-display-images-on-the-web/feed/ 0 http://www.texaschicksblogsandpics.com/do-you-have-pse-5-i-need-you/ http://www.texaschicksblogsandpics.com/do-you-have-pse-5-i-need-you/#comments Thu, 04 Feb 2010 09:00:54 +0000 Erin http://www.texaschicksblogsandpics.com/?p=4393

So on Tuesday I mentioned that I had a secret relating to Photoshop Elements that I would tell you about next week.  Well, I’m spilling the beans today because I need your help!

I am excited to announce that Jodi Friedman, owner of MCP Actions, has hired me as a Photoshop Elements consultant for her company.  I will convert some of her well-known Photoshop actions into Elements friendly versions.

I am looking for a few testers, both for now and in the future. Currently, I need a tester for Elements 5.  Post a comment if you have Elements 5 and have some time to test a new action today or tomorrow.

On Monday, February 8th, MCP Actions will introduce Finish It, a new action set that will help finish your images and save you tons of time getting them ready for the web.  And the best news is that bot only will it work in Photoshop, but it will work in Photoshop Elements also!  More information and examples next week!

Hi Everyone!

I’ve been quiet lately because I’ve been working on two super cool projects! The first is a set of video tutorials for installing and using actions in Photoshop and Photoshop Elements. The 2nd? You’ll find out next week! I know you will love it!

Just wanted to let you know that Clickin’ Moms is having a 50% off sale! The next 30 people who join and use coupon code GROUNDHOG get the discount. Good luck!

I just received an email saying that Lightroom is the deal of the day today, January 25, 2010.  Save 37% and purchase for $189!

This is a great price.  It probably means that the release of Lightroom 3 is around the corner, so take advantage of this pricing while you can.

For those of you who subscribe to Texas Chicks via email, I’ve tried to tweak my settings to ensure that you receive this notice today.  I hope it worked!

Win a Spot in the Light Workshop

I have been following the Light Workshop for a long time now, hoping for a chance to attend. I love what Dee does with the sun in her photography.

Well, she invited me to participate in the session starting January 31, in exchange for spreading the word.  Look at these pictures – surely my photography will look like this in just a few short weeks!

You can see Dee’s galleries here.

And details on winning a spot in the workshop, or a discount to attend, are here. Entries are due by January 9:00 PM EST, January 27.

Epson Artisan 800 All in One Printer – $129

I have a good photo printer and don’t pay much attention to prices on new ones.  But wayoutnumbered is an Epson expert!  And she tells me that $129 is a super price on the Epson Artisan 800.  It originally sold for $300.  I’m thinking of getting one just for the wi-fi capabilities.  It would sure make my husband’s life easier when he works at home.  We never could get our everyday printer networked correctly.  Learn about other Epson clearance deals here.

Next post – Ok, I Finally Installed this Stinkin’ Action.  Now What?  Subscribe to Texas Chicks Blog and Pics to find out!

Hi Everyone!  Just a quick post to let you know about 2 sales.

First off, ColorInc, who is a sponsor of Texas Chicks, is holding a special one day sale on January 20, 2010 from 8:00 AM EST to 5:00 PM EST.  ColorInc will choose one order per hour that will be completely free!  Do you need to print anything?  Now might be the time to place a huge order.  Let us know if you win!

You can read the following Texas Chicks reviews on ColorInc’s products:

• Gallery Wrap
• Boutique Packaging
• Stand Out Mount

The Digital Photography Books by Scott Kelby

Also, two of the first and most helpful books I’ve ever read about digital photography are these two by Scott Kelby:

This third book has been out for a while, and I’ve been waiting for the right price before I purchased.  I found that price at Costco today.  If you’re there, pick it up!  You’ll save a few dollars over the Amazon price.  I paid $12.99 for mine.  Volumes 1 & 2 were there too, by the way.

Have any of you read volume 3 yet?  What did you think?  I’ll report back on mine in a few days!

UPDATE AT 1:45 PM EST on Tuesday, January 19:  The link to register has just been announced.  Login to Clickin’ Moms and click on Your Account.  After 2:00 pm you will see an option to sign up for the Learn to Shoot Manual workshop in the Drop Down box.

