I headed down to the pool on Fathers Day to try and snap a couple shots of my husband, Dadding. Throwing kids around in the pool is definitely a Dad thing.  These moments are fleeting, which is why I am grateful to be a photographer.  One day she is going to be way too cool to be thrown around the pool, it's going to be embarrassing for Dad to even be there.  While the children won't keep, the photographs will.

 I used one of our Free Actions, Photo Refresh on this image.  Here is the before and after:

Photo Refresh is everything you need to clean up an image, plus there is an optional warmth layer, to warm things up.  The hazy sunlight in the left of the image is something new I have up my sleeve for you.  More on that later this week/next week.

If you are a Dad, I hope you had a wonderful Fathers Day.  I hope you did all the Dad things, and I hope that someone snapped a few pics for you to remember this fleeting time.

P.S.  I know it's weird that my husbands face is hidden.  It's what we have to do.  Thank you for understanding.

I have a brand new Photoshop Action for you all!  Photo Refresh© is a one-click wonder with six, easy to adjust layers.  Photo Refresh© is compatible with Photoshop CS4-6, Creative Cloud, and Photoshop Elements 11+.

This is a really great base Action to get started with.  Simply press play and let the six layers run through your photo, making automatic adjustments along the way.  Use the layer sliders to adjust the opacity of the entire layer, or use the layer mask to brush off/on effects selectively.

I finished the photo here with "Waterlily" from the Spring Tones set ($5) and used the Magic Eye Mini Action set to bring out the eye.

Do you love Actions?  Are you downloading Photo Refresh©?  Please leave us a comment below.  We LOVE hearing from our customers.
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Hi Everyone!  It has been some time since I last posted, which have led many of you to ask me not to abandon the MLC blog.  Don't worry, I will not abandon the blog.  This year has been a whirlwind for me, moving back to the United States, adjusting, renovating a house.  Unfortunately all of these things have taken precious time away from the MLC blog.  As things even out here, on the farm, I will be back to posting on the blog.
Getting back on track, I thought it would be a good idea to reacquaint you to the Free Photoshop Actions and Free Photoshop Elements Actions we offer.

BEFORE

FREE ACTION: LIMERICK
Warmth turned off

BEFORE

FREE ACTION:  ANEW

BEFORE

FREE ACTION: COOL SUMMER

FREE ACTION: INSTANT BLACK AND WHITE

Thanks to all of our great customers for hanging in there with me!  I will have a new freebie soon!  Until then, you can download any of the Actions seen above on our Free Actions page.

Today we are offering a gorgeous watercolor texture for FREE!  I love it when we have some free-ness going on in here for you.  This free Photoshop watercolor texture in Seafoam is perfect for anything.  Whether you want to make cards, do some digital scrapbooking, or use them as overlays on your photos.

ABOVE:  I used the free Photoshop watercolor texture in Seafoam on an image to give it a little nostalgia.  It is pictured using the Multiply Blending Mode, brushed off the subjects, with a lowered opacity.

The texture is sized to 4286 pixels  x 2744 pixels at 300 dpi. (13MB)

Have fun with it!  Post your after's on our Facebook page!

As I mentioned in my 5 for $5.00 post about Spring V, I have been a little absent from my usual daily blogging here at MLC.  My sweet girl is back in preschool and so I am finding a little more time to get back to work.

Today I have a video for you on how to remove a common lens distortion called vignetting.  We all know about vignetting because at times we add it to our images to draw focus toward our subject.  While this kind of vignetting is a creative license we all take from time to time, there is a darker side (no pun intended...hardy har har) to vignetting.

Generally this kind of distortion occurs with lower level lenses, but that isn't always the case.  Take my image for example, it was taken using a Canon 5d Mark III and a mid-range 85mm  prime lens.  You can see the edges are considerably darkened.

While it wasn't immediately apparent to me, once I ran the new (free) Correct Camera Distortion Action I am releasing today, I noticed a big improvement.  I rarely notice the vignetting problem unless it is overcast outside and I am underexposing the image.

Available for Adobe® Photoshop® Creative Cloud®, Elements® 12, & Elements® 13
*note:  Leave a comment and let us know if it works in CS 4-6 and Elements 11!

*Become a subscriber to get Free Downloads, Access To New Products, and More!

We have a special new Freebie for you all this week!  5 Printable Valentines photo card templates plus two bookmarks.  There are three 4"x6" cards available in three patterns (red damask, pink damask, and red & white polka dot).  Two  5"x5" cards available in two patterns (red damask, teal chevron).  We are also offering two bookmarks in two patterns (red damask & teal chevron).  


These are so cute to send your kids to school with this Valentines Day, and nothing beats the price.  The two 5"x5" cards are designed to hold portrait sized images and the 4"x6" cards are designed to hold landscape sized images.


All of the cards come together as .psd files and can be used by Adobe® Photoshop® users as well as Adobe® Photoshop® Elements® users.  The file you will receive is quite large (46.2MB), so be sure that you have enough available memory before you download.


Please post your pictures on our Facebook page and/or mention us on Twitter (@MLCActions) and show us your cards!  We really love seeing what everyone comes up with!

We have good news, they (minus the chevron) will be available along with 5 resizing Actions this Friday for 5 For $5.00 Friday.  Yes, you read that right.  8 digital papers plus 5 resizing Actions for only $5.00!  Make sure you subscribe to the blog, or follow us on Facebook or Twitter so you don't miss it.

All papers are sized 12"x12" at 300dpi.  They will be available for a limited time only.