Category Archives: about

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1/26 The End of Freebie Friday???????????

AUGH!

First of all.. You all know how much I love you, right? The readers that have been with me from the beginning, and all those new to the phaunt blog.. I really really appreciate all of you so much.

But I’m really having a hard time keeping up with all the things I have up in the air right now.

The Forum (click link to go to it) is really hopping, and I am really loving the interaction with everyone. The blog is great, but on the forum I’m able to talk with people and get to know everyone. If you haven’t joined yet, COME ON OVER.. we’re all waiting.. we don’t bite… Hard ;)

I also am working HARD on launching the next big thing for phaunt actions. I can’t let too much slip on it, but it will be really awesome and I can’t wait till it’s ready.

I also just joined up with Lindsay Yates at Pay It Forward Photo (CLICK TO VISIT) to be a contributing author on the PIF blog. I posted about the blog way back when Lindsay first started it up, and it’s grown by leaps and bounds in the months since. I’m totally honored to be an author and love what the blog is all about.

I just posted a few freebies this week on the blog, so be sure to check it out and bookmark, there’s more coming from me.

On top of that, we are in transition work-wise. Long story short, the last few months everything went upside down with what we THOUGHT we’d be doing, but now we’re in a place that is totally better. Sam and I are able to work together AND bring the girls to work with us! We’re still settling in and getting things smoothed out, but as soon as I get the office decorated I’ll post some pictures of it (Just ordered some canvases from P2C and can’t wait to get them!).

SO.. with all that, I am swamped for time. I want to get a freebie/tutorial up every week, but I keep coming around and realizing it’s already Friday (Saturday) and I have nothing ready! Being the perfectionist that I am, I hate just throwing up an action without teaching something too, so I have a hard time putting stuff together.

So I guess this is all to say that there may not be a freebie every week. I WILL be posting on the PIF blog, and will try to link here every time I do so that you guys don’t miss anything that gets posted there. Be sure to bookmark PIF tho, there is some great stuff shared there all week every week.

I feel crappy for not keeping up the Freebie’s every week, but I know you all will let me slide, right?

*muah* Thanks!

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How to get Quick Answers to your PS Questions

I posted this on the forum, but thought I’d post it here so that everyone could read. This also applies to if you’re needing help and email me (or anyone). If you follow these guidelines it’s MUCH easier for me to help you. :)

I frequent a lot of PS forums and there’s a few things about questions that will help me answer or decide if I have time to help.

1. BE SPECIFIC- Don’t just say “How do I make a B/W”.. Tell what you’re trying to achieve, not just a general question. The more specific you are with your question the easier it is to know if I can easily help you or not. A general question may have 1000 answers, but a specific one is easier to hone in on. Also, then I don’t have to ask qualifying questions to see what you’re really trying to do and wait for a reply.

2. MENTION WHAT YOU’VE ALREADY TRIED- This is very helpful in knowing how to help. If I know you’ve already tried certain methods, then I don’t have to waste time listing those.

3. SAY WHICH VERSION PS YOU ARE USING- Helpful in determining if you have certain features available to you.

4. POST THE PICTURE (if applicable)- The best descriptor is when the actual picture is posted. That way we can easily see what you’re talking about. And people can snag the picture to show you what they did.

5. SAY THANK YOU!!!!! - I am 100x more likely to help someone again in the future if they just take the time to say Thanks.

Follow these simple guidelines and you’re much more likely to get a quality response to PS questions on whatever forum you’re on.

Freebie Friday 1/18 You’re Invited!!

If you didn’t get the invite last week via the newsletter, consider this your PERSONAL invite from me..

Come join the NEW phaunt actions Forum!!

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We’ve been up and running for less than a week and already there is 700 posts and 200+ members! I am so excited to see us hit the ground running. My dream is to have the forum be a place to share and learn together. The forum is open to EVERYONE, whether an advanced PS user or just a beginner. Photographer, scrapbooker, MWAC, you’re welcome to join!

So this week I’m posting the Freebie on the Forum (there’s a nifty section for everyone to share actions/templates/etc) and you’ll have to join to get it! It’s a pack of 4 of the new RAW presets.

I JUST got them switched over to ACR and they’re ready to go! They work for CS2 AND CS3! When you buy the set you will get both the ACR AND the Lightroom Presets, so if you need to switch between programs you have the presets for both.

And I had to show off my brand new front page for phaunt.com.. Made by the UBER talented Kim Townsend of Simply Splash

HERE HERE HERE HERE

There will be 2 contests this week you can win great stuff, but only if you are on the forum to participate, so go join up, Can’t wait to see you there!! Have a great weekend everyone!

