Are you wondering how to get creamy newborn skin and edit baby images in Photoshop? It all starts in camera with proper lighting.  Nice, diffused, even lighting will help even out skin tones. Many babies have red or yellow coloring and bumpy or textured skin.

There are a few tricks you can do in Photoshop to help even texture and tones for a creamy newborn skin.

Step 1: Duplicated the background layer and then use the Patch Tool in between the eyes and left eyelid to smooth the skin. Adjusted the layer opacity to taste.

Step 2: Used the Lasso Tool to select her hands, set a light feather 1st so there is in a jump in toning.  Then used a Hue/Saturation Adjustment Layer. For this image, Hue to +4 and the Saturation to -5. She still looked red all over. In a second Hue and Saturation adjustment layer, this time all over rather than just on the hands,  set the Hue to +2 and Saturation to -3. This will vary based on the image and color issues.

Step 3: Next, used MCP’s Magic Skin Action set – specifically the Powder Your Nose skin smoothing Photoshop action which is great for newborns and set the opacity to 50%.  Brushed all over her face except lips, eyelashes and hair.

Step 4: Flatten Image. Made a duplicate layer and chose MULTIPLY as my blending mode. I set the opacity to 29%.

Step 5: Made another new layer and chose SCREEN as my blending mode and set the opacity to 50%. Amounts will vary based on your image.

Step 6: Added a layer mask to the SCREEN layer and used a black brush on the green blanket to darken it back. The mask icon is the tiny circle in a square at the bottom of the layer’s palette.

Step 7: Next, used MCP’s Crackle – a Photoshop action to add mid-tone contrast in the Quickie Collection.

Step 8: Lastly, used MCP’s Free Magic Dark action at 17% opacity and darkened the edges.

Katie Hardy is the owner of Katie O Hardy Photography located in Augusta, Georgia. She specializes in studio and natural light photography. Her work is described as clean and simple.

With all of the Facebook changes recently, it’s hard to keep up and it can cause major headaches for photographers. Facebook’s most recent change is the “Timeline.”  If you do not have it yet, you will soon.   Use our new FREE Facebook Timeline Cover Templates and you will never struggle with what to place at the top.

We’ve created seven unique, fully-customizable Photoshop Timeline Cover Templates. Photographers can use these templates to display pictures on their personal page, blog, or elsewhere on the web.

They are easy to use.  Just pick your picture(s), adjust the size and BAM! You have a timeline cover that all your friends will envy.  In addition to learning how to use them, our video tutorial teaches you how to make your own Timeline Cover Templates, using the included blank template.

Visit our website or Facebook Page to download the FREE Facebook Timeline Cover Templates and start decorating your personal Facebook Page. Have fun and make sure to share your creations on the MCP Facebook Page Wall.

* Our standard terms of use apply.  Please read these prior to downloading from our cart.
** Disclaimer: When you upload a cover to Facebook, it will not be as crisp as in Photoshop. Facebook heavily compresses all Timeline Covers, not just ours,  in an unfavorable way. If we find a way to avoid this, we will make sure to let you know.

Two Opening Template

Polaroid Style Opening Frame Template

Four Opening Film Timeline Cover Template

Nine Opening Timeline Cover Template

One Opening Plus Background Template

Three Opening Template

Speech Bubble Template - Just Add Words or a Photo

Sometimes your daytime photos fail to capture the depth and warmth that you remember seeing in person.  This amazing photo by Amanda of Sparrow Memories Photography is full of personality.  What an adorable shot. Amanda sent me her before and after and felt that while she loved the original, it needed an extra something.  Admittedly, her favorite MCP Photoshop Actions set is Fusion. She uses at least some actions from Fusion on nearly every edit.

Here are her steps for this image – the Blueprint shows how she got from the before to the after using actions in the Fusion set (which works inside Photoshop and Elements).

If you prefer your photo not quite this warm, you could definitely dial back the Magic Markers and not do the last One Click Color, but Amanda loves rich color pop and this is how she achieved it.

