Actions

[Bonvoyage4me]

Is there some place someone can direct me to on what exactly "actions" are. I had a hard time with brushes. I was a painter and brushes to me are just that brushes. These 'brushes" aren't really brushes they do everything, still can't grasp that, cuz I think of plain ole ordinary brushes. Now I read on actions, but not getting that concept yet.
Also looking for a tutorial or something on changing a photo to look like an oil painting. I think you really do the brush strokes and do more of the painting than letting elements do it for you.
Also have no idea where I am posting this, someday it will all make sense.
Thanks Bon

[esther_a]

Bon, we have all experienced what you are right now! Learning how to use photoshop is a series of lightbulb moments. And it doesn't matter how proficient you become there are always more lightbulb moments to be had!!
I tend to think of brushes as resizable stamps. But they are much more than that. You can do strokes with them, and if you are using a wacom tablet instead of a mouse you can paint with varying pressure, too, just like a paint brush. Cassie has a number of tutorials on using brushes:

Cassie's tutorials are a fabulous resource!
Many people use the artistic effects in the Filters menu for creating an oil painting effect on a photo. I'm sure if you google you'll find a tutorial. I have also seen a tutorial for using the brush tool to paint a portrait but I can't remember where. There are quite a number of excellent sites.
As for actions - they are simply a recorded set of mouse clicks - the same as a Macro in Excel or Word. Many actions adjust the appearance of a photo by applying different adjustment layers which change the color balance and contrast, etc. Cassie has great tutorials on those, too:

[maureenreynolds]

Brushes have a lot more versatility than the png which usually comes with them but I'm lazy. I usually use the png!

The oil paint effect I usually get with the set filters that come with my software, PSE9. I used that type of filter for the tea pot shot here. Teapot layout.

I love actions and as Esther says they are a set of steps, like a macro, so you don't have to take all the steps each time. (lazy scrappers like me luv em) There are even a lot of actions - really scripts I think? - for us PSE users. I'm not sure which program you use but Cassie's last tutorial is for PS users.

[Bonvoyage4me]

I did get the tutorials Brushes and Multicolor Brushes. I also got number # 17 with the number 29620 and now realized there are two of those. I just thought it was a repeat of the same one. The other one is #27 263378. They have the same cover on both and I think since I am using elements 9 I should of got the other one. Do they cover different things? Or is the second one the updated version? I am SLOWLY catching on to this. I do CM very quickly and easily, thought I wanted to branch out. Wow is it confusing.
I think I should get the other tutorials you suggested. Maybe then I can figure out what an Action is.
Maureen, love your tea pot page, just so cute. As far as the rest of the post I am not that great at following LOL. I know the word PNG, which isn't a jpeg, it is more an element I think "like a macro" is new to me. I tried to follow it but got lost.
Oh Esther_a, also I will try google, I use yahoo and find it isn't quite up to par for finding things.
Thank you very much

[maureenreynolds]

Since you are in PSE9, you cannot 'write an action' the way they can in Photoshop - CSwhatever. To save even PS users time, so they won't have to write their own actions, some designers write an action and sell them. Same as designing products. However not all actions written for PS can be used by PSE. There's one of the differences.

If you aren't familiar with macros in Word or other Microsoft Office products, let me try to give you an example. Say you are writing work related emails and you want all of them on a particular subject to start out with one 'phrase'.."Thank you for blah blah blah." Then after that you want a stop where you can say something particular, then you want another phrase to close the email inserted e.g. "I will be back to you...blah blah blah" Then you want a signature, and finally you want a copy of this email to go into a folder in your email program. Once you write a macro, all the steps will be done for you when you click to insert it in a new email. The phrases will be inserted, the stops will stop, and you will have many many fewer keystrokes. Time Saved!

Now imagine that with digital scrapbooking. You want a bunch of photos to all have this soft vintage look? ok here's an action with all the steps, you just select the photo and click. Done! Want all your supplies listed in a text document when you are ready to post? click done, and ready to be copied to a web site. etc etc.

I hope this gives you an idea of what actions are. Cassie and/or Katie will have to tell you if you have bought duplicates or ones you can't use. Hope this helps!

[esther_a]

png images are just like jpegs in that they store color images but different because they also keep transparency. If elements were stored as jpegs they would all have a square block around them instead of a transparent background. Papers are jpegs because they are square and don't need any see-through bits. Jpegs are smaller files than pngs (about 1/3 size) so good for large papers.

[Cassie Jones (1gr8muggle)]

If you are using PSE 9 and you just purchased HTDT? No. 17, use the "Contact Us" link at the top and let them know you purchased the wrong tutorial by mistake. Request no. 27 instead. Let me know if you need any help with the tutorials.

[Bonvoyage4me]

Esther-Thanks, I remember that now. I wish my brain would take all this in. I knew that jpeg and pngs were different but couldn't remember why. I just save everything as jpeg, gotta stop that.
Maureen, thanks for info on the actions. Guess I can keep those aside till I understand the other things.
I will do the couple tutorials I have and work on those for awhile and venture out more. Love this stuff so fun to discover new things.

[Bonvoyage4me]

Thank you Cassie I will do that. I am just going to the contact us on the website, cuz I don't see a contact us above my order or above on this page. So, just not sure where the "above" contact us is or was

[maureenreynolds]

Contact Us is right up there at the top of every page. It's in the bar under the big Designer Digitals.

btw, sometimes you'll want to save as a .psd because if you save as a jpeg, you lose all your layers. LOL Ask me how I know this!! Trust me, we all had our beginning days.