8/31 Freebie Friday!

I know it's a bit late in the day, but here is Freebie Friday #2!!

Today is a double good Friday, you get a tutorial AND a super Freebie download!

First up, the tutorial! Last time I showed you how to texture a photo. Now I'm taking that a step further and will be showing you how to make your own grunge brushes and use them on your photos! It's a bit longer of a tutorial (I guess I tend to ramble, huh), but there's a bunch of good info in there!

Click here to go to Full Screen.

After watching the tutorial, you can go HERE to download an action that speeds up the grunging process (using the same steps I show in the tutorial), as well as a set of grunge brushes I use all the time on my own photos. It's a zipped file (includes the action and the brush set), so you'll have to unzip it to install.

Remember, the freebie will only be up this week, so snag it while you can.

Also, remember to leave me a comment, hello, suggestion, whatever in the comments and you may win your choice of action sets (Winner will be posted on Monday, so check back then!).

Hope everyone has a great weekend!!

Linky Day

Today is Link day.... because I don't have time to do much else!

A list of great places to visit..

Photo Packaging for Photographers... Great blog with information and ideas regarding packaging your prints/services

Tara Whitney's Blog- Phenomenal Family photographer.. Very popular, and for good reason. How can you not want to hire her after reading her blog and website?

Pink Ink Studios- Great new Design resource.. Blog Mixer on Friday too!

Free Photoshop Brushes- Very great stuff!

That's it for today, sorry to post and run. We're going to try and finish the floor tonite, we'll see how that goes.

And so that you're not left without a picture (I know I always love pictures with every blog post).. Here's a random shot from a bit ago..

Happy Monday!!

Hope everyone had a great weekend! Thanks for all the comments and downloads on the Freebie, I'm glad people are enjoying it. Our winner for the comments is BREEZY.. just because I LOVE your name. Email me at info@phauntactions.com to claim your prize.

Keep your eyes peeled Friday for our next freebie (which means I better get it ready!

If you are a member of ProPs be sure to check out the group buy forum, there is a group going on right now for the actions.

Want to see what my living room floor looks like right now?

Yeah.. not so great huh? We FINALLY decided to rip up the carpet to the hardwood underneath, so Sam spent yesterday doing that (while I got to go to dinner with my photog friends, what a great guy, huh?). We're going to sand/strip and refinish it, but as of now all of the furniture is in my office (the door between the canvas of the girls and the TV.  I'm not quite sure what I'm going to do with the girls all day, maybe hang out in the bathroom/kitchen? 

Lilly and I are having fun yelling in the room and hearing the echo though. That's the kind of dorks we are.

New tutorial coming up some time this week, I'll be showing you how to make your own grunge brushes and use them on a picture effectively. Hope your week is starting out great!  

Freebie Friday Begins!

Thank you everyone for the kind words on Lilly's tutorial. I told her she can only do one a week, but she already has tons of ideas for the next one. We may have to make it a regular thing, she's sure cute huh?

(Here she is eating lunch yesterday at our favorite local burger joint, Burger West)

So if you haven't figured it out yet, I love giving things away. In the spirit of that, I decided to start a Freebie Friday. I'm going to be giving away something right here on the blog every Friday. It may be an action, a texture, or maybe even a gift card. But every Friday you'll be finding something here just for phaunt action blog visitors.

The freebie will ONLY be available for a week, so once the next week's freebie is put up it will be gone. You're going to have to check back every week to make sure you snag that week's freebie.

ALSO, if you snag the freebie and leave me a comment letting me know how cool I am, how much you like the blog, a suggestion, or just to say Hi, you're in the a drawing to win a free action set. So Snag the freebie, leave a comment, and you may win! Just be sure to check back to see if you won, I'll be announcing it on the blog and you'll have to email me to claim your prize.

So.. Lets get going!! Today's freebie is a new action I've been messing around with. I got the initial idea from this month's RangeFinder Magazine. This action gives an edgy high contrast look to your photos. Here's a few examples

Thank you to Bonnie for the great example images BTW.. I get to meet up with her on Sunday for dinner (along with Tiffany Hix and Kam Taylor), how cool is that? I love hanging out with other photographers :)

Download the Action HERE!

