editing photos {sort of} like a pro

If I could, I would have our family photos taken every few months. I absolutely adore having professional photos done. But, alas, photographers can be spendy and so I have to be realistic about the frequency of scheduling shoots.

My sweet girl turning 18 months did not quite merit a photo shoot. At least not by a professional.  Instead, I thought I’d pretend and do a photo session myself. So last week I grabbed a torn up chair {that I will someday recover}, headed out to the empty lots in our development and snapped away at my baby who is really not a baby anymore.

Once the photos were taken, I realized that good photos are great but what I really love about a professional photographer is his/her ability to edit. And so, I thought I’d give that a shot as well.  The gorgeous photos on Jennifer’s blog {dear lillie} and her helpful photoshop tutorial gave me the encouragement I needed.

What I learned was that ACTIONS make all the difference {at least for us photoshop beginners}. An action, in case you are new to the whole photoshop editing world, is a set of pre-designed  functions that automatically adjust your photo. All you have to do is press play. Seriously, it is super easy. From there, you can adjust the settings to make it just right for your liking.

I found a few great resources for actions – both free and paid – and have enjoyed playing around with the photos of Audrey. Here are my results:

{straight out of the camera – or SOOC, as the pros say}

{using Paint the Moon’s essentials and miracle makeover actions}

{adding Florabella’s sweet vintage action}

{sooc}

 

{on the left: Paint the Moon’s essentials & miracle makeover actions and Pioneer Woman’s boost

on the right: added Florabella’s summer vintage II action}

The next photo was a little tricky for me because I think it was too washed out to begin with. I still have quite a bit of learning to do as far as basic camera operation goes!

{sooc}

   

{on the left: a mix of Pioneer Woman’s actions and Paint the Moon’s essentials

on the right: added Florabella’s summer vintage}

{sooc}

{Florabella’s vintage action}

{sooc}

{Florabella’s vintage action}

And one more:

{sooc}

{Paint the Moon’s essentials and miracle makeover actions}

{adding Pioneer Woman’s b&w beauty}

I know I have much more practicing to do, but I am really excited about the results.

Here are some very helpful resources if you would like to give photo-editing a try.

The first is Paint the Moon – an amazingly helpful site where you can purchase actions, watch how-to videos and view lots of before & afters.

There are also a handful of freebies on Paint The Moon’s facebook page.

Paint the Moon Free Action Samplers {here}

 Paint the Moon Free Facebook Exclusive {here}

Next is the Flora Bella Collection. I love the dreamy, vintagy feel you get when you use these actions. There are many different sets to choose from {I bought vintage, but hope to add more over time} and they are very easy to use.

The lovely Shana has even offered a discount to JDC readers … just enter JONES10 to receive 10% off your order.

The Pioneer Woman has created a bunch of free actions which are also great {I especially like boost and bring on the eyes}

{download here}

I know very little about photography, but I love taking pictures. I have a Canon Rebel XTi {similar to this one on amazon}. We bought ours a few years ago at Costco and have been very happy with the camera and lenses that came in the bundle.

Someday soon I am hoping to take Ashley Ann’s SnapShop course to learn how to shoot manually.  If you are a beginner photographer and want to improve, I’m pretty sure this online class would be amazing.

I know that was a very long-winded post, but I hope it inspires you to take a few extra photos and edit them like a pro. Sort of.

Posted by emily | 52 comments