Add-O-Matic

The world's first and only add-on installer for Windows versions of Photoshop Elements, and now Lightroom too! Quickly and easily get all your extra goodies into Elements with a drag, a drop and GO!

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Handy Actions

Your Swiss Army Knife for Photoshop Elements - over 70 of the most-requested tools from Photoshop

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Photo Lab

Photo Lab offers 39 ways to enhance your images, from crisp B&W to soft dreamy effects to desaturated and sepia toning. Check it out!

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Fun Foto FX

Over 30 ways to play - Fun Foto FX creates the best effects for your images!

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Glam Photo

56 effects (yes, 56!) are in this self-installing effects pack. With the Glam Photo FX Pack, you can create a huge variety of glamourous looks for your photos (and they work well on landscapes, too!)

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Splitter

16 ways to slice, dice & chop your photos, from simple splits to more complex chops and slices to torn in half or split three ways. Splitter helps you create interesting display options for you photos!

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Framer

Framer offers 24 ways to create frames, borders, outlines and vignettes around your photos

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Sketchy Paint

Graffi's Sketchy Paint offers 28 paint, crayon, pencil, sketch & watercolor effects for Photoshop Elements!

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Tag Archives: photo effects - Page 2

Hipster[Light Leak] Actions + Gradient

Hipster[LightLeaks] Here’s the second release (but the first “official” release – see the adjustment layer actions & crop script release, too) of the Hipster[ ... ] effect series made especially for Photoshop and Photoshop Elements.

This first set included some Hipster basics: a few adjustment layer actions not readily available for Photoshop Elements users, the now-famous square crop script, some edge blurring (tilt-shift), vignetting and framing actions. It will only be free until they get packaged up and released – thanks for testing, testers!

This download includes 9 different light leak actions that place gradients on a new layer and makes some adjustments to blending and opacity – both of which are editable by you after the action finishes.

What is a light leak?  According to Wikipedia:

“A light leak is a hole or gap in the body of a camera where light is able to “leak” into the normally light-tight chamber, exposing the film or sensor with extra light. This light is diffuse, although parts within the camera may cast shadows or reflect it in a particular way. For most purposes this is considered a problem. Within the lomography movement it is seen as a positive effect, giving photos character.”

This set also includes a separate gradient (*.grd) file that can be loaded into Photoshop and Elements and used to create your own light leak effects, with whatever gradient style (linear, circular, reflected, etc) and blending mode (hard light, linear light, etc.) that you’d like, and they can be drawn as large or as tight as you need them.  Check out some examples here:

There are two versions available for download:  the first includes a manual installer for Windows that is specifically tailored to Photoshop Elements 8 – 11, and it will install the actions, thumbnails, .xml files and gradient for you.  It will also put the action set into the Action Player (Elements 8 – 10) and in the Actions palette (Elements 11)



(Windows automatic installer for Elements 8 – 11)

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The second version is a DIY set suited for Photoshop users & more experienced Mac/Windows users (or non-lazy Elements users!) who can add the files themselves. Install instructions are included.



(Manual installation for Photoshop & Elements)

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Freebie: 10 Instagram Photoshop Actions

These are similar-but-different to the Hipster Actions coming to the Graffishop. The Graffi Actions will also provide Light Leaks, the distinctive square crop option, edges and a few other tweaks. But check these out too, retro effect lovers!


Instant Hipster Actions Preview

These are the first Photoshop actions by SparkleStock and they make your photos look like it was shot with Instagram.

Instant Hipster - 10 Retro Photoshop Actions

This free download gives you access to 10 Photoshop actions. If you’re a SparkleStock member, you get access to all 19 of them!

10 Retro Effects

This Photoshop action set creates snapshots so that you can instantly switch between the effects with one click – a huge time saver.

Instant Previews with Snapshot Rendering

Try these actions and you’ll be surprised how few layers it creates – most only use 2 layers! You will not find a raster layer in here – even some of the tricky vignettes are smartly created using a combination of gradients. This is a much harder way to create photo effects but the benefits are faster processing and maximum image quality.

 

Fast processing, nondestructive, and minimal layers

These actions can easily be toned down by adjusting the opacity. They’re great for wedding photos, corporate shots, and more. Want something new? Try combining any two actions for even more effects!

Easily lower the opacity for a more natural look


See it in Action

See how easy to use these Photoshop actions are! The actions shown in the video are from the SparkleStock version which contains 19 instead of 10 actions.


Download Instagram Photoshop Actions

Instant Hipster – 10 Retro Photoshop Actions

Add-O-Matic is now in its 7th edition, starting way back for Photoshop Elements 5, and is still the most popular Elements utility available! 