So Snag the action and leave me a comment! Or better yet, send me an email/link to some pics using the action, I'd love to see examples!

Have a great weekend everyone!!

Super Tutorial

Today you all have the privilege of viewing a super special tutorial made just for phaunt actions blog viewers. This is coming from an up and coming photographer/photoshop nerd, who I know is going to take the photography world by storm (as soon as she learns how to read).

None other than Miss Lilly!

Determined to not let me be the only family member with a "wep-Site" and doing "Gutorials", Lilly has been practicing her tutorial and drawing skills. Finally, after much begging and pleading, we recorded one for her to share with everyone. So those of you who have been wanting to learn how to draw an elephant-giraffe-abstract art in Photoshop, here's the tutorial for you!

 

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Go here to view full Screen

If you have the time, Lilly would love it if you left her a comment or suggestion for her next tutorial, she's already thinking up ideas of what she could share next time! Thanks for watching ;)

Testing 1-2-3

I'm trying out Windows Live Writer for the first time, so we'll see how this goes! I may eventually switch the blog over to typepad, because I've heard great things about it, but for now I'm going to try this.

My NEW Splash page for my photography business is up! Kim at Simply Splash did a GREAT job, I'm so thrilled about it. Go check it out!!

My Coolio New Splash Page

Now I'm going to have to get a new website. I really like Blu's templates, but I've heard way too many bad reviews about their customer service. I am SUCH a stickler for good CS.  My dad has owned his own company since I was little, and is VERY customer oriented, so I've seen first hand what treating your customers right can do.  I remember when my dad and his partner started their company, they had to borrow money from  relatives to get started, and there were times when they didn't know if they were going to make it.  Now they have 7 stores in our area with 60+ employees and going strong. Even with their success, my dad will still take the time to go work on the sales floor and get to know individual customers. He has always treated EVERYONE with the same respect and consideration, no matter if they're a "big" client or not. I guess that's where I get my ideas about customer service. 

Anyway, that's my ramble/soap box for the day.... so I think I'm going to go with Flash Palette instead. Any other good template companies out there that I should look at?

And I'm not bragging, but the texturing tutorial has had over 1700 views since I posted it! The action has had 500+ downloads as well. I'm a bit overwhelmed, I didn't know there were so many people viewing/linking to the blog. I guess I better start paying attention to what I say huh? :p

I've got a bunch of pictures that I've been messing around with, having fun with texturing. These are from the Malheur County Fair a few weeks ago. I'm using textures as well as some grunge techniques. Stay tuned on the blog, I'm going to be showing how to make your own grunge brushes and use them effectively on your pictures! Until next time! :)

Texturing Tutorial

Click to go to Full Screen

Finally, a tutorial!! The idea for this one came from Patti, who gets a FREE full set of phaunt actions.. Congrats Patti, email me at info@phauntactions.com to claim your prize! :)

If you have an idea for a tutorial you'd like to see, leave me a comment, if I chose your tutorial suggestion you get your own set of phaunt actions for free.

This tutorial will show you how to apply textures to your images. Quick and easy! I'm going to do a tutorial next about how to create/use grunge brushes on your photos that will go along with this tutorial, so watch for that.

I'm also putting up an easy texture adding action that is simply the steps that I'm using in the tutorial, but speeds things up. The download will only be up for 7 days, so snag it now!

Snag it here!

As always, I love to hear any comments or questions, let me hear how these tutorials are working for you!

Random Post of the Week

A few random things I'm thinking about today...

1. Tivo/DVR.. How did I EVER live without it? We got it a month or so ago, and I am already hooked. I LOVE not having to be watching a show at a certain time. I usually don't have "free" tv time until after the girls are in bed, so being able to watch my shows without being interupted is awesome.

I didn't used to watch anything regularly, because I never seem to have the time, but now I'm actually watching shows on a consistent basis.. It's amazing.. almost like it was pre-kids! Imagine that!

So, my DVR list, in no particular order is:

Top Chef- Love this one.. I am pulling for Casey or CJ to win this season!


The Dog Whisperer- Both Sam and I like this one. I personally love how Cesar does imitations of the dogs when he's talking.

