New actions for Photoshop Elements are available for you from MCP Actions.

MCP’s Blog It Set 1, Blog It Set 2 and Print It sets together give you over 120 actions that create custom collages from your images, either for printing or for posting on your website.  And they work in Photoshop Elements!

For the image above, I used the 7 opening collage from Blog It Set 1, followed by the sharpening and resizing actions included with that action.  It took me all of 45 seconds to create it!

I’ve been working on converting these actions to be PSE compatible for a few weeks now.  As always, when using her actions, I have been amazed at everything included in her sets.  Any one of these 3 new sets will give you at least 15 different collages with customizable colors, sharpening and sizing options.  The Blog It Boards will also create Branding Bars for you professionals out there, or for those who want a spot to write captions.

The Blog It Boards (Set 1 and Set 2) produce creative collages that present anywhere from 2 to 16 images.  Images can be replaced with text boxes for journaling and captioning purposes.  The branding bar actions place branding bars of various colors suitable for logos or captions on the top, bottom or sides of your image.  The borders around the edges can be any color you’d like.  Blog It Boards Sets 1 and 2 create low resolution images for web use only.

The Print It set creates high resolution collages of 2 to 16 images ready to print on paper, scrapbooking material, canvas or anything else you’d like. It also includes adjustable sharpening and sizing actions.  The Print it set has several 12 by 12 collage options perfect for scrapbooking, and creates spots for the incorporation of journaling or digital embellisments.  The borders and frames around the images have an infinite number of color combinations.

Check out MCP’s website for more details and to see stunning examples of what you can create with these action sets.

Try Out a Free Blog It Board Action from MCP

Download MCP’s 3 image Blog It Board here. It is Photoshop Elements compatible and will create a collage of your images, but does not include the branding bars or sharpening actions that come with the full sets.  If you’d like a free sharpening action, try MCP’s High Definition Sharpening, which is also Elements compatible.

Current MCP Discounts on Action Packs

If you’re interested in buying, MCP is currently offering a $10 discount if you purchase both Blog It sets, or $25 off if you purchase Blog It Sets 1 and 2 plus Print It.

And if you have questions about the way they work, post a comment.  I can help!

Remember my fireworks photography checklist from the 4th of July?  It worked really well and I am happy with my fireworks photos.  In addition to my family, we were with a group of friends, two of whom are photographers also.  We had a competition where we asked our other friends to judge whose photos were best.  Unfortunately, I didn’t win, but I had a blast!

Here’s a recap of my checklist for getting good photographs on the 4th of July, with my comments on how they worked:

• Use a tripod – check.  This one is a necessity.
• Shutter speed – the longer, the better.  The shutter was open for 21 seconds in the photo above where you can see the city line at the bottom!
• Bulb Mode – I kept my camera in this mode the entire time.  I would depress the shutter button when I first saw the firework shooting up.  I held the button down until the firework started to dissipate.  This was great, because I didn’t have to estimate before hand how long to keep the shutter open.  I mean really, who could guess how long one firework would take anyway?
• Multiple fireworks in one exposure – I used the tip from this Digital Photography School article about holding black foam core board over the lens between fireworks while the shutter is open.  I used a black plastic plate instead of the board, and my friend used a hat.  This method produced that same image above with the cityscape.

This was tough because I wasn’t exactly sure when to remove the plate from the lens and when to replace it.  Definitely will take more practice.  It was also a challenge because the fireworks were bursting at approximately the same point in the sky.  Some of my images taken this way just look like a blob of fireworks on top of each other, whereas I was hoping for well defined bursts horizontally across the image.  I wonder if this would require moving the tripod just a tiny bit while the lens is covered.  Something to practice on next year….

• Multiple fireworks in one exposure, part II — one of my friends has a Nikon that will let you tell it to record, for instance, 5 shots on one exposure.  So, you press the shutter button 5 times to produce one image.  I need to research whether my camera does this.
• ISO – 200 all night long.  There is no noise in these pictures!
• Aperture? – I used f/10 in just about every picture to get good focus throughout the image while letting in enough light.
• Zoomed in shots – I had planned on zooming in really close on some of the fireworks to capture only part of the scene.  This was harder for me.  I wasn’t close enough, for one thing, and didn’t want to waste time putting on my zoom lens.  Maybe next year.

How did your pictures from the 4th turn out? Link to them in the comments to share them, if you’d like!

