Capture48 Loc: Arizona

What are your favorite PS or LR Actions / Presets? I am getting too busy and want to slim down my PP time. So I am looking for some actions that help speed the PP Process, not necessarily photo changing stuff like the Grunge touch, but time savers.

ArtzDarkroom Loc: Near Disneyland-Orange County, California

Cap,

In Photoshop I like the feature that lets one create their own Actions. I have created several and have them in folders: Size, DPI, Frames, Adjustments, Format Change. They save me tons of time when I use the Automate/Batch feature so I can do a folder of pix at a time instead of individually.

I Don't Use the Defaults

Capture48 Loc: Arizona

Thanks I know how to create actions, I'm wondering what the best time saving actions are people have bought or found for free.

Morning Star Loc: West coast, North of the 49th N.

I just signed up for a class from Digital Scrapper:
http://digitalscrapper.com/classes/actions-fix-photos-fast/
Linda Sattgast, the owner, is an expert with both Photoshop and Photoshop Elements.
I have taken earlier classes from her, and have very much enjoyed them, as well as learned a lot.
There are a couple of videos available now, but the class itself will go live on August 20. You work it at your own speed.
There are 36 actions included with the class, as well as later in September, a module about editing without actions will be added, and a module dealing with Camera Raw.

SonnyE Loc: Communist California, USA

I work on better photographs at the camera. That is my "Action".
My post processing consists of the delete function.

After 20 years of digital dabbling and Internet web page grinding, I tend to try and start with the best so I don't waste time trying to fix what should be deleted to begin with.
An age old computer adage: Garbage in, garbage out.
(I first heard that back in the mid 1970's with a Univac 9000 "computer". It used 12" reels of magnetic tape to store data.)
We've come a long way, Baby!

Capture48 Loc: Arizona

Load of rubbish, PP is a part of life even if you don't like it!

Rongnongno Loc: FL

Create your own if you do repetitive tasks.
If you are looking for specialized tasks check on the web, there loads of action for almost everything, just do not expect them to fit your needs as you would expect.

Rongnongno Loc: FL

Actually it is not rubbish.

PP needs not to be all that extensive if the SOOC is correct. In-existant is a bit of a boast but otherwise?

Personally I shoot with PP in mind meaning that I plan what will be the end result and the least PP I do the better I am. So I plan to avoid extensive changes.

I am lazy, what do you want?

SonnyE Loc: Communist California, USA

You asked what actions people take.
I take the best pictures I can.
I can't help it if you are mediocre and have to fiddle with your crap shots.
Some day you might learn to take pictures, instead of fiddling.
Have a great day. :roll:

Racmanaz Loc: Sunny Tucson!

PP is not a part of life, it maybe part of yours but not everyone else that creates photo's via camera. I never once PP my color reversal film even after printing, most of the time the colors were accurate, exposure was good and I learned composition so I would not have to edit of crop. But, I do understand it's much easier to be lazy in those areas with digital formats and raw shooting that it handicaps us from "before the shot skills". These days there seems to be a severe apathy among lots of shooters when it comes to in camera shooting skills, it's so much easier to sit in front of the monitor and scan through 5,000 pics we shot this weekend just so we can "shoot" them again with PP procedures. I'm not saying I'm good or bad at ether one of these skills, just commenting is all. :)

Rongnongno Loc: FL

Here I step in. While the initial post was a bit awkward to say the least, yours is just as bad.

Point by point:
raw shooting is more about dynamic range and color depth than corrective PP. You are insulting every photographer that select this format because of its potential. You are cutting your own arms and legs by shooting in 'ready made' JPG. You let some engineer decide what is the best color for everything**. You can just turn your camera to full auto if you give up that control.

There is indeed an apathy in the world of photographer ans sadly you are part of it. Your prior dismissal shows that. Now, when it comes to proper exposure, focusing and composition there is a definitive lack of training and unwillingness to learn as you point out. There are many factors at play here and if the 'ancient' folks had to learn fast due to the high cost of films and printing now this is not the case. With cameras that do everything but cook an egg there is little if any incentive to learn. You may call it laziness. I call it a cause and effect of the 'good enough' mentality. You demonstrate that 'good enough' is all you need. I am referring to your first raw comment.

Well, if you print you always need to crop to print size and plan for it. Composition is just never 'good enough' when you have to plan for different printing size. You basically plan for PP like it or not. Your "I never crop" does not wash.

To resume, you are just as wrong as the first poster. You take a SOOC* position that cannot hold to scrutiny anymore than the other who said SOOC is never 'good enough'. It is often 'good enough' and THAT is the problem.

Personally I select only the best raw SOOC for PP and second best for experimental purposes. I started to shoot exclusively in raw only a couple of years ago after experimenting the difference. I became really interested in PP nuts and bolts this year. (Dec 2013 to be exact). Both evolutions in my workflow/process made a huge difference.

I am not stating that under the cover of a 'personal opinion' but the cold observation of what is going here (UHH), other forums and 'real life'.

-----
* SOOC = Straight Out Of the Camera
** That is one of the major differences between manufacturers. Some believe everything should be 'warm' and other 'cold'. This is exposed time and time again when you have similar cameras from different manufacturer compared to each other. Nikon by example over saturates the reds.

RWR Loc: La Mesa, CA

If the only post processing I do is convert NEF to TIFF, and a minimum crop to match composition to the subject, I have succeeded. Precise focus is a given. Proper exposure and composure = less post processing = more time to photograph.
Though I equate post processing to paint by number without the numbers, I save all my NEF files to work on when I am no longer able to tramp about the mountains and desert, and will still be creating successful images.

jjestar Loc: Savannah GA

Seeing you haven't got a straight answer yet, Jarred Platt's are good and his naming convention is straight forward https://www.jaredplatt.biz/, Kubota Actions are good also http://kubotaimagetools.com/collections/lightroom-products/lightroom-presets#1. also the Topaz and onOne products work as plug ins in lightroom. Presets are not to fix what was shot but to make it better and apply a persons artistic interpretation.

jjestar Loc: Savannah GA

Sorry did not mean to quote you pushed the wrong tab!!

RWR Loc: La Mesa, CA

I was sure of that, so did not reply. Thanks for posting those links, though. :)