Ok, it is currently 12:30 PM, EST on Tuesday, January 19. For you Clickin’ Moms out there, registration for the Learn to Shoot in Manual class begins at 2:00 EST. This is the class for you if you want to stop shooting on the green box setting and start taking pictures like this:

(Apologies to those of you who subscribe to Texas Chicks via email.  Unfortunately, this post won’t be delivered to you until tomorrow.)

You will need a DSLR and a 50mm fixed aperture lens.  The cost is $150.

Curriculum:

• The exposure triangle (aperture, shutter speed and ISO)
• Depth of field
• Metering
• Focusing
• Histograms
• Beginning composition (in brief)
• Using natural light (in brief)

Learn to Shoot in Manual is limited to 30 members so that all can have detailed and personal attention.  It lasts from February 1 to March 7.

The last class filled up in, get this, 2 minutes! So if you are serious about taking your camera to the next level, login to Clickin’ Moms and get ready to race.

This class is open to people who join Clickin’ Moms today too.  So join now – even if you don’t get in the class, there is plenty of information in the forums to teach you everything you need to know.

(Are you trying to figure out your new camera?  Or do you need a quick refresher on the relationship between aperture, shutter speed and ISO in getting good exposure?  Here are some silly musings that have crossed through my mind as I practice shooting in manual.)

Think of good exposure like a full pantry.  It doesn’t matter what amount of peas vs. carrots vs. bread you have – full is full.  But if you eat some carrots, you have to replace them – you can replace them with peas or carrots or bread, as long as your pantry is full again.

For good exposure, your light needs to be “full.”  If you let in less light through a smaller aperture, you need to have more light through a longer shutter speed or higher ISO sensitivity.

The proportions don’t matter so much, as long as you have 100% of the light you need.  If you aren’t bringing in enough light, your picture is underexposed and your pantry isn’t full.  Increase your aperture size, shutter speed and/or ISO.  If you let in too much light, you picture is overexposed.  Reduce any combination of aperture size, shutter speed and/or ISO.  And donate some food from your pantry to goodwill.)

For those more visually minded, I’ve made pie charts to illustrate.  Note how each pie below is 100% full.  The proportions of the ingredients (aperture, shutter speed and ISO) are different, however.  If a piece of pie were missing, you’d have low light and an underexposed photo.  An overexposed photo, on the other hand, has way too much light coming in – think of the pie that overflowed and made a big mess on the bottom of your oven.

I shot a series of pictures all at the same exposure using a variety of settings to hit that exposure.  The pictures are all boringly the same, right?  But the camera settings are drastically different.  Click on them if you want to see the detail, or hover over each image to display the aperture, shutter speed and ISO.  On the pie charts under the pix, aperture is blue, shutter speed red and ISO green.  I used my 50mm f/1.4 on a tripod for these shots.

So Do the Settings Matter if the Exposure is Right?

According to my camera, the exposure was “right” in each of these shots.  They’re actually a little dark for my taste, but that’s another post.  As long as the camera says my settings are in balance, do I really care what the individual numbers are?  Yes.

Depending on your current shooting conditions, one of these settings will be more important than the others.  You might need a super short shutter speed to get good focus on moving kids like the shot at the top.

(Someone told me on Clickin’ Moms this week that her rule of thumb is keep the denominator of her shutter speed below twice the focal length of her lens when shooting without a tripod.  So with a 50mm, your shutter speed shouldn’t be longer than 1/100th of a second.)

Or you might want to use aperture to produce a bokeh effect to emphasize part of your image.

Or use a small aperture to make sure that there is even focus across your image.

Shooting in low light?  I prefer to keep ISO as low as I possibly can while keeping aperture and shutter speed reasonable for the situation.

So whether you are thinking of shooting in manual or just trying to figure out how your camera works, remember to start with what you want the most control over – aperture, shutter speed or ISO – and use the other settings to balance the exposure.

I was going to review the Unposing Guide this weekend, until Momtog Drew offered to donate 100% of the profits from the Unposing Guide today and yesterday to the Red Cross International Response Fund to aid the people of Haiti in recovering and rebuilding after this week’s earthquake.

