Freebie Friday 9/28

Heya PA readers!

Ready for another Freebie Friday?

I've got TWO.. yes TWO tutorials for you today. I really didn't plan it that way, but I ended up with a really long one, and wanted to split it in two in case some of you didn't want to listen to me for 20 minutes (though I can't imagine why ;) )

So.. today we're finishing up our "series" on texturing/grunging.  I'm going to show you a neat method to make easy grunge borders like this one:

So.. to start off.. this tutorial will show you how to make basic grunge borders:

GO HERE

After that Tutorial you'll go on to this one to learn how to personalize the borders and add your own special touches: (It may not be available yet, it's still uploading, so be patient)

HERE FOR PART 2

And as always, there's a freebie. This weeks freebie is going to make the displacement maps (watch the tutorial to see what I'm talking about) and then after you save those you can use the action to make your own borders easily and on any size photo.

SNAG THIS WEEKS FREEBIE

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!)

And THIS week's winner will win a set of the brand spankin'  new phaunt EXTRAS set.. still yet to be released. I'm still finishing up the set, but this weeks winner will not only get their choice of color or b/w , but they'll get to have the new extras set before it's available for purchase.. how cool is that?

Remember, I LOVE to see examples of what you're doing with the tutorials, so if you leave me one that just might help your chances of winning. And who knows, I may give away more than one set this week.. You never know ;)

Have a great weekend everyone! :)

Take Action on Cancer Awareness

A fellow Photoshop lover/action creator and online friend, Jodi Friedman, has made an amazing action to promote cancer awareness.  Here she explains what prompted her to create the action:

"As many of you know from a post a few months back, my father in law has cancer. They originally thought it was lung cancer, but jumped the gun. It is Lymphoma. He has mantle cell lymphoma and it requires extensive chemo (inpatient chemo - hospital 5 days in a row), then out two weeks where he has no energy and feels terrible. Then back in again to do it all again. They expect 10-12 cycles like this, and then if they can get the cancer to shrink, to then do a Bone Marrow Transplant (likely in Texas) - we live in Michigan. They would be gone for many months for the transplant.

As you can tell, life is very uncertain for us. I wanted to make something, just to get more prayers going and hopefully bring awareness too. Most people have been affected by cancer, whether it hits them, a friend, a relative, etc. I just needed to do something... So for now that was making an action.

This action will convert your photo to black and white and then give you 14 different overlays (plus optional defog layer and contrast layer) to choose from. It is simple and fully adjustable. You can combine layer colors for more looks, and adjust the opacity.

To download it, click on the photo below to go to the page on my site where you can directly download. Please tell others to go there and get it to. It will remain posted and free. Thanks!!!

THIS LINK will take you to her blog to download the action. Please take a second to pray for Jodi's Father in Law, and if you are able, make  donation to support cancer awareness. Every little bit matters. Jodi is making this action free for anyone who wants it, she only asks that you raise awareness, and donate if you have the resources/ability.

Here's Lilly with a yellow ribbon for bone cancer (we recently lost a family friend to it).

Hoo-Ray Mon-Day

Hellooooooo (done in my Seinfeld voice)

How's your Monday going? Good I hope. I'm freezing my fingers off.. for some reason the weather decided it was done with Summer and now is full fledged into Fall. My toes are screaming for some socks, but I'm too lazy to go down in the basement and get them.

I'm totally thrilled with all the comments and visits we got over the weekend. I'm so glad that you all can identify with my teaching style (which is admittedly a bit erratic and rambling), and that you love the elephant helper (ain't he cute?).

This week's comments winner is Jenny! Thanks for taking the time to share an example.. I LOVE that :) Email me at info@phaunt actions to claim your prize.

I'm really excited with the direction phaunt actions is taking.. I've got big things in store for the coming weeks and then a BIG announcement/development for early 2008. I'll be letting more slip as it gets closer, but I've got to iron out all the details first (and find the time to do it!).

One cool new development though, The new extras set is ALMOST finished. I'm trying to jam pack it with awesome stuff, and keep adding to it.  Right now there's 30+ actions, and growing. I'm hoping to have it ready by the end of the month, so be SURE to check back.  I think I may give away a set for this next weeks freebie comments, you don't want to miss that!

Here's an example of some of the actions that will be in the next extras set;  Some easy color changers, to add warm or cool tones to your image. As always, they'll come with EASY adjustable layers and masks to let you tweak to your heart's delight. . I just finished them up today:

 

 

Have a GREAT week everyone!

Freebie Friday 9/21

Later in the day, I know, but it's all good :)

Today we're going to jump in to B/W conversions. A beginners quick tutorial on using the channel mixer to do B/W conversions. If you've ever seen the vast array of methods people use to make B/W and wondered where the heck to start, hopefully this will give you a good base of how to use one adjustment layer to achieve a bunch of different looks.