Is photography on your agenda for those of you in the states this holiday weekend? Last year was the first time I put serious effort into photographing fireworks.  This year, I’m going to incorporate everything I learned into the my photo workflow:

• Use a tripod. This is the key to crisp photos at night.  Using long shutter speeds means you will get more blur just from holding the camera with your hands.  Using a tripod will eliminate this camera shake.
• Shutter Speed – the longer the better to capture light trails.
• Bulb Mode – an easy way to control shutter speed. Set your camera mode to B and hold down the shutter button from the time you first see the firework.  Release the shutter button when the firework dissipates.  Or when the smoke starts – that’s a sure way to muddy up your image and reduce clarity.
• ISO – as low as possible to avoid noise.
• Aperture – use a medium to high number to get an aperture opening on the smaller side of the scale.  Using long shutter speeds will give you enough light to offset a low ISO and small aperture
• I’m going to try, depending on my location and lens, to get a few really zoomed in shots like the one in this Digital Photography School article.
• In the same DPS article, a reader described a technique of using a black foam core board to get multiple fireworks in one exposure.  If I’m feeling good about the way my shots are turning out, I’m going to try that more advanced method.  Have any of you ever done that?  Do you have any tips for me?
• Read this page from Canon about fireworks photography tips. It’s very helpful!

Regardless of where you are, I hope you have a great weekend!  Make sure to link to your photos here if you get some good ones, and share your secret tips too!

Without photographic inspiration, I sometimes get bored with my images.  It usually only takes a quick internet surf to get me back in the mood with new goals and ideas for my photographic journey.   Kelly Willette’s Finding the Joy workshop, which I’m taking right now, is also a great source of inspiration.  You can read more about it below.

Here are some of my latest photographic loves.  Thank you to all these talented ladies for allowing me to link to their images.  Each of them has an Esty shop.  Be inspired by them, and perhaps find some new art for your home in their shops.

Yvette Inufio Photography

Blog:  Morning Light in My Room

Etsy:  Yvette Inufio Photography

I love the subtle pastels and soft focus from this photographer.  Would love to decorate my bedroom with her images.

Much Love

Blog:  Much Love, Anna
Etsy:  Much Love, Anna

Next time I buy a house, it’s going to have lots of pretty windows and perfect spots inside for photography.  My current home just isn’t this photogenic.

Gabrielle Kai Photography

Website:  Gabrielle Kai Photography

Blog:  Dreaming in Pink

Etsy:  Gabrielle Kai Photography (Note that Gabrielle’s Etsy shop will be closed for the entire month of July.   A new baby is on the way!)

I love the subtle range of colors in this image, plus the idea of the stories it might tell.

Life Through the Lens

Blog:  Life Through the Lens

Etsy:  Life Through the Lens

That blue in the background is amazing.  Where did it come from?  I love the the treatment on this image.

More Photography Inspiration

Danni at (oh, hello friend.) you are loved is always presenting beautiful photography to her readers.  I don’t know how she finds the images, but every one of them is amazingly pretty.

Also, I’m taking Kelly Willette’s Finding the Joy children’s photography workshop and loving it.  (Not that you could tell by the amount of homework I’ve turned in.)  I have read every word that Kelly posted and I’ve gotten tons of great info for capturing great photos of kids.  She is super organized and creates the cutest guides and checklists for each lesson of the workshop.

One thing I wish Kelly had not introduced us to was her love of music playlists.  Because I have created more than one playlist since then, but haven’t submitted even one photo as homework!

So, at a time when I already had playlists on my mind, I was reading Joy St. Claire’s blog.  For those of you who don’t know her, she is a very talented photographer.  She also sells a couple of very cool, colorful texture/overlay sets for Photoshop.  And she has a great playlist on her blog.  The music was soothing and motivational for me to work to, so I copied most of it.  I added a few more of my favorite songs and posted it here for you to listen to.  Thank you Joy!

Now’s the time to join Clickin’ Moms if you’ve been thinking about it.  Use coupon code FRIEND to save 10% on the 6 month or full year memberships.  Or (and this is a great deal!), use discount code LOVECM to save 20% on a lifetime subscription to Clickin’ Moms!  An offer like that doesn’t come around very often.

Here are some of the great discussions/tutorials going on right now at Clickin’ Moms:

• How to Get a Silhouette in 4 steps
• Newborn photography inspiration
• Color Correcting in PSE

The photography posted by CM members is awesome.  This forum saves me a lot of time blog hopping, because tons of excellent photographers post their work here as well as on their blogs.

Feel free to post any questions you have about joining.  The sale ends on Friday, July 2, so make sure to purchase before the end of the week if you’re interested.

