Photoshop Elements Shortcuts to Perfection – Meet MCP

Photoshop hands-on time is shorter and more effective for many of us thanks to the wonderful action makers out there. Jodi Friedman is one of those action makers – she is incredibly talented and knows Photoshop like you wouldn’t believe.

She recently hired me to convert some of her actions for Photoshop Elements.  What a great experience this has been!  I’ve always held Jodi to be in some untouchable realm of Photoshop gurus and never stopped to consider what a nice person she might be.  I thought this interview might help you get to know her and her actions better also.

• Tell us a little about yourself and MCP.

Well, it all started like so many others. . . .  With the birth of a kid.  Or, in this case, kids.  I am a mom to twin 8 year old girls.

Having worked prior to their birth, I needed something to stimulate me while staying at home with them.  I started eBaying.  At first, I sold their used clothes and then started buying boutique clothes with that money.  As that cycle continued, I realized that the better the photo, the higher the sales.  So I would photograph the girls in their clothes.  And edit the photos.  And I reached out and asked eBayers with great photos about their cameras, lighting and editing.  Within a short time, I had an SLR and Photoshop.

The rest is history.  I combined my passion for fine arts (which I studied at Syracuse while getting my Bachelor’s Degree) with my experience in business.  And I started Multiple Choices Photography.

I taught online businesses how to get beautiful photos on white backdrops and also did product photography and editing for some national children’s product companies.

After a few years of that, I needed a change.  Although I did not plan it this way, at the beginning of 2006, I was recording a few actions in Photoshop and  perfecting them.  And people started to ask if I would sell them!  At first I thought, “I have no clue how to market these actions.”  At the time, there were only a few action makers, and they were all well-known photographers.  I was not sure how I could compete with that.  But a mentor gave me confidence, and MCP Actions was born.  I continued doing Photoshop training, but transitioned from eBayers and businesses to teaching photographers.

• What are your favorite parts of your job?

I love teaching.  I enjoy interacting with photographers and helping them learn Photoshop.  I also love the marketing.  Did I say that? Yep, since I was not trained in marketing, I learned that part through trial and error.

The part I like least?  Well, I do not know how to stop working.  My New Year’s resolution to work less is not going well.  I am not always making actions, as you might picture.  The time consuming parts are marketing, blogging, lining up guests for the blog, working on new ideas, answering emails. . . . The list goes on.  I often keep busy from 9:00 AM to 11:00 PM – it is hard for me to stop because I love what I do.  I am blessed to be making  a living doing what I am passionate about.

Note to Readers: MCP’s Blog is full of great tips for Photography and Photoshop and includes video tutorials.  Even PSE users will learn a thing or two!

• What are your oldest actions?  Your most popular?

My oldest two actions are the Eye Doctor and Dentist, plus a funky border action that added any brush to your photo as a border.  That last one is no longer available since it catered mostly to the eBay crowd and my current customers are mostly photographers.

The action I use most personally is the Complete Workflow’s Color Burst.  It is the foundation to most of my editing for a clean, color popped look.

As far as the most popular action set, for years it was Eye Doctor since it was unique and not much was out there like it.  Now, many action makers have some sort of eye enhancement action.  But I hear that mine are the favorite of many photographers!

Currently, my most popular actions are probably the Bag of Tricks and the Blog It Boards.

• You don’t release new actions very often.  Why not?

I typically release 2 main Photoshop action sets a year, and usually one free action around the holidays.  My production cycle is very long!  I usually have a few sets in the making in my actions palette.  Just because I start them does not mean they will ever make it to my website.

I create, wait, stir, play more and think.  I let them stew. . . .  Then, if I decide a set is ready, and if I am ready, I start seriously working on polishing it.  From there, I call in a “1st round tester” to brainstorm with me on what they like and do not like, etc.  I re-work the set until it makes more sense.  Then comes the naming phase.  And then “2nd round testing”, which is often done by up to a dozen people.

Changes are made, internal directions added and actions re-worked again, based on feedback and advice.  Finally, once they are polished and approved by many, I work on instructions, videos, and packaging.  Lastly, I get marketing materials ready.

So all in all, it can literally be a year or more from the time I have an idea until the time it goes for sale.  Free actions sets that I make are usually only one or two actions and take less time.

• Tell us about Finish It, the action I just helped you convert for PSE.

This set has been in the works since my Blog It Boards were released in 2008.  I constantly received emails asking how a Blog It Board could be used on one photo only.  So I’ve had this on my list of potential sets and played around with tools used in the Blog It Boards, such as the branding bars, and tools from my Tell-a-Storyboard action set of 2007 that included rounded edges and adjustable colors.  And, from all of that, plus a lot of work, the Finish It actions were created.

In addition to Finish It, my Eye Doctor and Dentist and Gallery Frames are both compatible with Photoshop Elements.  Slowly, with Erin’s help, more of my actions will be available for PSE.

Use the poll on the right to vote for which action you would like to see converted next.  I’ll get to work!  And we are always looking for qualified Elements testers.  Post a comment if you’d like to help.  Let us know which version of Elements you use, which operating system, and your level of experience with Elements.  We need folks who have successfully installed and used actions, and understand layers and layer masks.

Thank you!

Ready to Read More?