Thank you, Sparrow Memories, for sharing your edit with us!  MCP Fans – when you edit your photos, come share your favorites on MCP Actions Facebook Page.  Yours could be selected for a future Blueprint.

Learn my photo editing process from beginning to end for a bridal image.

I use Photoshop for all of my editing – starting with the RAW images from my Nikon D700 in Adobe Bridge to completion in Photoshop.

In Adobe Bridge:

• Turn the Brightness down to +40 (I tweak until the histogram is more evenly distributed). There is a little more bright than dark to begin within this photo, so it won’t be completely equal, but you don’t want anything climbing the right side of the histogram.
• Under “Detail” I pulled luminance up to +5 under noise reduction. It’s­ very effective for both reducing noise and softening. Next I open the photo in Photoshop to complete the editing process.

In Photoshop:

Step 1 (Cropping): I don’t like the column on the left or the way she is centered completely in the photo, so I’m going to re-crop. Generally it’s a good idea to get your crop right in camera so you can maintain the most information possible. Sometimes, however, it’s just not as easy as others. This picture for instance was taken while I was 2nd shooting at a wedding. So the main photographer was directing the bride, and I am literally just shooting a 2nd perspective. The bride may never look at me, and in this case was only standing here for about 30 seconds.

Step 2 (Cloning): Now we have our basic composition to where we like it. I do NOT however, like the big gaudy black hand rail running through the pretty white column. So that has to go. We’re going to get rid of it by cloning. Be precise when cloning, and always do it on a separate layer. Once you clone, you delete the data that was in that spot. Duplicate your background layer. You should always do this before editing so that you can always undo whatever you have edited. I named this layer “Handrail Clone.” This fix is all I will do on this layer.

Click on your “clone” tool from your tool selection.  We’re going to start on the column and work our way left. You want to do this in as few and correct motions as possible. So make your clone tool the size of the rail. You’ll find the sizing selection at the top left corner of your screen.  Also make sure your opacity is at 100% for this. So you don’t have to go over and over to get the desired look. Once this is done, find the spot on your photo you want to replace the rail with and click on it while holding ALT.  You can see the preview of that you’re going to move over when you hover. Just make sure any lines, or designs match up how you want them to.

So far we’ve gotten rid of the bar completely that was on the column. All of our lines match and you can’t tell it was ever there!  Finish your cloning. Try not to clone using the exact same place as your source the whole time. It will look good as you go, but when you finish and look at the whole photo you’ll see an undesired pattern or repeat in your photo, and it won’t look natural.  Just to make sure all of my bushes blend together, I’m going to select my blur tool, which is under the little button that looks like a tear drop. Select about 50% opacity, and blur my bushes a little.  I also cloned the small portion of the white column that remained on the left side of my photo. I wanted to keep this size, but don’t want the column.

As of now, this is what we are working with.       

Step 3 (The Eyes): I want to make her eyes a little more clear. For me, in a portrait, the eyes should always be the focal point.  I use the MCP Photoshop Action “Spark” from MCP Fusion set. It also automatically creates a new layer which I love. After running this action, I painted on her eyes to activate at 50%.

Step 4 (Teeth): I like for everyone to look their best in photos, so I generally whiten teeth and clear up and skin issues as well.  MCP has an action called Eye Doctor and Dentist  and another called Magic Skin so check those out for action based retouching.  For teeth, I do it manually by duplicating my last layer and call it “teeth.” I like to just use the DODGE tool. I put it at about 17% opacity, and on midtones to start. zoom in close enough to see the teeth, and make your brush about the size of one tooth.

Step 4 (Lightening and Darkening): Now I want my subject to pop a little more off of the backdrop, so I want to darken behind her, just a LITTLE. To do this I’m going to use the MCP Fix Overexposure Photoshop action in Fusion. It automatically defaults at 0% opacity, so you just increase it to suit your needs. In this case I’m going with about 30%. Remember this layer is masked, so you only want to judge it based on the area you want darker, were going to erase this action over the rest of the photo. So now just use the mask, (a soft black paint brush, while the fix overexposure layer mask is clicked on).