New for Add-O-Matic 11: it now will put all your Lightroom presets away for you, too!
You can grab an Add-O-Matic fast-n-easy by clicking the button below:

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18 of the Best Freeware Photoshop Plugins That Actually Work


Photographers

There are LOTS of photography plugins for Photoshop. Unfortunately, many of them were too outdated or did something that wasn’t very useful/could already be easily done in Photoshop. But out of the ones that we liked, there were two that stood out: Boundary Noise Reduction and ReFocus DC. Boundary Noise Reduction is a good noise reduction plugin that rivals their expensive competitors and ReFocus DC can fix your blurred photos with amazing results.

Perfect Effects 4 Free

Apply one of 73 photo effects to your photos and combine them for even more effects! This plugin lets you apply these effects with control over masking, painting, and blending. The effects look nice but they don’t quite match up to many of the free retro Photoshop actions. Downloading this plugin requires your email address which will automatically subscribe you to their newsletter. You can opt out of the newsletter at any time. After installation, you can access it by going to Window > Extensions > onOne.

Freeware Boundary Noise Reduction

This is the freeware version of the Boundary Noise Reduction plugin used to reduce noise in your photos. This isn’t a trial or watermarked software; it works just like the commercial version except it’s simplified with less controls. To install, copy the files in the ZIP file to your Photoshop\Plug-ins\Filters folder. The filter can be accessed in the Filter > Colormancer menu. The results were superior to Photoshop’s noise reduction filters and it’s really easy to use. Reducing just the noise can make your image look soft but the filter can bring back some of the original B&W details to keep your image sharp.

Wire Worm

Although there are already many tools in Photoshop that lets you remove powerlines, you might benefit from this plug-in made exclusively for removing wires. Wire Worm works pretty similar to the Clone Stamp tool with its own color matching algorithm. I found Wire Worm to be easier than the Clone Stamp tool and it gives better results too! I just wished there was a zoom tool because the preview area is stuck to 100%. To install, copy the file to your Photoshop\Plugins\Filter folder. This plugin only works on the 32-bit version of Photoshop (not the 64-bit).

Pano Warp

Photoshop is a great tool for creating panoramas but as with many panoramas, they can look distorted. To fix it, you can use this Pano Warp plugin which applies distortion corrections so that the curved lines in your panoramas look straight. It works much different than the Lens Correction filter. To install, copy the file to your Photoshop\Plugins\Filter folder. Unfortunately, this plugin is also only compatible with 32-bit version of Photoshop (not the 64-bit).

ReFocus DC

Every photographer has a nice photo ruined by misfocusing. If you need to rescue that photo, this plugin will deblur your photo. It won’t magically fix the most blurry photo and it isn’t made for motion blur, but for small blurs, it does a surprisingly good job. I did some tests and used the Gaussian Blur filter to give it a 1px blur and it was able to deblur it with great results (see thumbnail on the left). For images with motion blur, the streaks are still there but the sharpness is improved and you can see much more details with it deblurred. This plugin only works with the 32-bit version of Photoshop and you can install it by copying it to your Photoshop\Plug-ins\Filters folder.


Painters

One of the best tools for painters is NKS5. This Photoshop extension gives you access to realistic media brushes and is one of the most popular plugins for digital artists.

NKS5 Natural Media Toolkit

This is a must-try for all painters out there! This plugin gives you a panel full of different pencils, pens, and markers. You can even simulate a variety of real papers and add preset or evenly spaced guides. Installation is done through Adobe Extension Manager; a new tool to manage all your plugins/extensions. Once installed, go to File/Photoshop > Scripts > NKS5 Install. Then, go to Window > Tool Presets. Uncheck the “Current Tool Only” option. You can begin using the tool now by going to Window > Extensions > NKS5.

Oilpaint Effect in Pixel Bender

The same oilpaint filter introduced in Photoshop CS6 is available for you if you have Photoshop CS5. This is the same thing and you can install it using the Pixel Bender plugin.


Graphic Designers

Graphic designers have access to a great number of Photoshop plugins. There are several great layout plugins and way too many filter effects (mostly cheesy effects). We picked only the best filter effects to include in this list and our favorite is Filter Forge and Sinedots 2.

Mr. Stacks

Creating storyboards or PDFs of your photos but don’t have the time to do it manually? Mr. Stacks is here to save the day! He can turn your PSD into paneled storyboards or PDFs with just a few clicks. Installation is done through Adobe Extension Manager. To access the plugin, go to File > Scripts > Mr. Stacks.

