Let’s face it! Every since the world of photography went from film to digital, the possibilities of creativity are endless with the help of photo editing software such as Lightroom and Photoshop. There are many photo editing softwares available obviously, but I just happen to use the previous mentioned softwares for everything. And even though I use Lightroom and Photoshop on every single image I produce for print, I try not to over-use them. I hope that I am a talented enough photographer that I am capable of producing great images with or without the use of any photo editing software. But hey… if it’s available… WHY NOT? It’s fun!
I do not pretend to be an expert in any photo editing software. As a matter of fact, there is very little that I know how to do. I only use Lightroom and Photoshop just enough to enhance my style of photography by doing things such as making colors pop, smoothing out skin, enhancing eyes, and sharpening portraits. Sometimes I get that help by using Lightroom presets and Photoshop actions.
I have tons of presets installed in Lightroom, but I’m just not that fond of them. Except for one… I almost ALWAYS use one called Punch that comes pre-installed with Lightroom. This preset simply adds a little depth to your photos. Check it out!
I like to play around with the sliders in Lightroom sometimes too. If adding the Punch preset isn’t enough, sometimes I will bump up the black slider and the fill light slider just a bit to see if that helps. Most of the time it does. But it was not necessary in this photo.
After running the photo through Lightroom, I open it in Photoshop and almost always use an action on it. Like I said before… I do not know very much about Photoshop, so actions make it easy! Nichole Van has a set of actions that contains one particular action that I use if I need to smooth out the skin. I think the above photo is fine as far as her skin is concerned, but I will show you what it looks like anyway after running the “Selective Skin Smooth” action. Notice the difference of the skin on her face.
One last action that I may use on my photos is the Pioneer Woman action called “Bring Out The Eyes.” It is obvious that this little girl in the photo does not need help bringing out her eyes. I wish we were all blessed with bright eyes such as these. But some of us need a little extra “umph” so here is what it looks like after running Pioneer Woman’s action. It does not drastically change the eyes. It simply adds a little “wow factor” to the photograph.
The final step in Photoshop that I do is to crop the photo to get just the right look.
Presets for Lightroom and Photoshop, as well as Photoshop actions, can be found for free all over the internet. Most of them are not worth the trouble of looking at. But I have run across a few that I find every bit as amazing as some of the expensive actions put out by makers such as Kubota. There are some photographers out there who tell you that they will not use anything but Kubota actions. Don’t get me wrong… Kubota actions are AMAZING and if you can afford them, share them with me! LOL! Just kidding! But seriously… most photographers try to find ways to pass along the savings to their customers… LIKE ME! Not all actions that I use were free, but they are definitely affordable. So I decided that I would share with you.
Here are a few websites that you may want to check out where you can find some pretty amazing stuff! And while I may not use all of them on every single photo that I edit, I have definitely tried them and love them! Check them out. And if you have a website that you would like to share with us where we can find amazing presets or actions to check out, please leave a link in a comment on this post.
Nichole Van’s Photo Fix Action Set – $25
Nichole Van’s Antique Vintage and Textures Action – $39
Pioneer Woman’s Actions Sets 1 and 2 – FREE
Coffee Shop Baby PowderRoom Action – Free
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