Step 5 (Enhancements): I like to do as little as possible. LESS IS MORE! For this photo, I ran the Sentimental and the Fantasy actions in Fusion, but turned off One Click Color. I added a mask over the Sentimental layer and turned the opacity up to 57%. I used masking so that it only affected the surroundings and not the skin tones.

Below is the before and after bridal image:

Jenn Kelley is a VA Wedding and Lifestyle Portraiture photographer in Chesapeake Virginia. In business for 2 years and studying photography for 8. More info on Jenn and her photography can be found on her website/blog at WWW.JennKelleyPhotography.com.

Whether you prefer color photos or black and white imagery, there are times where you may want a classic black and white photo.  Most photographers shoot in color, but it can be as easy as a few clicks in Photoshop to get rich monochromatic images or more subtle film like black and white conversions.  Using this color photograph submitted by Spanki Mills Photography in Texas, I will show you a few options using the MCP Fusion Photoshop action set.

Here is the straight out of camera image of a baby girl:

Next are three conversions to black and white.  I would love to hear in the comments which you prefer most and why. The step-by-step Blueprint showing exactly what actions were used and at what opacity is listed under each photo.

The 1st image is meant to give a look similar to black and white film.  Lower contrast, lighter tones, very classic.

This next edit used a deeper conversion with more contrast, but grayer midtones.  This gives the photo a darker overall quality.

The last photo edit has a warmer toned black and white feel by combining the higher contrast Timeless with the Toned Sunkissed action using Black and White Fusion Mix and Match.

After viewing, what are your thoughts?  Which black and white look speaks to you?  What is the most visually appealing?  Taste is subjective but it is always fun to hear opinions. Thanks for your thoughts.

Do you prefer Lightroom or Photoshop?  For many photographers, both are an important part of their workflow.  When it comes to shortcuts, both Photoshop actions and Lightroom presets can help you edit faster and get the results you want. To learn more about the differences between the two, read about the pros and cons to actions and presets and when you might want to use each.

In this step-by-step Blueprint, professional photographer Stephani Dennis used a mix of actions and presets in her editing.

She started her edit in Lightroom, using the Quick Clicks Collection Lightroom presets.  She used a preset called Extreme Detail. This preset brings out incredible details in the photo, such as the texture in the dog and the metal.  It really made the photo pop.  Next she went into Photoshop and smoothed the model’s skin using the Magic Skin action set – Powder Your Nose action. Lastly she used Touch of Light/Touch of Darkness, a free Photoshop action. She used a 30% opacity brush and painted on the light on her arms and the darkness around the edge of the photo.  In less than 2 minutes, she went from the before image to the after photo.  Thank you Stephani for sharing your work with us!

In many cases, your logo is the first thing a potential customer will see when they approach your business. The right logo can inspire confidence, attract attention and give a sense of the value your business has to offer. In contrast, a shoddy logo can detract from your business and make you seem unprofessional, no matter how good the product or service you offer is. Whether you create your own logo or work with a professional designer, keep these dos and don’ts in mind to make the best piece you can for your business.

Do create a logo that means something. A logo should be more than a random image. It should be something that represents your business in a unique way. The image you choose may or may not directly represent your actual product, but it should relate in some way to your business or the feeling you want consumers to get when they think of your product.

Do think big—and small: A great logo is one that looks well on your business card or on small promotional items – and on the side of your building or facility as well. Choose a logo design that is flexible enough to be scaled up or down and you’ll be able to use it virtually anywhere.

Do hire a pro: If you are not a graphic designer, hiring someone to work with you to create a logo is a worthwhile investment. If your artistic skills are limited to choosing a piece of stock or clip art that you like, then consider hiring a professional to give you some totally unique options for your logo.

Do test in color and grayscale: Check to see how well your logo reproduces in both color and in shades of black and white. A beige-on-white logo looks great in color, but will totally disappear when reproduced in black and white. Simply running a black and white copy of your logo on a regular office copier will let you know how well it translates to a single color model.

Don’t use a photograph: While a photograph can be used as inspiration or on your other marketing materials, there are too many variables involved in reproducing an actual photo to make it a good logo choice. The best logos have a limited number of colors – even a low quality photo required hundreds of colors to reproduce accurately.