I am having way too much fun with the new tutorial video recording software, I know I'm a total dork, but don't hold it against me okay?

I'm hosting the video on my own webserver for now, hopefully it can handle it.. keep your fingers crossed! PLEASE let me know asap if you have any problems viewing the video.  It should be full screen, all sorts of goodness.

GO HERE TO VIEW THE TUTORIAL

After you view the Tutorial you can grab the Week's freebie.. A quick set of B/W conversions using the channel mixer and an S curve boost. Again, I'm demonstrating what I'm doing in the tutorial, so watch it before you snag the actions.. I'll know, I've got special action tracers that will track you if you don't view it......... For real, I do :)

Grab the freebies HERE

Now keep in mind.. these are just a starting off point for your conversions.. Feel free to add/subtract/butcher/etc the actions.. Make them your own. Let me know if you have any problems or questions

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!)

Have a great weekend everyone! :)

Day Late.. Dollar Short

So I forgot to post the winner for last weekend's comments.... I swear I had it on my TO DO list (which is way too long btw), but it got overlooked.

So.. because I'm sure you were all glued to your computer refereshing every 10 minutes, dying to see who won, I'm going to give a special ONE DAY ONLY discount on the full action set.

Today ONLY you can get the full set for $5 off the regular price.. Only $30!! This will be a regular thing.. If I don't get the winner from the weekend posted by Monday evening, watch Tuesday for a discount. Hopefully I can keep myself in line this way! :p

So, without further Ado.. Last weekends winner is: rclarkephotography!! How could I NOT give you the actions when you're a Marine wife AND have such good taste in baby names to boot? Email me at info@phauntactions.com to claim your prize. :)

Oh.. and because I'm feeling giving today.. Here's a brush you all can snag (see the upper left corner of the pic)

Artist Fave Brush

I haven't used it myself, but have seen people use these for blog sneak peeks. Have fun :)

Oh.. And because I want to.. A pic of Lilly from last week that I Love :)

Have a good Tuesday everyone!

Monday Madness

Good Monday everyone! Hope your weekend went well!

This monday I'm going to take some time out to answer questions that I've had over the last few days/weeks via email and/or comments.  I've recieved a few repeats, so I'm hoping I'll answer all the questions, but if you have one that I missed or just wanted to ask me a question.. feel free to leave it in the comments :)

What kind of textures work best for texturing photographs? 

This one is kind of tough to answer. It's really a matter of trial and error. There are some tried and true things that really seem to work most of the time, but every once in awhile you'll find something random that just works well. For instance, on this picture of Katie, I used a picture of a bunch of ivy to texture, which I haven't had luck with in the past, but it just worked here:

Some things that seem to work well though are peeling paint, wooden fences (you get the wood texture, plus the lines of the slats in the fence), rust, Scratched surfaces, Brick, even sidewalks. If I get a chance later today I'll throw up a few textures of my own that I use often.

 

What font did you use in the storyboard?

 I believe I snagged that one from the  Two Peas website. I am NOT a scrapbooker, but browse the site/galleries from time to time because the women there are so incredibly talented and I wish I could be like them.

The font is HERE along with a bunch of others.. I believe it's the first one listed.

HI! I just found your blog info on twopeasinabucket.com but when I was reviewing your AWESOME info I noticed the picture of your husband and baby- My husband is in the Marine Corps as well-- joined in 1991. Where are you stationed and is he home stateside?

 Sam is reserves, so we're not stationed on a base. We live in Oregon, but his  duty station is in Boise, Idaho (we live about an hour away). He was deployed Jan-October 2005, we actually just got word that he's due to deploy again in Fall of 2008. We're HOPING something changes between now and then, so we'll see.  Good to see another Marine wife, you know what they say, it's the hardest job in the Corps ;)

And a big WELCOME to any two peas members that have found their way here.. Get Cozy, stay awhile! :)

I'd love to have a word by word (or key tip by key tip) written version too, something to refer back to.

Great Idea! I'll try to do that starting next week, for those who like to have something they could print out/save on the computer :)

if you could please, please, puhlease do a tutorial showing how to use your wonderful actions to make someone's clothing/surroundings saturated with color and skin NOT saturated. Does this make sense? I have asked around and everyone says "inverse mask" but I don't know how!?