So, my review is early.  Click here to purchase today (Thursday January 14), help the people of Haiti, and get a great photography tool out of it.  I only wish I could have announced this yesterday!

What is the Unposing Guide?

Drew of Momtog (a great blog to add to your list, by the way) wrote the Unposing Guide to teach people how to get the reactions and interactions that produce great photos in a family photo session.

It contains 21 “Unposes” which will capture your subjects looking relaxed and natural and help everyone actually have fun during the session (you included!).  In addition to the unposes, Drew drops plenty of hints and tricks about making a photo shoot enjoyable and productive.  She even has a tip or two for dealing with toddler fits and surly big kids.

Drew’s ideas about setting client expectations before the shoot were very helpful to me.  And, I even used one of her pose ideas this week while shooting for the elementary school yearbook.

The Unposing Guide is not a book.  After purchasing it, you will immediately download 29  JPEGs, sized for printing at 4 x 6.  Print them on your home printer or send them to a lab.  Punch a hole, insert a keyring and throw this handy cheat sheet in your camera bag.  That’s where my review copy is going, as soon as I find a keyring!

I would be honored if some of you can purchase from Drew today.  Know that you will help people who need it and that you will learn something about photography too!

Coming soon on Texas Chicks?  A new way of looking at exposure. Subscribe here so that you don’t miss it!

Here is part 2 of wayoutnumbered’s motivational and inspirational guide to getting started with your new photography equipment or software. Read part 1 here.

Be A Stalker

I’m a stalker and I don’t care to admit it.

I stalk photography blogs of all shapes, sizes and themes.  There’s an incredible amount of generosity on the web today for us photo fanatics, starting with this site right here!

With 4 kids and 2 businesses I’m pressed for time as much as anybody…but when I do get on my computer, I spend some reading and learning from people who know more than I do!  I’ve learned things that I probably would have never found out on my own…such as Erin showing me how to turn my quick selections Red to see what I’ve done .  And I’ve lost count of all the free things that I scarf up everywhere they’re offered, especially the free actions over at Coffeeshop.  My favorite is the Urban selection in Vivid 2…I was hooked from the very first time I used it.  It was on this photo:

So take advantage of the knowledge that’s available and do some stalking!  Leave comments, enter contests (I’ve already won a giveaway in 2010!) and if you’ve got something to share then pass it along to the rest of us!

Copycat

I’m a total copycat.  If I see a “look” or a pose that gets my attention, I try to find out how I can recreate it – here’s the kicker – within my own style.

We all have our comfort zone for how we shoot or edit our photographs.  Copycatting (is that a word?) is a great starting point to try new things.

Here’s an example:
I tend to want to edit every photo very dramatically.  I love High Key black & white, urban colors and dramatic crops.  But when I saw the FloraBella site I was blown away with those soft, pretty photos and was dying to see if I could create some photos that were striking without using the high drama I was used to.

Honestly it was kind of hard for me to go the complete opposite way that I was used to editing…but I was determined to do Soft & Pretty!  My copycat efforts resulted in these photos:

These aren’t my typical “look” but I love how they turned out and I learned a ton doing new editing techniques. By applying my own non-traditional crops to the photos I was able to make them my own.  So if you see some shots you like…some color tones you haven’t used before…maybe a photo theme you’d like to shoot…don’t be scared to be a Copycat!

Plan A Shoot

I have more than enough pictures of my kiddos looking like this…

and this…

And while every shot is worth remembering, I was really wanting some great close-ups for my wall last year.  So I planned a day, coordinated the clothing and managed to get the entire family to a beautiful location all on the same day.  It wasn’t exactly the harmonious family picture day I had envisioned, but by doing a shoot with a specific goal in mind I was able to get these shots:

Of course those were mixed in with plenty of these…!

You don’t have to be a “professional” to do a photo shoot and I’ll bet that you’ll surprise yourself with the great images you’ll capture when you have a goal in mind.

I hope my ramblings here can help someone this year.  And if you’ve got a tip that needs to be on this list then please…Leave A Comment and get us all motivated for a fabulous 2010!