September 17, 2008

7

actions, Free Effects & Goodies, free lightroom presets, lightroom, presets, tips

Free Lightroom Brush Presets

install-lr-brush-presets5.jpg

~ Download Gavin’s Brush Presets ~

UPDATE: These brushes no longer work properly in LR4. If you use LR2-3 download the brushes above. If you use LR4 get my new brushes.

Did you know that in Lightroom2 You can use a brush to make precise corrections, and even have brush presets ready to go to make those corrections easy.

Well I knew about LR  brushes, but I had not given enough attention to them until Matt Kloskowski posted up some darken brushes, and got my mind churning on this great workflow asset.

Here’s a collection of brush presets I made for… Burn, Dodge, Color Boost, Color Drain, Skin Soft, and Detail Boost.

Remember that these don’t work the same as my Develop presets. These are for “Brush” settings. If you need to learn how to install them take a look at my Installing Lightroom Brush Presets article.

Once you get them installed you can just select the brush effect that you want, from the drop-down. Brush size and intensity are still fully controllable with the sliders, but these preset will get you going fast.

Gavin Seim

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July 29, 2008

1

Gavin Seim, news, ProPhotoShow

Adobe Lightroom 2 is here!

Lightroom 2

Adobe has just realeased Lightroom 2. The ever popular workflow tool for photographers. You can find the press release here.

At $299.00 (99.00 upgrade from V1) Lightroom two is still a Benjamin more than Aperture, but holds the biggest market share to be sure. We’re pretty excited over here. Here’s a list of some of the best new features as outlines on Adobe.

  • Local adjustment brush
  • Enhanced organizational tools
  • Volume management
  • Extensible architecture
  • Multiple monitor support
  • Flexible print package functionality
  • Streamlined Photoshop CS3 integration
  • Enhanced output sharpening
  • 64-bit support for Windows® and Mac OS

I’ve been using beta 2 myself for some time, but will defiantly be getting the full 2.0 release and getting into it. I’m eager to push the limits a but further with my Lightroom Presets We’ll also be talking on the show about it soon.

 Updates! Here’s a few articles worth checking out.

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June 17, 2008

0

special effects

Working on new Effects

I‘ve been writing Photoshop actions for the up coming release of the Photographer Essentials collection (title subject to change)

I‘m pretty stoked about the progress. While the Hollywood effects action have a wide range of killer effects, I felt Seim Effects needed a collection that offered clean everyday effects and production tools. This set will not be replacing Hollywood Effects at all, but rather adding to the possibilities.

One example is the new Simple Soft. I wanted a softening effects that was not over the top. Just straightforward and cool looking. Simply soft is smooth and effective, without being complex. Heres a sample of Simply Soft II. It a subtle look that makes images amazing!

I‘ve also been working with a method to make Burn and Dodging easy and non destructive, yet have it apply to all layers. I’m really happy with the effects that are going to be in this set. It’;s not a repeat of our Hollywood Effects, but a whole new addition to the Seim workflow. There’s not an official release date yet, but these actions should be out in the next couple months. Stay tunes for news, or drop me an email to be notified… Gavin

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May 15, 2008

1

actions, news, photoshop, ProPhotoShow

More Photoshop actions coming

I love my Hollywood Effects actions and use them all the time, but I’m working on a brand new set, not to replace Hollywood, but to accent it.

With all the amazing glows and fantasy effects in H.E. I’ve ben thinking it’s time for some cool effects that are basic and down to earth. The new Photographer Essentials actions won’t be a huge set, but it’s going to have some really cool effects that you can use everyday.

The development of the set is in progress. Stay tuned for updates, and if you have something you’ll like to see in this set throw me a comment… Gav

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April 18, 2008

2

lightroom, photoshop, presets, tips

Balancing Shooting, Editing & Workflow

Personally as a photographer I get pretty into creative post processing. I make lightroom presets, actions etc to super speed that workflow a lot, and I still find myself in front of the computer even though I don’t really need to be. Do you deal with this?

What’s on my mind today is how much playing with post can take away from our creative photography if we allow it to. I literally have so many images that I could spend months behind the computer trying to make art out of them.

I can get to a point where I’m in the studio just playing with the web, emails, photo’s etc. I can browse endlessly thru tech and photo blogs, and get all the great tips in the world but if I don’t go out and shoot I become only an observer.

This sounds crazy since I love photography, but sometimes I get in a mode where I tend not to pick up the camera unless it’s a paid job! I have to force myself to go out shooting somewhere. It can be a country drive, or just a walk down the street. Great images are everywhere , so if I am not finding a shot, I figure I need to spend more time learning to see the see the beauty in the things around me.

We don’t have to be on a roadtrip, or a brand new place to find great stuff to shoot. I know I get in this rut at times and maybe you do to. Though all this online content is great, there’s nothing like picking up a camera and getting out hands dirty. Getting a speedy workflow is always something I’m looking for, and it works great. I just need to remember to use that extra time to get creative behind the lens.

NOW STOP READING THIS AND GO SHOOTING!

Gavin Seim

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