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RAW Presets are HERE baby!!!

THEY ARE DONE!!!! If you live within 200 miles of Ontario, OR you may have just heard a scream of triumph.. Because the RAW Presets are here and prime for the pickin’!

I’ll spare you the woes of why I’ve been delayed, but trust me that these have been a labor of love. I knew I wanted something totally different from what is available out there right now in presets, and I have put my blood, sweat and tears into making these totally unique. You won’t find any presets like these, I guarantee it!

SO.. wanna see some examples? :)

GO HERE!!!!!!

Heck, just go right to the store and read all about them…

HERE :)

I gotta give a shout out to Bonnie C, Jodie Freidman, Julie Ranee, Jeremi Broadhurst, and Susan Roberts for being my awesome testers and putting up with my impatience and constant questions. You girls rock! *Mwah*

Tomorrow will be BIG.. I promise.. going to unveil one of the big things I’ve been waiting on. So watch your inbox for the newsletter, and be sure to check back! :)

Thanks for putting up with me and hanging around till I got these done!

Review Me!!

So… did you check out the store lately??

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It’s so nice looking!! I love it!! Thank you again Tina! If any of you are in the market for web design services, be SURE to check out Tina at CRS Designs Inc. She’s Fast and amazing!

My favorite thing (besides how nice and per-feshional it looks) is the cool popup image thing. If you hover over the picture of an action it will pop up the preview for you, you don’t have to click on it! I’m lazy so that’s a bit plus for me. :D

Another neat thing in the store that you guys may not have seen is the Reviews part:

HERE

You can leave a Review on any of the actions that you’ve bought. I’d LOVE it if some of you would leave a few reviews. It looks a bit lonely right now with only 2 in there. Be honest, I can take it! :)

Tomorrow I DO have a freebie/tutorial in the works, so don’t worry :)

Be sure to take the Poll (post below) too. More details to come on that as I get things going. I told you things were going to be coming soon.. it’s going to be so fun!

Humor Me…

Take a quick Poll?

Shhhhhhh…. this may have something to do with some of the big developments coming here.. but keep it on the downlow ;)

Opinion Polls & Market Research

Ohhhh yeah……

Almost forgot about today!

I am so excited, I have a very talented web designer who is making a rockin new template for the blog. I’ll be transitioning over to wordpress when it is finished, so that the blog can be hosted on my own webspace. She’s also matching the store to the blog, so it will be a seamless transition between the two. I can’t wait to see it!

I also had Trish (Blue Fire Multimedia) design a few more blog/graphics for me, I just LOVE them! (She created the current blog header/graphics as well)

Here’s a sneak of what the new blog header will look like for Fall:

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Ahhhhhhhhhh the cuteness is too much!!

Anyway, I just needed to share my excitement. I’m hoping that will all be done this week, we’ll see. So.. how bout I share a few pics? Okay, good idea :)

First two are just some client pictures I was proofing this week. Just to show that I DO use these actions in my day to day workflow. That’s how I started making the actions. I created them for myself, then figured I might as well see if anyone else could use them!

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This picture was taken by Bonnie (Once Remembered Action Templates), it’s her gorgeous 13 year old Daughter. I’m always bugging Bonnie on IM, so snagged this pic and messed with it.

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And in case you aren’t on any of the photography boards I frequent and missed this freebie, I put up a Softy Bleach action over the weekend just for fun. I uploaded it to the store (go to STORE and Freebies)

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The Bleach will just be up this week, so don’t miss it. There’s also still the Choco Coco Mocho (what was I thinking when I named that one??), the S-Curve, and the Artist Fave Brush in the Freebies section.

Oh, and before I forget, this weekend’s winner……… Kaosong!

Email me at info@phauntactions.com to claim your prize :)

And last thing, I promise.. Wanted to share this cool link:

I got up to about 1500 grains before my brain gave out. I can’t seem to keep my vocab level above 34 though.

Go play and let me know what your score/level is! :)

Would you Rather??

Interesting title for today’s post… I’ll get to that in a second. First, wanted to share a cute pic of Katie and Jed. I used the Old School Hand Tinted Colorizer for the Vintagey look. The Border is from Jessica Ditmer (who I want to be like when I grow up).. and the Font is from Little Dreamer Designs.

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And on to the important stuff… the WINNERS!..

The $25 gift certificate goes to…….. ktinnco7 (Katie) because she’s right.. she does have a cool name :)

And the Certificate to Little Dreamer Designs goes to

Amanda Hansen!!