Lets Make a Deal!- I adore Monty Hall. I only wish I lived in the 70s so that I could have been on the show. I also find it hilarious how excited and twitterpated people on the show get when they win a dishwasher!

Rescue Me- Actually Sam's show, but we usually watch it together.. I secretly have a crush on Dennis Leary

Bridezillas- Why Oh Why to I watch this show? It just makes me realize how normal my family/life is in comparison to some of these insane people out there.

What do you Tivo every week? I need a new show to watch!

2. LOVE these shoes.

We got some for Katie in Jackson Hole, WY when we were on our way home. They are adorable, not a bad price either!

3. Have you ever seen Leah's Blog? If not you're missing out.. she has some amazing shots there.

4. I love ketchup, I put it on almost everything, I have since I was little.

Thats all the randomness I have in my head right now. Back to your regularly scheduled program!

Home again, Jiggity Jig

We got home last nite from the wedding, and I have so many pictures to go through, but I couldn't resist playing with this one of Lilly. She was such a great flower girl. The necklace she is wearing was my grandmother's who passed away this time last year. What a great wedding and such a wonderful time for our family.



Alicia, who was second shooting with me already has some awesome images up on her blog, check them out! I had such a great time hanging out with Alicia and shooting with her, if you're ever in the MT area and need a photographer, you'll be missing out if you don't give her a call, a great photog and a total sweetheart to boot! Thanks so much for the help Alicia!

Everyone who sent emails/purchases/questions/etc should have an answer email by now, so if you sent something to me and haven't recieved anything back yet, resend it or yell at me so I find your email!

I've got a bunch of tutorials in the works, I'm stoked about it. Just give me a few days to sort out stuff here and we'll be up and going. Hope everyone is having a good weekend! :)

This Week

going to be MIA this week.....

My Little brother is getting married on Wednesday in Bozeman, MT.

(here he is with his beautiful fiance, Andrea)



So we're taking off Tues. in the AM to head there. I'm going to be shooting the wedding, but I was lucky enough to snag Alica Caine to help out with the photos, I can't wait to meet her!

Tutorials are in the works, as always. I'm actually surprised that about half of you would rather have a print screen/written tutorial. Since I'm lazy and would rather be able to just watch a video, I assumed everyone else would too! I'm going to try and keep the video tutorials for the more detailed stuff, but start doing written tutorials as well. Thank you all for the suggestions and votes, keep em coming, I'll be picking a new tutorial every week (or so) and that person will get free actions! ;)

Important: If you purchase any actions between 8/7 and 8/10, they will NOT Be emailed to you until 8/11 in the AM. I will not have access to the internet, so will not be able to mail anything out. I'm very sorry for the inconvenience! Any and all emails/questions sent during this time will be answered asap when I get back. Thanks for the understanding!

phaunt actions needs YOU!

There is so many different photoshop sites out there, many with great tutorials, but I know a lot of them intimidated me, especially in the beginning, and many of them aren't really geared towards portrait/kids photography. I'm working on making tutorials that are specific for photographers and what we typically use photoshop for. I'd love to eventually build a website just for tutorials that could be a resource for photographers to learn about photoshop.

I'm obviously still in the beginning stages of learning how to make good tutorials, so I'm certainly no pro, but I do love doing them and hearing that I've helped some people figure out something in PS, it makes my day!

I really want to hear some feedback on what type of tutorials you like best.. Video or Print Screen/written? Do you like very detailed or more to the point?

I have a long list of things I'd like to do tutorials on, but wanted to get a better idea of what most people would prefer before I did them.

Also, I'd love it if people would throw out ideas on what they'd like to see tutorials on. I'd rather do ones that everyone wants. Any ideas/feedback would be awesome.

Please take the poll on the left and leave a comment about a tutorial you'd like to see. The person whose suggestion I choose will get the Whole Shebang set FREE, just for letting me know what tutorial they'd like.. you get the tutorial and the actions for free, what could be better than that?

Thanks everyone for helping me make phaunt actions a place that can be used by everyone, I really hope to make this project into something that can help the photography community grow together!

As always, if you need to contact me directly, email me at actions@kyliebanks.com or info@phauntactions.com

Thanks!