Don’t use a font: Part of creating a logo is coming up with a unique look that brands your business. Typing your business name in an existing commercial font doesn’t make it stand out from the crowd; it will look like any other bit of text done in the same font. Avoid clip art for the same reason; your logo should be truly, uniquely yours.

Don’t copy: Your logo deserves to be the best it can be and should be a true representation of your business. Copying someone else’s logo looks cheap at best, and could even leave you open to legal action.

Steven Elias freelance writer from the great state of Texas and currently runs a site on Dallas wedding photography and wedding photography contracts located at www.thedallasweddingphotographers.net.

Monday, October 17th is the long-awaited release of MCP’s Quick Clicks Collection presets for Lightroom and Adobe Camera Raw.  Many of you are familiar with actions.  Presets and actions are NOT the same, but both have a place in an efficient photo editing workflow. After reading about them, we invite you to try our free Lightroom and ACR presets, Mini Quick Clicks, which is a sampling of our full Quick Clicks Collection.

Actions and presets work in different programs:

• Actions work in either full Photoshop or Photoshop Elements.  You cannot use actions in Adobe Camera Raw or Lightroom.
• Presets work in Lightroom or Adobe Camera Raw (ACR).  Our presets will work in the ACR version that is included when you own Photoshop CS3 or more recent. They will not work in the ACR that comes with PSE (Elements). Presets do not actually work in Photoshop.  They work in the raw editor that accompanies Photoshop. If you normally use actions, this will be a while new product to you.

Some differences between actions and presets:

• Presets are settings can be applied to any photo. When you click on a preset, the settings are applied to your photo instantly. MCP’s Quick Clicks Collection presets are unique since you can stack the effects from different sections. There is no opacity control, layers or masking which is the biggest downside to presets and ACR or Lightroom. The number one reason to use presets in Lightroom or ACR is speed!  You can apply a preset, or stack presets if using MCP’s Quick Clicks Collection.  Then sync your settings to multiple images with another quick click. Easy – fast – fun.  Get the looks you want in seconds.
• Actions, on the other hand, are a series of recorded steps.  When you click on an action, Photoshop plays each step, until it runs through everything recorded for the action. You have layers, masks, and full opacity control of the effects. They work slower and previews are not instantaneous.

Some information about ACR and Lightroom/RAW and JPG:

• Lightroom and ACR are primarily Raw photo editors.  Raw is a type of format you can choose to record your photos in on most DSLRs.  If you program your camera to shoot in Raw, no processing whatsoever is applied to your photos on camera.  If you program your camera to shoot JPGs, your camera will apply brightness, contrast, sharpness and possibly other adjustments to your photo.

• People often choose to shoot in Raw because it gives them more post-processing control.  White balance and exposure are easily changed as they are not embedded into the file. Because Raw photos have none of these settings applied in camera, they often look dull the first time you see them.  Our presets for Raw photos take this into consideration and give the photo that extra pop that Raw files need.

• Even though Lightroom and ACR are mainly Raw editors, in recent versions you can edit JPG images as well.  Our JPG presets have lower amounts brightness, contrast and sharpness and other adjustments as well, because the camera has already processed the photo for you.  Applying a Raw preset to a JPG would essentially double the amount of these settings on a photo, making it look blown out and full of contrast.

• If you shoot Raw, you have to convert the files in a software like Lightroom or ACR before opening them into Photoshop. Most cameras also come with a simple Raw converter. For new cameras, older versions of ACR or Lightroom, may not be able to open your files.  In this case, you may need to update your software or use the disc that came with your camera model so that the Raw data can interpreted.

• Actions don’t work on unprocessed Raw photos, because once a photo is opened into Photoshop or Photoshop Elements, it is no longer Raw.  It has been “converted” either by Lightroom or by ACR.  Part of this conversion includes adding brightness, contrast and sharpness.

