Please see the "Troubleshooting FAQ" Section.

Photoshop actions are shortcuts designed to save photographers time, while enhancing their images. An action is a series of steps recorded in Photoshop to enhance photos, create products, and more.

Yes, all MCP actions are compatible with both PCs and Macs.

Photoshop is NOT included with the actions. You need to purchase the correct version of Photoshop from Adobe or an authorized reseller prior to purchasing actions.

As long as they are compatible with the Photoshop version that you buy, you can save the actions and move them into your new version of Photoshop. See the video section to learn how.

There is no way for me to know which actions will be compatible in future Photoshop releases. Occasionally Adobe will make changes to the inner workings of the program that cause certain steps or commands to fail. It is rare, but I can only guarantee actions to work in the versions listed on my website, but they likely will work going forward.

All action sets that worked in CS4 also work in CS5. I will be updating the website to reflect this. The downloads themselves may still say CS2+ or CS2,CS3,CS4. If you see your current action set says CS4, it will also work in CS5. You do not need to contact me for an upgrade. Thank you!.

Prior experience with the basic tools of Photoshop is helpful. MCP actions come with tutorials. There is a video section on the site under "FAQ" where you can learn to use the actions before or after purchasing. Links to these videos are also located on the product pages - teaching how to install and use actions, layer masks, and videos for most MCP action sets. I have a Private Workshop available to teach you how to use MCP actions. Visit the Workshop section of the website for pricing and details.

You can look at the examples to see the before and after for photos submitted from a wide range of photographers. If you want to see how they work, and if they fit your desired workflow, please watch the product videos. You can see how many times an action stops, asks for feedback and how many internal directions are included. This may influence your purchasing decision.

Each action set will indicate which version(s) of Photoshop will work. All of my actions work in Adobe Photoshop CS2 through CS5; some will work CS. A few of the action sets will work in certain versions of Elements. None of my actions work in Paint Shop Pro, Lightroom or Elements Express.

I am always developing new products, but Elements is a limited program. I will not create an action unless I am 100% satisfied with its performance, so I will only create additional actions for Elements if I can make them to the same standards as my current actions for Photoshop.

At this time, I do not have Lightroom products. I cannot say if I will in the future.

All of my actions are sold in sets as shown on the site. I do not divide up action sets.

The MCP Packages must be purchased in a bundle at the time of purchase. Most customers purchase multiple sets over time. The discount is built into the packages only.

I do not offer custom packages. My current packages are based on the most popular combination of products.

An excellent way to test MCP actions is to download the Try Me actions - which are free on my site.

If you would like to see how MCP actions work with your photos, I am happy to run a an action or two on your photo – one photo per photographer please. MCP Actions are ultra flexible. So many actions can be interpreted in dozens if not hundreds of ways. Since my style may not be yours please describe the look you want to accomplish using actions and what set(s) you are most interested in. Submit a high-resolution file and I will send you back a completed web sized example. Keep in mind that with certain sets there could be thousands of variations. During my busy times or vacations, I will be unable to offer this service.

My actions will take your photos from good to great but there is usually no way to save a photo with flaws like missed focus, poor composition, and major exposure problems. Actions are NOT a fix for bad photography. For best results you should always start with a well exposed, properly lit, in focus photo. Also while not every action works well on every photo, MCP actions are designed with adjustable layers for ultimate flexibility.

If you have never installed or used Photoshop actions, check out the "Installing Actions" video in the FAQ area.

If you are an Elements user, your actions will come with PDF directions, though there are a few videos for more recent Elements versions in the FAQ area.

Most of the actions on my site are not batchable in their current state. The reasons are that some include built in directions, while others need user feedback to target certain adjustments. Directions can be turned off by unchecking certain steps. The actions that require user feedback while playing cannot run in a batch, even if tweaked. They need your help along the way to get the amazing results that can be achieved. If you want to create a batch action, combining many of my actions, consider the "Big Batch Action Privat Workshop."

Due to the nature of Photoshop actions, they are not returnable, under any circumstances. Before selecting your actions, please check that your version of Photoshop will support all the features of the action set. All action sets require basic knowledge of Photoshop. Video tutorials are available for action sets on my site - please watch these prior to purchase if you want to know how they work, how easy they are, and if they fit into your particular workflow. Also check out my "private actions workshop" if you are still stumped. I can teach you how to get the most from your MCP action sets in a one-on-one training session.

We understand that you may upgrade to newer versions of Photoshop in the future. Most actions will work from older versions of Photoshop to newer versions. Should this happen, and should I have an update for a past product, you will need to provide me with your receipt as explained in the "replacement policy." If you cannot provide proof of purchase, you will need to re-buy. If you upgrade from Elements to Photoshop, as these are different products, I will give a one time upgrade discount of 50% on products you purchased for Elements, and have proof of purchase, and need an upgrade to the Photoshop product. .

MCP's action replacement policy: Please back up your actions. If you fail to do so, here is my policy.

I have a video that addresses this. Go under FAQ and you will see a link to videos that can assist you.

The actions are instant downloads. Upon completing payment, you will download the actions from my site. You will get an email at the address you used to register with a link to these downloads as well.