Amanda and Katie, email me at info@phauntactions.com to claim your prizes :)

Tomorrow the winner will be getting a set of THEIR CHOICE from Tina Parker at My Lil Creations. The cards are SO amazing, I just sent a bunch off to be printed for my own clients.. Here’s a few that I made in about 30 seconds using Tina’s templates:

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Remember, to get qualified to win one of Tina’s Awesome template sets, all you have to do is to buy something in the store (I’m picking from the entire week’s purchases, you don’t have to have bought something today, don’t worry).

GOOD LUCK! And THANK YOU TINA for your awesome templates :)

So.. for today’s comment winner I thought I’d try something different. One thing about me that my family knows all too well is my tendency to ask weird questions, namely ones that are a choice between 2 things that no normal person would think about in the first place.

So when I saw this game

At Target a few weeks ago, I HAD to get it.. I’ve been driving my husband crazy asking him the questions from it.

So.. For today’s comments winner.. You have to answer THIS question:

Would you rather Be completely alone with nobody in the vicinity for one year OR never be alone even one minute for one year?

Whichever answer is the best gets the $25! Good Luck!! :)

Contest Kick Off!

Hope everyone had a Relaxing weekend! I took the weekend off (mostly) to rest from driving myself crazy… now I’m back and ready for more!

First off, THANK YOU for the awesome response to the new set! I’ve had a lot of positive feedback, I’m so glad people are liking them! If you’ve purchased the set and have ANY problems, let me know, there may be a few bugs in there that didn’t get worked out, if you find one, I want to know so I can fix it asap!

The PS7/CS versions are in the works, I just have to find the time to get them finished. I’ll be sure to post when they’re done, don’t worry!

Wanted to add a few more examples of some pics I edited using the new Pro Pak, everything in the pack CAN be done by yourself, but it literally takes me maybe 1/8th the time when I use the actions. The actions were all created because I was trying to save myself time, so each one is usefull, and not put in there just to beef up the set or take up space. I use literally EVERY action (not on every picture though, that may be overkill! LoL).

One of Katie that I took last week:

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Used the Easy Texture Adder, Heavy Canvas Texture, Grunge it Up, and Grunge Border Adder (all from the Special Effects Set).

And a few more Beautifiers examples from people that have sent in pics to be glamourized:

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I don’t necessarily use the beautifiers this heavy on my retouching. I usually only use the makeup actions when clients request it.. or on my own photos. I wouldn’t recommend using it unless the people KNOW you will be doing it. The Flawless actions get used a LOT though. If used lightly they really can help freshen up the face and get rid of skin imperfections. Your Client’s will thank you for it, believe me ;)

Oh.. the winners, right? For comments on Friday, I’m giving out 2 $25 gift certificates… So angbrimwill and scrapolla… Shoot me an email at info@phauntactions.com to claim your prize!

And Today’s cool prize (besides another $25 Gift Cert) will be

THE LATEST ISSUE OF DESIGN AGLOW!!!!

From the Design Aglow Website:

“Design Aglow is an online resource for information and products directed at professional wedding and portrait photographers. This site was created to inform, to teach, and to inspire.

We are an online collection of resources, including articles, Photoshop actions, templates, marketing ideas, interviews, and seminars for the boutique wedding and portrait studio. We consider ourselves a hybrid of design and photography and how they relate to each other.
We are completely reader supported, meaning we run no ads, accept no sponsors, and are not paid to endorse products. The products that we recommend are based strictly on unbiased experiences and research. There are plenty of places out there to look at ads - this is not one of them.

We are dedicated to an “art only” format. No technical stuff here! We are about artistic approach, photo enhancement, album design, marketing, branding, and creative technique.

We aim our resource collections at established photographers, already familiar with the professional portrait and wedding industry, who want to refine their skills and further their knowledge.

We are constantly looking for new ideas, writers, and talent. You do not have to be experienced to contribute to Design Aglow - only have fresh new ideas and an interesting take on your own business.

We are real. We listen and evolve. Our goal is to constantly grow and to create a place where talented photographers can come and be inspired. “

I have the latest issue myself, and it is amazing! There’s a great article by Andrea Joki in there about texturing photos. She goes into detail about what is the best kind of textures to use for what photo, and how to decide how strong of texture you want with your photos.

I personally LOVED the article about Laura Novak and how she designed/opened her photography studio. Her style is amazing, and I was inspired that she didn’t break the bank decorating her new space!

To win the latest issue of Design Aglow, all you have to do is buy something in the phaunt actions store! Remember, the coupon for the new Procrastination Pak is: propakintro

It gets you an extra $10 off!

That’s IT! I’ll announce the winner tomorrow morning (along with the Gift Certificate winner). So check back! Have a great day!!

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D-O-N-E Done Done DONE!!!