First off, you might want to watch the Masking Tutorial I did a few months ago. In a nutshell, what Masking is is taking certain parts of a layer (in this case, a layer that is boosting saturation) and telling Photoshop which parts of the layer to apply. This way you can make layers that ONLY apply in certain areas, and then "mask off" the areas you don't want it to apply to (i.e. the skin). When people say to "invert the mask" they are probably telling you to take the mask layer (the white or black box that is to the right of an adjustment layer in the layers palette) and press Ctrl+I to reverse the color. A totally WHITE layer mask means that all the effects of that layer are visible (meaning it is applying the entire layer to everywhere. A totally BLACK layer mask means it's not applying ANY of the layer. When you paint on a layer mask with either black or white (or a shade of grey) you're going to reveal or conceal parts of that layer. Confused? Watch the tutorial, it will all make sense. :)

Kylie, you are awesome! How do you find the time?

 Well Thanks! And the time? I gave up sleeping a long time ago.. That's an extra 8 hours a day I can get stuff done! ;)

I missed last week's Freebie, can you rehost it/send it to me?

As much as I hate telling people No, it wouldn't be fair to the people who are making it a point to come back and get each weeks' freebies! You gotta check back ever week and download that week's freebie. But don't worry, I'm working on a brand new extras set that will have all the previous freebies included in it, so if you missed a few you can always grab a full set of actions (and get some super cool new ones too) and have them all in one place :)

I think that's all the questions that I could answer on the blog (the others via email should have replies).. If you needed something else answered, let me know :)

I'll make a post in a bit about this weekend's winner on comments, and since I'm feeling giving today, you may just see a special sale pop up today. Don't miss it! :)

Freebie Friday 9/14

It's Freebie Time again! Don't you just love Friday?

As promised, I'm starting the first in a series of tutorials about the blending modes. I really think this is an essential tool to master, as it has so many different applications. Today I'm going to focus on getting a basic overview of what blending modes are, and then how the dissolve blending mode works.

FINALLY! We have a video! I had to re-record it with entirely different software (which works much better anyway)but I think I may have it figured out (for now LoL) PLEASE let me know if you have any problems or suggestions

Click To Play

Then after you watch the tutorial, you can download the actions I demonstrate here. Remember, they're only available for this week, so grab them now!

Also, I've got ANOTHER freebie for you this week!!

My friend and fellow photographer Bonnie has been hard at work making some awesome storyboard/collage/mat templates that run as actions in Photoshop. If you're lazy like me and hate opening templates and all that, these are PERFECT.

I love that you can really get a million different looks from each template, and the file sizes aren't HUGE!

Here's her blog, where she's got some awesome Freebies you can download and try yourself!

Once Remembered Action Templates

Here's a storyboard I made really quick using one of the templates, just so you can see an example:

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!)

Elements Actions

Okay.. so I know a few of you have been faithfully waiting for Elements versions of the actions. After much thinking and testing, I've decided that I really can't, in good conscience, do elements actions. The actions I have made use a lot of the more advanced features of PS, and I really can't duplicate them in Elements without degrading the quality of the actions. I don't want to sell a watered down version of the actions just to make a quick buck, when I'm not really happy with the results that I was able to get with them.

The other issue is that my whole philosophy behind doing these actions was/is to help people LEARN photoshop and speed up their own workflow. The way that elements actions work, you are not able to really deconstruct the action and see what is happening, so it's really more of a click and go thing. Since most people using Elements are very beginners in Photoshop, I'd rather not put out actions that are going to hinder them from learning how to work it.

That said, I feel bad not giving SOMETHING to those of you that have been asking or watching for elements actions. I have recorded a version of the "Sunshine in your Hand" action that is so popular, and am going to make that available for those of you using elements. There is also a copy of the flashlight action that I shared from last week freebie.

Here's a tutorial on how to load the actions into your elements, but there is also a copy of the video included in the download file.

Click To Play



To download the actions for elements GO HERE


Sorry, didn't make it clear.. If you're downloading the Elements version you'll have to also have Winrar (free program) to unzip the file. I keep forgetting to zip it as a normal zip!


I'm sorry to disappoint anyone, but I would rather put out actions that I'm proud of than just throw something together to make a some $$. In the future I may make some more actions available to elements users, but I will also be showing you HOW to achieve the same thing without the action. Remember, the only way you can really learn photoshop is by doing it, not by letting an action do it for you!

Oh.. for those PS7 and up Users, so you don't feel left out.. Here's the Sunshine (and a few more) actions for you, just in case you don't have a copy.

HERE

So.. That said.. Be sure to check back tomorrow for Freebie Friday.. I"m going to be starting my tutorials on Blend Modes and the effects you can achieve with them.

Tagged!

Winner first for Friday's comments: ZOI! (Manuella) How fun to see an old friend! I had no idea that you had two cuties now! Email me at info@phauntactions.com to let me know which action set you want. And let me see some pics of your cuties while you're at it! ;)

I see the Tagged thing has been going around blog world again... I got tagged a few times by various people, so I figure I better comply. Is it like those chain letters, I'll be walking down the street and be hit by a bus if I don't pass it on? :p

 

Okay.. so 8 random facts about me that you may not know...