There is a complete explanation of all MCP Terms and Conditions at the bottom of my site. Please read it over thoroughly. This will explain the copyrights, actions usage, licensing, and terms.

Not necessarily. I test them in an English version of the program. I do not offer refunds, so I would recommend the English version of Photoshop to ensure they work correctly. I have sold to customers in many countries throughout the world without issues, but those customers may use an English version of the product.

Instead of sales, MCP aims to provide value. My actions and workshops are designed to save you time, enhance your photography and get you back to your life.

There are two ways to save on MCP actions.

These actions are fully adjustable as they are designed to work on a variety of photos. The actions build layers with layer masks so they are fully adjustable and offer opacity and masking control. If you are not familiar with masking or working with layers, make sure to watch all the videos on these topics on my site.

Yes, backing up your purchase should be your 1st step anytime you purchase a digital product. Computers crash. Make sure you protect the actions you have purchased.

For actions purchased on this site, after December 17th, 2009, you will go to the "My Account" area. Then go to "My Downloadable Products" on the top, left hand side of the page, which lists all of your account details. Your downloads are there. Just click on the download, then save and unzip.

Any actions purchased from my old website (prior to December 17th, 2009) will not be available for re-download on this site. Those actions and workshops will not be reflected in your downloads, invoices or history. All orders from this point on are viewable as long as you log on to your account.

Actions are now available for instant download. Log into the MCP Actions website and your purchases are available for download.

I have a video that addresses this. Go under FAQ and you will see a link to videos that can assist you.

These are two completely different products. The only things they have in common is they allow you to combine multiple pictures into a template/storyboard and they save valuable hard drive space, are easy to use, and fun to customize.

The "Tell a Storyboards" have more space between them (you can add patterns and scrapbook paper or keep a solid background). Three of the sets are rectangle/square layouts and one set has rounded corners. These sets have more designs than the Print It Boards and are less expensive. Why? They automatically build your storyboard, but you will need to resize the photos and move them into the template.

The "Print It Boards" are closer together, less design space, and more photo space. They work differently than the "Tell a Storyboard Actions." These save you tons of space on your hard drive, are easy to use, and fun to customize. The "Magic Print It Board Actions" are truly *Magic* in that they build and insert your photos for you. No hand cropping is necessary. You can change the color but there is no space for adding a lot of texture and patterns.

The Magic Blog It Boards are not printable. They are low-resolution files at 72dpi and they are 900px width. They are also not standard print sizes.

The "Magic Skin" actions and "Urban Cover Model" actions are very different from each other. The "Magic Skin" actions give skin a smooth creamy look. They reduce blemishes and wrinkles and give skin a nice but natural finish that is fully adjustable.

The "Urban Cover Model" actions are designed to give a magazine ultra bright smooth look to the photo. It is not nearly as controllable as “Magic Skin,” though it is adjustable. It is not meant to look "natural" - but instead more surreal and magazine like.

"Magic Skin" actions are more of an every day use on most photos type of set. I only use "Urban Cover Model" on certain high school senior photos and high fashion editing, for magazines or just a high fashion urban look.

The “Magic Skin actions” are designed to help smooth out skin, create creamy looking skin, and reduce wrinkle, blemishes, and stretch marks. For some pictures these actions will be all you need. For other images where the skin has more severe wrinkles or red patchy acne, you will need to use the patch tool, cloning or healing tools, or other retouching methods prior to using.

The “Quickie Collection” is a large selection of actions that you stack on top of each other for a finished look. This set works like cooking. You have each ingredient; you mix them up (use the actions you want), decide how much you want of each (opacity or masking) and then have a finished product.

The Complete Workflow has a few helper actions but the main substance is a few BIG actions that take you from start (defog) to finish (sharpening), and all in between stuff like color enhancement, contrast and more all within one action. When you press play on “Color Burst” within the “Complete Workflow” (which is my personal workflow), it asks you a few questions and runs. At the end, you can use opacity and mask to customize the look. With this set, you are ready to save (unless of course you want to run a retouching action from another MCP set).

Sharpening is very personal and also very specific to the individual photo. There are so many variables that contribute to the amount and type of sharpening needed - from the megapixels of your camera, to the ISO, to how perfect the exposure. Most of the sharpening methods I use from edge sharpening, to high pass sharpening, to luminosity and USM affect the photo in different ways. You need to find what looks best for your images. The best way to do this is to zoom in to 100% so you can see how much grain/noise is present and also how sharp you want your photo. You should use the opacity sliders built into the layers palette for each sharpening layer. Optionally you can mask the skin or other areas that you do not want sharpened.

Unfortunately no. This action is designed specifically for web sized images for your blog, website, Facebook, galleries and other online viewing. The reason you like it so much is that it its on your screen at 100% - this way you can truly appreciate the sharpening.

Included with the description of each action set are reviews from customers. Please make sure to review the products you own too.

If you are looking for more reviews, Photovendors 3rd party vendor review site has a page dedicated to MCP Actions. Here is a link to reviews on MCP actions and workshops.

I certainly hope once you have used MCP Actions or participated in a workshop that you will take the time to share your experiences on this site too.