They’re Here! They’re done!! I may just be going insane but I’m FINISHED!

INTRODUCING THE NEW phaunt PROCRASTINATION PAK!!!

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Finally, they’re HERE!! The newest action pack designed to help you put all those finishing touches and special effects on your photos. Broken up into 3 seperate action sets, there is 72 ACTIONS total!!

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phaunt Beautifiers- The last set you’ll need to glamorize your photos and retouch portraits. Included is 2 SKIN RETOUCHING actions, as well as 4 actions to give your photos a high contrast/glamour/fashion effect. Next, there is the MAKEUP actions. Amazing actions that let you put the makeup on IN PHOTOSHOP. Be heavy handed or just add a light touch, it’s up to you! Next are all the variations of soft focus effects that you’ll ever need, perfect for every type of photo!

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phaunt Special Effects- This set lets you jump into the world of Grunging/texturing with guns blazing! An action that allows you to add any texture you want (there are a few of my own personal textures included in the set as well), as well as 7 simple textures that you can use to put the finishing touches on your textured images. Next, an action that makes grunging up your photos easy and simple. Use any grunge brushes, and with the few clicks of a button, you have a perfectly “grunged” picture! Ever wanted to try selective color, but didn’t know how to do it? Now you can just use the 3 selective coloring actions to easily and quickly selectivly color your photo! And lastly in this set, forget about making borders on your photos manually, the border creaters included in this set will do it for you! Simple White/black borders, as well as grunge borders, and the new Fuzzy Wuzzy borders can be created easily.

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phaunt Details- The last set in the bunch, this set does the final exposure tweaks and color shifts that you need. Have photo that needs a warmer or cooler tint? Just use one of the 6 variations of color shifting included! Or, if you’re feeling adventurous, go for a Golden Sheen and change the entire look of your photo! Your photo just about perfect, but needs that last little oomph? Use the exposure bumps to get it perfect! Burning and dodging driving you crazy lately? Use the action that will quickly help you do your dodging and burning in a few brush strokes.

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With 72 actions included in this set, you’ll have all you need to take your photos from fine to fabulous! Included is detailed instructions on how to use each action, as well as links to video tutorials that will help you visualize how to use them.


There is also included 4 of my own textures that I use every day to create textured images, as well as a set of Grunge brushes you can use on your own photos.

grungebrushes

Last but certainly not least, for a limited time, everyone who purchases the Procrastination Pak gets a FREE template action set from Once Remembered Actions .. You can’t get these template actions anywhere else!

I have got to say THANK YOU to a few great people for helping me test and retest, and listen to me stress out and whine!! Bonnie Creevy, Jodi Freidman, Kim Lobato, Denise Skelton, Elma, Deanna Hall, Jeremi Broadhurst, and ALL OF YOU for being such great readers and sharing the love! :)

So……. the new set.. Regular price will be $75, but for a limited time, to introduce the set, it will be just $60!!

And, this week ONLY for the first 50 people if you buy the new Procrastination Pak, you can get an extra $10 off, so get the whole thing for just $50!!.. you must use the code: propakintro at the checkout to get the $10 off

Want to see more before/afters on the shots? Go HERE to see more examples!

If you were one of the winners that got the Extras paK as a prize in the last few weeks, please email me and I”ll send it to you ;)

Because I’ve been trying to get these finished I’ve not got any freebies/tutorials up this week, so I’m leaving last weeks up for another week (brushes). But I’ve got something even better in store for this coming week!!

I’ve been forunate enough to have some AWESOME donations from some of the great online store that sell stuff to us photographers.. and I’m going to be doing a contest all next week. The prizes will be given out every day, here’s what you have a chance to win:

Gift Certificates to:

Pink Ink Studios

Little Dreamer Designs

My Lil Creations

The latest issue of Design Aglow

And every day I’ll pick a winner that will get a $25 gift certificate for the phaunt actions store.

To be eligible for the $25 gift certificate all you need to do is leave a comment on the blog that day. BUT to be eligible to win one of the gift certificates to the other sponsors, you have to make a purchase at the phaunt actions store. It doesn’t have to be the new actions, it could be anything!

So.. that’s it…. If you only knew the stress and insanity these actions have put me through (and my poor husband), you’d know why I’m SO glad to have them finally released. I can’t wait to see all the stuff that you all will do with them. If you have ANY questions or problems, send me an email (info@phauntactions.com)! Have a GREAT weekend!!

*note.. the $25 gift certificate give aways starts TODAY, so leave me a comment!.. The other contest does not start until Monday, so you have all weekend to buy something at the store and get qualified!*

AJAXed with AWP