One of the best things about Fun Foto FX 2.5 is that you can easily “layer” the effects on top of each other.

For the image to the left, for example, I started with a regular color photo right from my camera, taken at Arlington in February.

The first thing I did was run the True Colors action, followed by the Polarize effect. This really boosted the colors, and created a nice balance between light and dark areas. I followed that with the Infrared effect, and finished up with the Way Back action, since this was taken in an older part of the cemetery. It makes the image look like a very old newspaper clipping (of course, I could have just run the Magazine Ad effect and wound up with a newspaper-styled image, complete with the halftone dots…)

For the second “effect layering” image experiment, I wanted a bit of a more surreal look, so after running the True Colors and Polarize actions, I ran the Orton, Lomo and Sci-Fi Color Blast actions (which is one of my favorites).

This brought out a bit of an orange tint, so I decided I liked it, and ran the Black Gallery Frame action to finish it off:

For the last one in this series, I ran the by-now-familiar True Colors & Polarize actions to prepare the image.

I ran an Orton action to bring out the weird tints in the snow, and tried out the Horror Show action - which turned out pretty cool, especially for a cemetery photo! I added an Invert Adjustment layer at the top, and thought it looked even better still. For the motion picture feel of the image, I added the Letterboxed action to finish it off.

Stay up to date with the latest posts - subscribe to the Rants & Raves RSS feed!

This is almost becoming an “Action of the Week” blog. Maybe I should rename it AOTW™ just for fun…. 

Anyway, here’s two more for you. One is kind of a slicer, similar to an action in the new Fun Foto FX 2.5, and the other is a comicbook inspired action that cuts an image into four slices like a comic frame and slightly moves and color adjusts them.

Pop them into your Add-O-Matic (if you’re a PSE 5 user) or Photoshop, just load them like any action.

Download removed; look for it in Fun Foto FX 3

Stay up to date with the latest posts - subscribe to the Rants & Raves RSS feed!

Here’stwo that I made too late to include in the final release - a “Sorta Lomo” action and another weird “Sorta Hi Key 2″ effect -

Feed ‘em to your Add-O-Matic, and you’re rockin’ with the big boys!

 Both actions are included in the one download, below -

Download removed; look for it in Fun Foto FX 3

Stay up to date with the latest posts - subscribe to the Rants & Raves RSS feed!

It’s been in the works for a very long time (for me, anyway)- about 3 months, off and on, but Fun Foto FX 2.5 is finally out!

So What’s New?

This pack installs 72 actions automatically to Windows versions of Photoshop Elements 3, 4 and/or 5.

If you are a Mac user, you’ll be happy to know that this pack also can be used in your OS as well (just like all the action packs in the Graffishop); however, manual installation is required (and full instructions are included).

…if you are a Mac user, you’ll be happy to know that this pack can be installed in your OS as well…

Starting with this release, an UN-installer is also included that will remove this action pack automatically (Windows, again) from whichever version(s) of Elements you have installed it to. A similar uility is also retro-included with Handy Actions 2.5.

There is a slight overlap between action packs, also starting with this version. For example, a few of the photo effects in Handy Actions 2.5 can also be found here, as well as Sketchy Paint. In addition, Sketchy Paint 2.5 will incorporate some of the paint effects found in this release when it is upgraded to the 2.5 release later this year.

The Actions Bundle pack has also been upgraded to include this new action effects set - previously, the bundle included Handy Actions, Sketchy Paint, Photo Filters and Glam Photo. Now there’s five complete action sets in there.

 … this release is also the first to really utilize some of the unlockable features only found in 
Photoshop CS & CS2 …This release is also the first to really utilize some of the unlockable features found in Photoshop CS & CS2 - Curves and Channel Mixer steps are used in some actions, as well as harnessing some of the editing capability of Lab mode. As a result, some of the included actions (6 of the 72, to be exact) will only work in Photoshop Elements 5.0, so if you haven’t upgraded, now is an excellent time to do so - PSE 5 is available from numerous places for as low as $39, and it’s far and away the finest upgrade Adobe has ever offered.

The specific actions that are PSE 5-only are “Cross Processed”, “Metal Paint”, “True Colors”, “Horror Show”, “Infrared”, and “Lab Convert to B&W”. They will function in earlier versions of Elements, however, but with slightly different results than originally programmed.

This pack will remove previous editions of Fun Foto FX if you use the auto-installer. This is a feature, not a bug! It will clean up after itself, so to speak, by getting rid of earlier versions and removing the clutter, making navigation easier.

So What Effects are in this thing, anyway?

Glad you asked! A gallery of example images is here - if you’d rather check them out here in a Flash gallery, I posted a bunch of them earlier in this post.

The effects in this pack will create a duplicate of your current image so you don’t inadvertantly lose an original (your digital negative). This makes it easier to add multiple effects, essentially layering the actions on top of each other (running the “Misty Morning” effect, followed by a “Graffi_Rain” effect, and finished with the “Orton“, “Polarize“ or “Letterbox” effect, for example).

The images are always left with layers intact, too, when that’s applicable - so further manipulation or fine tuning is easy possible, as is running other actions on top as mentioned.

Drop me a note, or maybe write a review, about these actions - I hope you like them!

Stay up to date with the latest posts - subscribe to the Rants & Raves RSS feed!

…WWII Nazi intrigue, a sweet retro look to it, P-51 Mustangs, a definite attention to detail, wicked cool CG movie-making, and….

Giant
Robotsduking it out! This is sort of like Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow gone way-cool retro. Just the CG water is worth a watch.

Reminds me of my Ultraman post from a few days ago, only a bunch better.

Really, take a few minutes and watch the movie - you’ll be glad, and it’ll make you grin!

Stay up to date with the latest posts - subscribe to the Rants & Raves RSS feed!

Here’s a cool paper robot you can download, print, cut out and play with to your heart’s content!  

Make several and create your own robot army! Just don’t torment the cat.

Instructions and the downloadable PDF are linked in the blog below:

Here’s a page with several more paper toys to print, cut out, and decorate your desk with. Hooray! Now I have something to do tonight!

Link to _shakty_: PTF - Awesome :: ROBOT ::

Stay up to date with the latest posts - subscribe to the Rants & Raves RSS feed!

I don’t know what to do with this one - but it does make a pretty cool effect. 

I call it “CinemaScope” because I can’t remember the name of the effect from the early 1900s that had two images that you looked through these funky goggles and it appeared 3D…? 

Can anyone help me out?

Stay up to date with the latest posts - subscribe to the Rants & Raves RSS feed!