TRA2: The Revenge!

Sorry to all those awesome brides and grooms reading this post, this entry is for us geeky photographers! ;)

Of course, EVERYONE on the planet that does photography knows about The Boutwell's Totally Rad Actions, and if you don't you have seriously been living under a rock!! They are one of the coolest set of actions I've had the pleasure of experiencing. While I don't use them exclusively on my photos (As I have my own set of recipes/actions created for the colour popping images that I'm known for, but the TRAs are definitely some of the ingredients added in), they have by far been some of the best actions I've tried due to its awesome ability to tweak and integrate each action to taste!

Anyhow, I got my hands on the newest release by the Boutwells: TRA2 The Revenge !!, and I have to say they completely rocked my planet. Loving the new look that some of the actions produce - better b&ws, and a very lovely vintage/cross processed theme running through the whole set. So for those that like that kind of look to their images, do check it out!!

For those, that have no idea what I am rambling about and are itching to see how you can integrate it into your images, here are some examples that I have applied to my own images:

Note, actions will NOT save a bad image. You, definitely, 200 %, need to have a good image that is well exposed to start with, AND you need to know how to mix in each action to the right degree (just like cooking! You can't have too much of any ingredient lest it spoil the dish!). The following shots were all 'actioned' straight from my straight-out-of-camera jpgs (yeah, I know...I don't shoot RAW. For storage reasons, and plus I believe shooting JPG has forced me to get my shots and exposures right in camera which definitely accelerates your learning curve as it stops you from cheating later on! ;) )

Pool Party + Can-O-Whoopass + Burn Out:

Claire-ify + Punch Out! + Shadow Separator:

Claire-ify + Troy:



Lux (hard) + Grandma's Tap Shoes (set to 50%) + Boutwell's Magic Glasses (selective layer masking) :



Claire-ify (60%) + Milk and Cookies + Shadow Separator + Select-O-Sharp (on the eyes)
Note: the TRA2 Sharpening actions are seriously out of this world!!!:

Hope this post has helped some of you budding photographers out there!! And don't worry, to all those who are freaking out about me changing my colour popping style - that wont be shelved for a looooooooooooooong time ;)

Anyhow, I'm off for now. To those who are still awaiting email replies, fear not, I hope to finish replying all of them by today or tomorrow (there are just sooooooooo many of them!!).