Textures for Photoshop and Photoshop Elements by Patti Brown were the prize in the most recent giveaway here at Texas Chicks.  Did you win?  Check your email box!  The winners have been notified.  And don’t forget to check your spam folder.

If you didn’t win and can’t resist buying Patti’s Supernatural texture set, use coupon code texaschicks for a 25% coupon at the Kaleidoscope store.  This discount code will work through June 22.

Here is my play with some of her textures.  Click on a thumbnail to see the before and after versions.

I started by running a vintage action from MCP on the image.  And yes, MCP’s Complete Workflow with it’s fabulous vintage action is compatible with Photoshop Elements!

This last image is the blueprint for my texture layers.  Note that I used several different blend modes, varying layer opacities, hue/saturation adjustments and layer masks to perfect the effect.

For the vignette layer, I used my Subtle Vignette method.  Type control+alt+shift+e to copy all your layers to one new layer.  Select a large area in the center of the image that you don’t want to be vignetted, with the feathering set high (I used 250 pixels).  Type control+shift+i to invert the selection.  Copy the new selection to a new layer and set the blend mode to Multiply.  Adjust the opacity to finish.

Don’t forget to check out Patti’s awesome tutorials for using textures.

Winners, enjoy your new textures.  You will love them!  Everyone else, take advantage of this coupon code while you can!

Just a quick reminder that the Kaleidoscope contest ends on Tuesday, June 15, at noon CST.  You could win one of 5 sets of Patti Brown’s latest texture set, Supernatural.

Don’t forget to enter!  Good luck!

The Photo Walk sponsored by I Heart Faces last weekend was a blast! How many of you participated in your local walk?

So many nice women attended this walk, and we had 4 awesome models.  Not to mention Steve, a friendly street musician.

And I learned something about myself as a photographer too.  I will never be a paparazzi.   I’m just not aggressive enough to elbow my way to the front when there are lots of people shooting.  I did a lot more visiting than shooting – most of the participants drove several hours to attend.

Hope to see you all again!

Textures can create beautiful effects in Photoshop or Photoshop Elements.  The best textures make your images absolutely stunning.  Add incredible video tutorials to these textures, and you’ve become a texture master.

Patti Brown’s Kaleidoscope textures are the cream of the texture crop and her video tutorials, as I’ve mentioned before, are absolutely amazing.  Even if you don’t purchase her textures, you should check out her videos.  Patti’s blog is a great source of inspiration and learning as well.

Patti has just released a fabulous new collection called Supernatural. I was lucky enough to be a tester for Patti.  I’m not sure that she’ll ever ask me again, since I couldn’t think of one suggestion for improving this collection.  I tried, really I did!

My favorite thing about many of Patti’s Kaleidoscope textures is that they allow you to manipulate the light in an image long after you’ve put your camera down.  Looking at the examples above (which were created by Patti), each looks as if it were taken at a different time of day.

I love this next set of examples too.  Any of them could be displayed as a fine art image.

Are you feeling texture envy yet? Guess what?  5 of you Texas Chicks readers will win the Supernatural Collection.  And those of you who don’t will have a special 25% coupon code to use after the contest.

Supernatural contains over 70 textures, including a selection of black and whites. Click on any of the thumbnail images below to scroll through all of them.

Contest Rules

To enter the contest, leave a comment below saying which texture set at Patti Brown’s shop is your favorite.  Leave another comment each time you twitter, facebook or announce this contest in a forum.  Or Digg, Stumble or any other social media you like.  Entries will be accepted through noon, CST on Tuesday, June 15, 2010.

And don’t forget to download MCP’s free Texture Applicator to help you use these fabulous textures!

Have a great weekend!

Lightroom 3 is available, finally!  I just ordered my upgrade.  It has great new features like drastically improved noise reduction and oddly, just the opposite – LR will now add grain to your image if you’d like some texture.  Watermarking is now a feature (it’s about time) and you can now export photo slideshows as videos accompanied by music.  I see that feature in the future of lots of photographers.

Anyway, if you’re planning on upgrading to Photoshop CS5, or making the move from Elements to CS5, now is the time to do it.  If you purchase new or upgraded versions of Photoshop CS5 and Lightroom together, you will save 30% on LR.  That means that you will purchase it for $210 instead of $300, or upgrade for $70 instead of $100.

When I purchased purchased the big Photoshop for the first time, early in 2009, I took advantage of this same offer and bought LR also.  It was one of the best purchases I’ve ever made.