Tych Panel 2

Wedding photographer Lumens Bröllopsfotografi realized the world was missing a good tool for creating diptychs so he went out to created his own Photoshop plug-in. This plug-in lets you lay out photos side-by-side in your own way – and it’s very easy to use! It works with Smart objects and layer masks and has Adobe Bridge integration. Installation is done through Adobe Extension Manager.

Sinedots 2

Looking for a way to create abstract waves? Sinedots 2 uses simple sinus calculations to create them. Experiment with this plug-in and see what kind of abstract waves you can get! To install, copy the 8BF file to your Photoshp\Plug-ins\Filters folder. This filter is only available for Windows and the 32-bit version of Photoshop. For beginners, set your background color to black before running the filter. You can find the filter in Filter > DragonFly > Sinedots 2. The interface is quite technical and I have no idea what I’m doing, but I just keep clicking the randomize button until I get something that I like. The only problem is that I can’t seem to change the color but that can be done later with the Hue/Saturation tool.

Filter Forge

Filter Forge Freepacks

Filter Forge has many free filters effects that are highly customizable. They have freepacks that lets you create metal, vintage photo effects, picture frames, and more. You can even make the filters seamless! My favorite is their Photo Effects freepack which contains many great photo effects that are highly customizable. On high-res photos, I frequently get an error message but everything seems to be working fine when I close it – not sure what’s going on there. Some of the more complicated filters can take a few minutes to run.

Stereogram Lab Filter

Remember those stereogram pictures you used to look at when you were a kid? This plugin will turn your photos into stereograms automatically. It’s also a useful tool to create seamless photo textures! Unfortunately, we weren’t able to test this plugin because it only works in the 32-bit version of Windows.

Mosaic

Photoshop has a few mosaic filters but if you’re looking for a different one with more flexibility, Mosaic is what you’re looking for. You can generate square, hexagon, and octagon mosaics with more adjustable settings than the ones in Photoshop. The interface looks a little dated and installation requires entering your name & email for a serial number (even though it’s a free plugin, it’s required). If you keep the effects simple, you can create some great looking mosaics.


Web Designers

Some of the newest Photoshop plugins are layout and file handling plugins made for web designers. The most astonishing one is CSS3ps; this plugin works better than the one offered in Photoshop CS6.1 and is a must-have.

CSS3Ps

If you’re a web designer and you don’t have this plugin, download it now! CSS3Ps turns your layer styles into CSS styles and the results are amazing. It can generate shadows, gradients with transparencies, and more. This plugin will speed up your coding time and works better than the new “Copy CSS” feature in Photoshop CS6.1. Installing is through Adobe Extension Manager and to use it, you go to Window > Extensions > CSS3Ps. Select the layers that you want to generate the CSS code for then click on the CSS3Ps logo in the CSS3Ps panel. It will open your browser to their website that will generate the website for you. The downside to this compared to Adobe’s version is that you have to wait around 15-20 seconds before you get your code – but that’s worth it for the better results.

GuideGuide

If you want to create grids based on a grid-system, it can be a lot of work. Thankfully there’s GuideGuide that solves this problem. Create your own guides using your own measurements and save/load them for later use. Installation is done through Adobe Extension Manager.

Cut&Slice me

As you may know, Photoshop’s slicing system isn’t the easiest to use. Here’s where Cut&Slice me comes in; organize your layers in the way it tells you to then export them all by clicking a button. Designing mobile apps? Cut&Slice me even lets you export at different resolutions for the never ending list of mobile screen resolutions. This plug-in will save you lots of time that you can spend on more valuable tasks – such as eating cookies. This extension is easily installed through Adobe Extension Manager.

SuperPNG

Are you all about optimization? SuperPNG can save smaller PNG files and gives you extra options such as using your alpha channel as its transparency, ICC profile embedding, and metadata saving.

ICO (Windows Icon) Format

Creating favicons compatible with Internet Explorer is a 2-step process; save the image as JPG/GIF/PNG image then use one of the many websites that converts your image into a favicon. With this plugin, you no longer have to do that because you can save your image directly as an ico file.


Know another freeware Photoshop plugin?

I hope there’s a plugin here that you’ll find useful. While looking through almost every freeware Photoshop plugin, there were many that we could not include because they didn’t support Photoshop CS6 or duplicated an effect that could already be easily done in Photoshop. If you know of a freeware plugin that we missed, please let us know in the comments below – Thank you!

