Sunday, August 5, 2012

The Pioneer Woman PSE Actions

Ok, I am totally late to the party on this one... not even fashionably late - just plain, old late - late.

But I am in love with my * FREE * Pioneer Woman actions for Photoshop Elements! I don't know enough about what I am doing to actually spend money on this sort of thing. But, man, aren't they awesome? And you really canNOT beat the price - or lack thereof. :)

I was testing them out on a recent image I used in this post. If you have read about actions a million times before, I apologize for the redundancy. But if you've been intrigued, and haven't gotten around to it - or if you thought it might be overwhelming....this should encourage you. Actions are fairly simple to download and super fun to waste some time on {I mean, work really hard on} - this might be as addicting as Pinterest. :)

Here is the original photo I used:

Now, being the photography novice that I am, I thought it was a pretty photo.

Then I did some actions and fell in new love...

The Pioneer Woman Colorized

If you are intimidated by words such as "filters, actions, opacity, and layers", I am here to tell you that you should really give it a try. I will admit it may not be for everyone. But I am really glad I stuck with it and just played around during my limited free-time.

The Pioneer Woman Heartland 50%

I barely knew how to use the MacBook Pro my husband brought home. I could check email - and you better believe I figured out Pinterest. But I was a PC/Windows girl. Slowly over the last several months I am adapting - and finding it very user friendly.

The Pioneer Woman Heartland at 100%

I just started using PSE (version 6) less than three months ago. My first several posts did not even have my own photos {don't worry, I always link up to the original or at least to the original Pinterest link.}

The Pioneer Woman Seventies

I found the download for The Pioneer Woman Photoshop Elements actions here on her site, and I followed the directions for installing them at Texas Chicks Blogs & Pics. I found my version of PSE on her list of links and followed her instructions. 

The Pioneer Woman Fresh Color


Tip #1: Make sure your PSE is closed before you begin to download actions.

The Pioneer Woman Black & White Beauty


Tip #2: Remember to delete/rename the designated file after downloading {read the instructions for your version of PSE and Windows vs. Mac, as the file has different names.} In my case it was titled "ThumbDatabase.db3".

The Pioneer Woman Sunshine at 40%


So, if you're looking to dabble with PSE actions on your photos for your blog or family - or want to create something truly special, I highly recommend The Prairie Woman actions for Photoshop Elements. No, I wasn't paid to say that - I wish! :)

Just a couple variations of The Pioneer Woman PSE Actions in use.






Another great place to find actions, storyboards and templates is The Coffee Shop. I can't wait to try some more on my family photos.

If you use them already, or decide to download and use now - let me know - I would love to see what you do with them!

I am trying to pick one that I might hang in the bathroom where it was taken. I'd like to remember summertime, because Chicago suburbs get cold all too quickly.

If you have a favorite from any above let me know!

Happy Sunday!
~Dori

6 comments:

  1. Hi Dori, I am addicted to Photoshop and love to make my own actions as well. I really like the Pioneer woman, definitely a need to get action! Thanks for the info.

    Belle and Beau http://thebellandbeau.blogspot.com/

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    1. Wow! I am impressed that you have created your own actions. :)
      That is very cool - maybe I'll get to that stage one of these days. I am learning as I go.

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  2. Well, if you are late, I don't know what that makes me. I'm going to bookmark these as I still haven't learned how to use the Elements software I bought almost a year ago.

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    1. Hi Jen! I had to play for quite a while before I understood much of it! If your version has a video tutorial, I would definitely recommend watching it. If it doesn't, you can probably find one online. They are so helpful. I am better with visual instructions than written. I love to read, but apparantly when it comes to instructions I tune out from boredom. :)
      Good luck! Let me know if you take the plunge.

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  3. Hi, Dori! It's Tonya from Chirping with Excitement. I wanted to see if you were up for something. I have seen where other blogs contributor to each other. Since your blog and mine are very similar in style and size, I wanted to see if you might be up for swapping a post on each other's blogs. We could be contributors (occasionally) for each other. Any thoughts on this?

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    1. Hi Tonya!
      Of course! That would be fantastic! I will send you an email so we can work out the details!
      Thanks for thinking of me!

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