Power Workflow version 2.2 is here. This update has a few cool new B&W presets, as well as improvements to the SUPER series and a few other presets. PW2.2 will make your workflow even better than before.
If you’re a PW2 owner this is a totally free update and you should have already relieved an update email sent to the address you used when you purchased. If you don’t own Power Workflow2 you can get it here.
If you own PW2, but did not receive the update email you can contact me with your purchase email address and I can send it to you manually. Lastly don’t forget to become a fan if you’re on facebook where you’ll stay up to date on the latest releases, and get free effects.
Here’s wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a happy New Year. The blessings of Christ abound around us. I’m thankful for my family, my customers and my colleagues. Here’s a little collage of self portraits we made in the studio yesterday. It would be tough to send cards to everyone since I know so many people.
All you Seim Effects customers have been great, and I look forward to making you more good products that will make your business run smoother.
Lastly don’t forget about the PPS Christmas contest. It’s our gift to you, and even if you don’t win one of the big prizes, everyone who enter will receive a free effect goodie pack from Pro Photo Show and Seim Effects early next year. You can’t lose, so if you haven’t already, go here to enter.
One of today’s big hurtles a good photographer must overcome is getting that amazing final edit. If you take your image straight out of the camera and leave it at that, you probably won’t get much notice. But if you over edit you may not either.
Standing out is about being excellent as well as being different. Being different however is more than it suggests. Just looking different isn’t good enough if it’s not attractive to your target audience. The post production details count and are a process of learning when and where to apply them. Today lets analyze a recent image and talk about it.
I call this shot The Gazebo. Though it’s a new favorite, it’s not an HDR or any other special acronym. It’s just a good foundation image, edited right. What I did to it was not so amazing, I just used the right effect at the right time.
The left side is straight out of camera. It’s good. I used my Canon 70-200 @ 150mm 1/125 at 2.8 ISO 320 with just a little fill flash. I got nice compression and blur in the background. The evening light was coming from the right side and worked perfectly but was not really unusual.
I knew right away it had potential, so I started playing. Playing is the the keyword here. I use Lightroom presets and Photoshop actions not because it couldn’t be done manually, but because I want a great variety and I would not have that variety by doing it all manually every time. The effects I used were my own, that are sold here in Seim Effects, but this applies to whatever you happen to use. I started with a vintage preset from Power Workflow2. I tend to use the vintage looks sparingly, but it worked well with this simple scene.
Then it’s on to Photoshop. I used the Old Fashioned Love Song from Hollywood Effects. This helped me manipulate the light into something more interesting and glowing. Then thinking it needed a touch more I ran Simply Soft from Creative Essentials Actions. This is a skin softener. As I did this I used the masks to remove blur from areas of detail like the face.
Finally I finished up the way I normally do, by working with burn and dodge. This is a tool that most people overlook, and it’s one of those editing gems that’s right in front of us. I can draw the eye wherever I want it using burn and dodge. If you want to learn more about that see this post.
So there we have it. The finished product took only a few minutes and had that dreamy loving look to it. My point here is not that you need to use these specific effects to get your look. It’s that you need to do things other than just taking the picture if you want a portrait.
Set up your system so it’s easy to add effects, because otherwise you’ll avoid them. I have my favorite actions or Lightroom presets a click away, and when I’m working on a good shot I’m not afraid to try various looks because I can try ten different effects in the time I could do one of them manually. Also use direction. Just because you find an effect yon love don’t apply it to everything. balance is key and one of the most common mistake it to over do things. I often apply an effect and the fade it back so it’s very subtle, but makes my image more powerful.
What do you see in this image? How would you have done it differntly? Share your ideas in the comments… Gavin Seim
I wish you all, wherever you are, a Happy Thanksgiving. I know my customers are from all around the globe, but thank you for your support of Seim Effects. You’ve helped make this project a huge success. Here’s to many more happy effects.
I’m also so thankful for my great family, and the inspiring world God has created around me to photograph. Life is a good thing.
Updated 10.10.09 to version 2.5 sampler (download below).
My free sampler of Power Workflow2 Lightroom Presets is here. This has a small assortment of what comes with the complete set, but there’s some great presets here.
A key with presets is to build a good workflow. I spend a lot of time with that, and you’ll see some of it here. Start with a good auto preset for batches. This free set includes a preset from my new “Super” series auto settings. Apply it to a whole batch to get rockin, then move on and try some other effects.
There’s also a coupon inside that will save you a few bucks if you decide to get the whole set. If you already have PW2 you already have these, but stay tune because Christmas is near and I have some goodies in store 🙂