Freebie: 20 Futuristic Light Leaks

Futuristic Light Leaks Preview

Adding the light leaks is easy. Simply drag and drop the image into your document, set the blending mode to Screen, then scale and reposition as needed.

before
after

You can tilt the light leaks and use a layer mask to hide it from certain areas. This image uses a layer mask to reveal the face.

before
after

To make any light leak stronger, simply duplicate the layer.

before
after

Instructions


Download Futuristic Light Leaks

20 Futuristic Light Leaks

200 Futuristic Light Leaks

How to Create Realistic Tears in Photoshop

In this quick Photoshop tutorial I would like to bring your attention to this unique technique on how to make realistic tears.


Final Image

Realistic View Tears on Face

Resources


Step 1

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Color Splash Tutorial with Photoshop

Color Splash Tutorial with Photoshop

Quick Tip: Access the Hidden Photographic Toning Gradients in Photoshop CS6

The Photographic Toning Effects

Photoshop CS6 comes loaded with 39 presets to simulate traditional darkroom toning and split-toning effects. Click on the image to download the high-res version you can print.

Split Toning Presets


Step 1

Open an image you want to split tone in Photoshop. For this tutorial, we’ll be using the image below as an example.


Step 2

Add a new Gradient Map adjustment layer. You can do this by clicking on the Gradient Map fill layer button in the Adjustments panel (Window > Adjustments).


Step 3

In the Properties panel (Window > Properties), click on the Gradient. This will bring up the Gradient Editor.


Step 4

This is where the photographic toning presets are hidden. Click on the panel menu located on the top-right of the presets area then select Photographic Toning.


Step 5

Try out the different gradients to find the one that you like. Most of them will look pretty strong, but we’ll minimize this in the next step.


Step 6

One way to reduce the look of it is to add a Black and White adjustment layer (Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Black & White). Position this layer between the two layers then adjust the opacity of your Gradient Map. Here’s what ours look like with the Gradient Map at 50%.


Final Results

Split Toning

Hipster [vintage] Kit demo release

Here’s the Hipster[vintage] Kit I’ve been posting about for the past few weeks.  This is the first little bit of it; the Adjustment Layer actions, a blurred focal point action, a vignette action, a few Instamatic-type frames and the crop square script.

Downloading is free!  So are comments and feedback – yours, I mean.  So many folks just grab my downloads and I never get feedback until I get a message in my email. I’d love to get both good and bad comments so I can fix anything that might need fixing.

Got a comment for me, then? ;)

Hipster[vintage]

[download removed]


Quick Tip: Retroize Your Photos in Seconds

Preview of Final Results


Step 1

For this tutorial, we’ll be using Color Lookup adjustment layers which is only available in Photoshop CS6. Color Lookup layers are used to simulate color profiles used in film and Photoshop includes . Start by opening any photo into Photoshop.


Step 2

Because this photo effect will be created with several layers, it makes sense to add them inside a layer group. Add a new layer group by going to Layer > New > Group.


Step 3

Add a new Color Lookup adjustment layer (Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Color Lookup). In your Properties panel (Window > Properties), set the profile to Futuristic Bleak.

The Futuristic Bleak profile gives your photo a faded look like what you see in many futurstic movies.

 

 


Step 4

Next, we’re going to add a Film Stock color lookup profile. This profile boost the contrast and colors of your image. Duplicate the Color Lookup adjustment layer you created in the previous step by pressing Ctrl/Cmd+J. In the Properties panel, set the profile to Film Stock.

The image looks pretty good already with just these two adjustment layers.

 


Step 5 (Optional)

This step is optional but will give your photo some retro colors. The last Color Lookup adjustment layer we’ll add a 3 Strip color profile. Duplicate the previous Color Lookup adjustment layer (Ctrl/Cmd+J) then change the color profile to 3 Strip.

The 3 Strip color profile simulates the 3-strip Technicolor camera from the 1930s used in the famous movie, Alice in Wonderland (1951). There was no true way of simulating this effect before Photoshop CS6 came out. Now with the new Color Lookup adjustment layers, we can easily add this effect.


A 3 Strip Technicolor Camera

 


Step 6 (Optional)

This step is also optional and gives your photo a faded look by shifting all 100% black and 100% white areas to something more gray. This technique is used a lot by photographers and is becoming a very popular effect for wedding and portrait photography. To do this, add a new Levels adjustment layer (Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Levels). Adjust the black and white input slider at the bottom of your properties panel.

This technique lowers the contrast of the photo for a more nostalgic feeling. It’s often combined with some sort of subtle retro photo effect.


Final Results

Here’s what the final image looks like! This is all done with several Color Lookup adjustment layers. Experiment with different combinations of Color Lookup profiles for more quick and easy photo effects.

Use Smoke Brushes for Custom Portraits