Sharp Shot Color Pop Pro

     I’ve been meaning to build a few more example photos and thought that I would play around with some older photos. Today, I’m playing with the Sharp Shot Color Pop Pro action from EZ Actions. While many (dare I say MOST) of the people who use our Photoshop actions (which also work in Photoshop Elements) use them on portraits, some use the actions on other types of photos.

 

     I’m originally from the East Coast (Maryland / D.C.) and we took a trip to visit some relatives a few years ago. While out there, we visited the National Zoo – which I always love (you should visit if you ever get the chance – and it’s free). I snapped a few shots of some of the creatures at the zoo (which also included my family – LOL).

 

    Here, we see a photo of an otter (I just love otters, don’t you). It was nice to see the otters and the otter tank was positioned so that you could see the otters both above the water and below. The photo was shot through somewhat dirty glass and you as you can see, it has a bit of haze / glare. The photo isn’t bad, but look at the before and after and you can immediately see the benefit that the Sharp Shot Color Pop Pro action brings to the table. It takes a nice snap shot and turns it into something of a shot that you might see in a magazine or book.

 

 

     Over the coming days and weeks, I’ll post more examples using different editing techniques. I hope you enjoy the photos and will come back for another visit.

 

Thanks,
John

I Heart Faces #31

Here it is, another Friday. I had a few minutes to play and thought that this particular image would be fun.

Here is the original photo:

 

For my edit, I did a few things.  First, I started by doing a color correction using the “I Correct Photo” filter. The filter removed a bit of magenta from the overall image. Then, I cropped the photo. After a few different attempts at a crop, you can see the final below. After cropping, I used the healing brush to remove the spots from his nose, cheeks, and chin. Now, I had something to go on. I used the Soft Focus action from EZ Actions, which soften the image. Using the layer mask, I kept the hair and eyes sharp and let the rest of the skin stay soft. I flattened the image (flattening the layers that the Soft Focus action put on the photo) and then ran the EZA Porcelain action. This action allowed me to bring the bright whites and black and white effect to the image. I used the dodge tool to brighten the shadows and mid-tones and that finished my edits.

I hope you enjoy!

Edited photo:

 

Talk to you later,
John

Family Photo Shoot

This past weekend, we had the pleasure of photographing a lovely family. We’ve got their proofs ready and are just waiting for them to be delivered. However, you can see some of the photos in this short video. I hope you enjoy watching.

 

 

 

 

Talk to you later,

John

Image testing

Meet Vegas… Vegas and I have spent a fair amount of time together over the past few months. As I’ve progressed in my horsemanship, my instructor wanted me to move to a new horse (Vegas) that was less of a “golf cart” and would be more challenging. I can honestly say, that Vegas has definitely been a challenge, but we have both progressed.

When I first started riding Vegas, he would frequently “slam on the brakes”, throwing me into the saddle horn (not a pleasant experience by the way – and I’m sure my voice probably raised an octave or two). We’ve generally gotten past that – although he does still from time to time like to change directions. With Vegas, I’ve learned about riding in spurs, I’ve learned how to round pen, and I’ve learned a bit more about ground work. Most recently, I’m working on keeping his feet moving, keeping a proper seat, and some side passing.

You’ll be hearing more about Vegas in the future – I’m sure