1. My last name is NOT Phaunt. I actually have had a few people ask me, and I didn't even really realize that it may have been confusing. My last name is BANKS (hence the name Kylie BANKS photography). The phaunt thing came about because I have been an elephant lover for as long as I can remember, and have collected elephant statues/etc. Back when I was pregnant with Lilly I got on the "mommy boards" and needed a username. I wanted to use something having to do with elephants, but didn't think that "elephantgirl" sounded so pleasant, so I made it "sillyphaunt".. after some revisions it went down to just "phaunt". Now it's my username on most everything I sign up on.  So, that's where phaunt actions gets its name. 

2. I shop at a specific grocery store not because they have the best prices or selection, but because if you go shopping after 7pm they play great 90s music (Think Wilson Phillips). I love to cruise for groceries while singing " I know that there is pain, but cha, hold on for one more day... and ya, Break free from the painnnnnn..."

3. I have one tatoo, on the top of my right foot:

4. I almost died when I was 5 years old, run over by a truck. I have vague memories of right after it happened, standing up and trying to walk, seeing my aunt come out of her house and start running towards me, then passing out. I came to again in the hospital hallway, then I remember waking up when they were re-inflating my lung. That's about all. I also remember getting a bunch of cool presents and thinking that it was fun to be in the hospital!

5. My husband is a United States Marine. He joined right out of highschool (graduated in 1999). He was deployed to Iraq Jan-October 2005. Besides being a wonderful husband and father, he is also my personal hero.  I couldn't explain how proud I am to be a Marine wife and support him as he serves our country.

This picture is from the day he was deployed, Jan 4th, 2005. Horrible quality (and I didn't really know how to work the camera at that point either), but it still holds a special place in my heart. That's Lilly he's holding (only 1 1/2 years old then!)

6.  I secretly want to be a dancer, any type of dancer really,  I love watching dancing, especially ballet, but I know I could never do it. My body is totally the wrong shape, and my coordination isn't so great either.

7.  I hate talking on cell phones. If I can avoid it, I will. I only use mine to make calls when I'm out of the house and have to get ahold of someone. If I'm anywhere I can use a normal phone I do. I also lose my cell phone at least once a month, most of the time it stays lost for a week or so, or I have to get a new one (thank God for the equipment replacement policy on our cell phone bill).

8. I love the Backstreet Boys. A hold over from my highschool days I guess. I love their music, still listen to it regularly. I have all their CDs, and can't wait till they come out with something new.

So there you have it.. I fulfilled my end of the tagging. I'm going to be a rebel and not tag 8 more people, because I think most everyone has been tagged already, and I'm really too lazy to go find 8 that haven't.

Tomorrow (if I have some time), I'm hoping to make an announcement regarding elements actions, and answer some questions that keep popping up. So check back. Hope your week is starting out good! :)

Freebie Friday 9/7

Hello everyone! It's Freebie Friday.. and I've got our Freebie up before 12! Go me!

Today's Tutorial is a QUICK one.. I had to reign myself in and not ramble.. I tend to do that..I'm going to show you a quick way to mimic fill flash in Photoshop. We're going to start using blend modes, which are REALLY important, so hopefully you'll get a taste of what they can do, and I hope to do more on them later. So.. here's your tutorial



Go Here to view in Full Screen

After viewing the tutorial, you can download an action (doing the same thing I just showed in the tutorial) Here:

Snag it before it's Gone!

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!)

Also, Some time next week I'll be announcing a couple things regarding PS Elements actions, so if you're an elements user be sure to check back then to see what's up! But remember, even if you're not using CS2 you can still use most of the tips/steps in the tutorials.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Birthday Fun!

First off, the winner for Freebie Friday Comments... Monica Guerra Leiria! Thanks for the comment and sharing some of your PS knowledge! Email me at info@phauntactions.com to claim your prize :)

Now.. today is a very special day... My little Katie turns 1 today!! Of course I have to share pics.... Here's a few from her actual "birthday" (forgive the not so great quality of some of the pics.. taken with P&S)

Our beautiful Katherine Grace.. I'm amazed how quickly you've grown, it seems like just yesterday we brought you home! You remind me of your sister, but you are so unique. Your feisty and adventurous spirit, your infectious giggle and huge grin, my little naked bug who will eat anything and everything and still yell for more

Daddy's girl with beautiful blue eyes....

 

Happy Birthday my precious Kate, we are so fortunate to be able to have you as our little girl, I can't wait to watch you grow up!

This week I'm working on a brand new action that will be a companion to the "Sunshine in your Hand" action.. Keep a look out for it on Freebie Friday, you may get a chance to download it!

 

As always, if you have any questions, shoot me an email at info@phauntactions.com! Have a good day!