Introduction to Actions and Textures

I’ve shelled out a lot of my hard earned cash to purchase action and textures, however there are a plethora of free resources on the web. Over the next couple of days I’m going to share with you some of the truly awesome yet FREE actions and textures available for anyone to download.

Before I get too far ahead of myself, I want to make sure you know what these things are. If you like editing photographs or you’re interested in knowing how, both can make a huge impact on your work. If you’re already familiar with actions and textures, you might want to skip ahead to today’s challenge.

Using actions, presets and textures can add an artistic flare to your photograph or save a cherished memory through retouching and restoration. If you go back through some of my digital darkroom archives, it is easy to see that one could get carried away or possibly even go too far in applying effects through actions and textures. Let’s not start naming names, though.

Actions can be used in Photoshop and Photoshop Elements. They’re like a macro, or a recording of specific commands and settings executed within the program that can be played back at the push of a button. Picnik also has a concept of actions through its “Effects”, many of which can be applied through the free version.

Textures are nothing more than an image which you can add as a layer in your photo editing program. Textures can be applied through Picnik as well, though I think you may need the paid version to do that.

Layers are the key to photo editing and most popular programs have a concept of them. The actions I find myself going back create a series of layers through which you can individualize the effect to suit your photograph. This may sound technical, but there’s little to it aside from clicking some buttons, adjusting some sliders and using your artistic eye to find the perfect application.

Play and Customize. Don’t accept “Out of the Box” effects.

If you usually apply your actions “out of the box”, I suggest trying the following on some of the layers the next time you edit a photo:

1. Adjust the layer opacity
2. Try different blending modes
3. Use layer masks to add or take away the effect from parts.
4. Adjust any special settings that have been applied to the layer

Over time you’ll get better at knowing how an action is going to impact a photograph and which settings you should go to adjust first to achieve that perfect result, but in the meantime: play. Don’t be afraid to try anything to see what might happen. Use the history palette and snapshots to go back in time or start over.

The Beauty of Textures

I’ve made the mistake of getting too excited about using textures and buying ones that weren’t all that great. A texture is nothing more than a picture that you can use overtop of your photograph in different blending modes and opacities. You can make your own textures just by photographing cool and colorful patterns as you come across them. That’s not to say there aren’t textures out there worth buying because there are! For example, Patti Brown’s Kaleidoscope sets are nothing short of amazing. I own everything she’s released and don’t regret a single cent I’ve spent.

The most common use of textures is to apply (what else?) a textured effect to your photo. You can do a lot more with them though. You can change the coloring and vignetting of your photograph with textures also. You can add depth without it looking like there are a whole bunch of bumps or stripes overlayed.

Tomorrow, my post will highlight five really cool ways to utilize textures in your photography along with five free texture resources. Be sure to come back on Monday to see four fabulous free action resources along with examples. You may never need to purchase another action or texture again!

Already familiar with actions and textures?

If you already have a large collection of actions and textures, I hope you’ll be interested in finding some more through this series of articles, however if not then I invite you to use your favorites to edit my SOOC rose photo. Just click on the link or photo, download it from Flickr and edit away! When you’re done, please share your creation with us using the linky form to point to your blog or Flickr page. You are invited to come back tomorrow and Monday as well to add to my lists if you have any additional resources you want to share!

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