Photoshop Action Set 1 - Presented by David Lloyd

Original Image- david.lloyd@mac.com

The first set of Actions for Photoshop presented in this series, are relatively
basic, however, they are fundamental to the creation of visual variety and
impact for a series of, or an individual image, which you will present to your
clients. They work especially well in combination with the Magazine Style
Album Layouts which will be presented following the discussion and use of
this first Action Set.
1. Shadow I was first introduced to this feature of Photoshop by Jim
Luminance: de Vitalie in a lecture at Brooks Institute of Photography in
Santa Barbara. Lifts Shadows.
2. Panchromatic This Action utilizes two of the New Adjustment Layers to
Sepia with create a Sepia effect. A Layer Mask is provided to allow
Color: painting through the Sepia Layer, adding Color.
3. High Key Black This Action utilizes information from the Red Channel of
& White: the image to create a High Key or Fashion look to the
image.
4. Dream Glow: I was first introduced to this idea by Eddie Tapp at a WPPI
Convention. Dream Glow, also utilizes information from
the Red channel to produce a Soft Glow.
5. Composite This Action creates a Composite Layer based on the visible
Visible: layers in the image.
6. Blue Tone: This action is a variation of the sepia action, however, it
produces a monochromatic blue image instead of the coffee
and cream of sepia.
7. Vignette: This Action darkens the outer area of the image based on a
user defined selection.
Note: Each action includes a short description for its use. Below,
however, are more detailed instruction for each action.

General Instructions
1. Download To the left of this text area is an image of a Photoshop
Action Set: Action Set. Click on it to download it to your computer.
DLP_Enhance Set 1.atn 2. Load Action With Photoshop open, select the Actions Pallet and by
Set into clicking on the small arrow at the right of the Pallet Tab,
Printable Instructions Photoshop: select Load Action from the flyout menu. Navigate to the
folder or descktop where you have saved the downloaded
Action Set and click OK.
3. Knowledge: To keep the instruction set for these Actions compact, some
general knowledge of Photoshop will be needed. To
explore these Actions usefully. You should have some
familiarity with Photoshop Layers and Layer Masks.
4. Layers: Photoshop utilizes image layers which can be thought of as
a stack of opaque or transparent images sitting on top of
each other, with a lamp shining down from the top of the
stack. Turning a layer off would be like temporarilly
removing it from the stack. Changing it's opacity would
 allow it to become transparent, being able to see all or a
portion of the layer below.
5. Layer Masks: Layer masks are black and white images associate with a
layer and allow certain areas of the layer to become
transparent, revealing areas of the layer immediately below
it.

Action - Shadow Luminance

This Action utilizes the "tilde ~ thing", as Jullianne Kost refers to it. Option-
Command ~ (Mac) or Control Alt ~ (PC) creates a graduated selection based on
image density. That is the selection which is created varies in opacity based on
the darkness-lightness of the image. As a graduated or partially transparent
selection, portions of the image can be raised in Luminance value. With this
particular application, the Action produces a variable lifting of the Shadow
areas of the image.

Simply open an image and play the action.

Action - Sepia - Add Color Step 1

This Action utilizes two of the New Adjustment Layers to create a Sepia effect.
The Channel Mixer and Hue/Saturation. A Layer Mask is provided to allow
painting through the Sepia Layer, and thus revealing a portion of the color layer
below. As with every action in this first series, you will begin with a flatened or
Composite layer (a layer which contains all of the image information you wish
to modify). Note: if there are Level adjustment layers in your image, you will
need to modify their layer name to something other than Level 1 or 2, etc.

Open up a new image in Photoshop. Peek in the Layer Pallet to insure that ther
are not multiple layers, that is, just a Background Layer. Or, that any Level
adjustment layers are renamed.

Play the Action: Along with a short instruction note, the Channel Mixer Dialog
box will be presented to you on screen. The default settings will be 80% Red -
20% Green and 0% Blue. You can adjust these settings moderately, however,
most images will do quite well at the 80-20-0 setting. Experiment with the
settings and then when satisfied, click OK.

Simply open an image and play the action.

Action - Sepia - Add Color Step 2

When the Sepia - Add Color Action is complete, select a medium, soft edge
brush set for 100% opacity black. Paint on the Sepia Layer mask, by selecting
the rectangle to the left of the Sepia image thumbnail in the Layers Pallet. Paint
in bold strokes covering the entire area you wish to be in color. Next, press the
"X" key on the keyboard. This will exchange the Background - Foregraound
brush color. Click on the small double rectangle on the tool bar (background-
foreground color) Now, with a small soft round brush set for 100% opacity,
paint around the details of the area to be in color, basically triming the edges so
that the Sepia layer mask is not overlaping past the area of color details. This is
a marvelous aspect of layer masks, the ability to modify them, revealing and
hiding specific areas of the layer below, simply by painting black or white on
the layer mask.

Action - Sepia - Add Color Step 3

Next, you will adjust the saturation of the color area showing through the Sepia
Tone, to your personal taste. Copy Sepia Layer Mask. With the Cmd key (Mac)
Alt key (PC) pressed, click on the Sepia Layer mask rectangle. This will bring
up a selection of the mask. Next, create a Hue/Saturation adjustment Layer by
clicking on the small black and white circle at the bottom of the Layer Pallet.
From the flyout menu, select Hue/Saturation. When the dialog box appears,
adjust the Saturation slider toward the left to reduce the degree of color
saturation which shows in the image. Set for your personal taste.

Action - Fashion BW
This action utilizes image information from the Red channel to enhance or
brighten skin tone and produces an overall High Key look. This method was
originally used by Hollywood and New York Fashion Photographers. By
photographing the models with a high speed black and white film and a Red
filter in front of the camer lens, this high key image tone was produced.

Simply open an image and play the action.

Action - Dream Glow

I was introduced to this method of creating a soft focus or glow for portraits at a
WPPI mini-workshop with Eddie Tapp. Software Cinema also includes this in
their instructional CD.

The action creates a copy of the Red channel and slightly blurs the resulting
layer. The layer is then set for Luminance blending and the opacity reduced to
26%.

Next , an adjustment layer (Balance) slightly darkens the image to normal tone
values.

Simply open an image and play the action.

Action - Blue Tone

This action produces a monochromatic image with blue midtones. Very
appealing in Magazine style Albums

Simply open an image and play the action.