April 15, 2010

OK it’s Time for some fun. Since Seim Effects started we’ve been saving so much time editing that I say we need to kick back for a few minutes, relax, get some free Lightroom presets, perhaps win a prize, get some tips, laughs and best of all have a good time. You’ll find all this inside our Seim Effects Disorganized Photographer FolderMaze so lets do it.

Many of you are probably asking, what the heck is a FolderMaze. Well as photographer I think we’ve all experienced the hunt for files we placed somewhere on our computer like a needle in a haystack. FolderMaze is a reminder of why it’s good to stay organized and lots of fun as well. It’s an idea I came up with recently (though I’m sure I’m not the first) where you take a bunch of folder and search for the Golden Trophy in the folders. As a side note, I even registered the domain name foldermaze.com in case I find an idea that takes off.

But why are you still reading? Download the maze below, unzip and follow the instructions inside. Then go for the Gold. If you get there soon you can win a FREE Seim Effects editing pack of your choice. Good luck… Gav

Download The FolderMaze ZIP

Some Windows users experience file problems due to the large structure of folders. If you are having issues unzipping you can try one of these alternate packages.

You may need to download 7Zip (win) Or ZIPEG (Win/Mac) to unpack the alternate packages. These are free Zip utilities.

UPDATE (Windows Users): NOTE: This information if only regadirng this Game. All our effects packs are still wornking fine on Win and Mac – The maze seems to work great on Mac, but it seems Win does not allow folder paths longer than 255 character total length. I’ve tried to find a solution, but the Win OS cannot handle the depth of the folder structures in the maze and it causes problems. Using one of the alt packages, some Win users are able to get the maze to unpack and use it, but they may experience issues where windows does not allow them to delete the files when finished (again due to the path limitation in Win). To delete, users may need to go into the maze and delete blocks of folders from the inside to shrink the path length until the main folder can be deleted.

I know it sounds crazy that this would be a problem and I’m as frustrated as you, but it’s a limitation of the Win operating system. Win users are still welcome to try the maze, and while it should do no damage to your computer, you may have a few hassles getting it to unpack, delete ect. In the future I’ll see if it’s possible to build mazes that have shorter overall paths, but it may make them too basic to be a real challenge. Other than that we can only hope that Microsoft fixes that issue. Sorry to exclude some of you, but I had no idea Win would have a problem with this as the entire folder maze concept is very simple. I’ll see what I can do as I learn more.

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February 21, 2010

Dynamics. One of Gavin’s free Aperture presets from the Light Study1 pack (linked below). Mouse over for before/after.

Free Aperture Presets Directory by Gavin Seim (Updated 03/17/2013)

So with the release of Aperture 3, Apple finally added support for presets similar to what us Lightroom users have been enjoying. Now that they’re here we decided to start a list of FREE aperture presets similar to the free Lightroom presets list I maintain here on PPS. I’ll be continuously updating this one in the same manner.

If you’re an Aperture user jump right in, because presets are king when it comes to fast effective workflow. You can get a more creative toolkit easier than saying burn and dodge. Post your own favorite presets in the comments. But remember, only comments pointing to free presets are accepted.

Aperture Preset Favorites…

  • Seim Effects LightFlow Freebie Presets Pack.
    I spent nearly a year planning a complete set of preset for Aperture called LightFlow. This is a sampler of that collection that includes six fresh effects.
  • ColorFlow Sampler Pack.
    This is a selection of effects from ColorFlow, a presets collection also from Seim Effects dedicated to the nuances of color.
  • OnOne’s Perfect Presets for Aperture.
    A set of over 20 Aperture presets that look really good.
  • The Light Study Pack:
    I’ve been making LR presets for years and wanted to test the waters with Aperture so I jumped in and made a pack of six presets. Their are pretty universal, with some color tones, POP and other creative effects.
  • Preset Pond Aperture Presets.
    PP has a growing list of user submitted Aperture presets. Worth a peek.
  • Aperture Assistant’s Preset Gallery:
    The Aperture assistant site has started a good list of Aperture presets and allows people to submit effects. Looks to be a growing list with lots of choices.
    This archive has a bunch of preset that Simon has posted. Some good looking stuff here.
  • Nathan Smith’s Presets:
    Nathans blog has an assortment of FREE presets. Most look to be color twists and tones.
  • Aperture-Presets blog:
    There various effects here to download. Many of them are not my personal favorites, but we all have out own tastes. Browse thru and see what works looks good.
  • Terry Chay’s Presets:
    Terry has a presets category on The Woodwork blog with a few downloads. Some color enhancements as well as B&W effects.

More Aperture Presets…

 

Sponsor: Gavin’s Seim’s Lightflow presets for Aperture.

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February 21, 2010


Mouse over images to view the “before effect” version.

A little something for you Apple Aperture users today. Aperture 3 released and they FINALLY added support for presets. I was stoked. It’s not perfect and while I still prefer Lightroom myself (no need for you Lighroom users to worry. I won’t be forgetting you) it does have real presets functionality that works well..

Anyways I jumped right in and started playing with presets and seeing what I could do if I got under the hood in the Adjustments panel. It’s not the same as Lightroom, but there’s some powerful tools. I made this pack of 6 presets that cover a variety of looks including B&W, basic enhancement and color tones. There even a preset that boosts dynamic range for a mild HDR like effect.

I plan to keep looking in Aperture and if I see enough interest I may consider a complete workflow collection of presets like I offer for Lightroom, so if you’re interested let me know. Download an enjoy. I’ll paste some basic usage instructions below as well… Gav

UPDATE. 03/11. Gavin has also released a full Aperture presets collection called LightFlow. There’s a free sampler from that pack here.

– Download FREE Aperture Light Study1 Presets –

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February 18, 2010

Color Fantasies is my latest collection of Lightroom Presets that focuses entirely on color. It doesn’t mess around about it either. CF gets under the hood in Lightroom and transforms images into beautiful color tones that can be applied instantly with a click. Wow I sound like my own PR guy (oh wait, I am).

In tradition with my other collections, here’s a FREE sampler pack that includes 5 presets from Color Fantasies. There’s more image samples and a video on the product page so feel free to take a peek. The complete set come with more than 45 presets, plus an action. So when you like what you see, go check out the complete collection 😉

Watch the video and check out the whole set

Download the FREE CF sampler pack

Color Fantasies Lightroom Presets

Included sampler effects are…

  • Dynamica.
  • 1975.
  • Lemon Drops.
  • Criss Cross.
  • Morning Coffee.
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December 25, 2009

If you didn’t receive yesterdays copy of the Photo Couch newsletter which included the PPS/Seim Effects Christmas gift pack, I figured I would post it here along with a big Merry Christmas to all you readers. It’s been great having you part of the community in 2009.

PPS has teamed up with Seim Effects again this year for our annual gift pack. This years download has a nice selection fresh photo editing goodness including some Lightroom presets and photo textures. The best part is their free. Hop over to the Seim Effects download page below to get your copy, then share the joy. Also check out the deals page for some the promo codes and specials we’ve worked out over the past year.

Here’s to a great new year. Lets keep out businesses, creativity and kindness alive and well in 2010. Merry Christmas and see you on the forums… Gav

Download the PPS /Seim Effects Gift Pack

You can also join the Photo Couch mailing list below.

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