Should you purchase actions, presets or both?  It depends on your editing style, how important speed is in your workflow, and how much fine tuning and control you want while editing.  Also, it is important to make sure you own the software that works with the actions or presets so you do not end up with a digital paperweight.  Without the proper software, our products do nothing.

Fact 1: ACR and Lightroom Presets are faster.

Fact 2: Photoshop Actions are more adjustable.

Our opinion: If you use a Raw editor, like Lightroom or ACR, and Photoshop, presets and actions fit perfectly into your workflow.

Summary of the pros and cons of editing with Presets or Actions:

Preset Pros

• Work in Lightroom 2 or 3+, and Adobe Camera Raw from Photoshop CS3-CS5+
• MCP’s Quick Clicks Collection come in 4 versions to suit your shooting and editing styles:
1. Raw for LR
2. JPG for LR
3. Raw for ACR
4. JPG for ACR
• Individual settings of the preset can be adjusted.
• Apply hundreds of MCP looks instantly.
• Preview the looks in a split second – no waiting for actions to “run”

Preset Cons

• Don’t use layers and have no way to reduce the opacity of an overall effect without adjusting multiple settings or utilizing Photoshop.
• Don’t have layer masks – though Lightroom and ACR do feature a Local Adjustment brush for making some targeted changes.
• Don’t work in Photoshop Elements or the ACR that comes with Elements.

Actions Pros

• Work in Photoshop or Photoshop Elements
• Come in 2 versions:
1. Photoshop
2. Photoshop Elements (not every set we have works in PSE)

• Use layers and can easily adjust opacity of a look
• Have layer masks to apply adjustments locally

Actions Cons

• Don’t work on Raw photos because the photos aren’t Raw anymore, once opened in Photoshop or PSE.
• Raw photos must be converted in software like Lightroom or ACR before running actions on them in Photoshop or Elements
• Actions are not fast as using Lightroom or ACR.
• Harder to achieve consistent looks without the ability to syncing files in LR and ACR.

Urban style photo sessions are a lot of fun to edit using MCP’s Fusion Photoshop Action Set. There are several actions within the set that allow you to add dramatic color and contrast into your image. Using a shot from a downtown photo session I did, I am going to show you my blueprint for enhancing all of the amazing color that is already in this image.

Before:

After doing some basic exposure and white balance adjustments in Lightroom, here is a blueprint of the actions I used in Elements , which are also available for Photoshop, to achieve the final look. All Photoshop Actions used were from the Fusion Set unless indicated below.

1. Ran Color Fusion Mix & Match. Adjusted the “Edge It” Layer to 100%. Turned on Slumber Party at the default 50% for added warmth and turned on Retro Surprise at 75%, but masked off her skin.
2. Ran Golden (Warm Tint) at default 26% because her skin still seemed cool.
3. Ran Magic Marker and used a large white soft brush at 25% Opacity to paint around the edges.
4. Ran MCP’s Free Photoshop Sharpening action called High Definition at the default opacity to finish. This free action is available for Photoshop and Elements.

I love collecting brushes for Photoshop.  I use them to create artistic effects with my photography.

Watch the video tutorial to learn how to use brushes to create your own, customized clipping masks in Photoshop/PSE collections.   Using these clipping masks, you can produce images with varying shapes, outlines, and photo densities – the perfect way for scrapbookers and photographers to create borders and frames for their images.   In addition, I will show you how to create artistic effects.

Use masks to transform the image above  into this:

The key principles in the lessons in this video are:

1) When creating a mask, create the mask as a separate layer from your background and your target photograph.

2) To create a clipping mask, place the mask  layer under your photograph, depress the ALT key on a PC (or option key on a Mac) and keep it depressed, and then click on the line separating the photograph and the mask.

3) Make sure your mask encompasses all of your important photographic elements that you want to emphasize.  Want to see more of your photograph?, Add to the mask.

4) Use the opacity slider on layers to vary your photographic effects and color bleed through.

5) The sky is the limit!  Using your own brushes, the combinations that are possible are endless.

Have fun putting your Photoshop brushes to some new uses!!

Heather VR, the guest blogger for this article, is a photographer with Little Black Dog Studio.