question & answer
why don't you show how every action or preset looks on ONE image?
i strongly believe that not one action or preset works on every image or that one image will look good with every preset and action. editing, even with presets and actions, is not a click of a button solution. good editing is a deliberate choice by an artist--actions and presets are only the tools used to facilitate the photographer's vision.
i can promise you that every sample shown on this site used an action or preset in it's purest form. i selected the action/setting that worked best for the particular photograph with no further adjustments. actions and presets work best on photographs with proper exposure and color temperature. because that is sometimes hard to achieve, adjustments to exposure and temperature will most likely need to be made on every photograph.
what is the difference between an ACTION and a PRESET?
an ACTION is a series of processing steps that have been saved in photoshop. that same set of steps can be ran again and again on multiple photos. ACTIONS are ran on JPG files in photoshop. the actions do not work in programs such as lightroom.
a PRESET is a saved setting [of adjustments to contrast, tone, etc] for either ACR or lightroom.
will PRESETS work on jpg files?
PRESETS for lightroom version 3 and below work best on RAW files. the beauty of the new lightroom 4 is that presets will work on either a RAW file or a JPG. yippee!
will lilyblue ACTIONS work with photoshop elements?
unfortunately no. lilyblue ACTIONS only work on full versions of photoshop at this time. keep checking back though--it's on the "to do" list!
how to INSTALL THE PRESETS AND ACTIONS?
because every computer is a little different, i can not guarantee the path for your default folders.
for PHOTOSHOP: save your .atn file on your computer wherever you like. some systems automatically install the file to photoshop when you click the .atn file to open. if not, when you go to "load" you can navigate to the folder where you placed the files. in your action's menu, use the small arrow at the top right side of the palette. using the pull down menu--select "load actions" and select your .atn file. then click "load". your action set is now loaded.
for LIGHTROOM: go to lightroom "preferences". select the "presets" tab. click "show lightroom presets folder". from there, select the "lightroom" folder and place your folder of .lrtemplate files in the "develop presets" folder. restart lightroom to register your presets.
for CAMERA RAW: you will need to know the location of your camera raw settings folder on your computer. you will need to copy and paste your .xmp files to where your camera raw develop presets are stored. most likely at these locations:
- WIN7 | C:users/[username]/app data/roaming/adobe/camera raw/settings
- MacOSX | [username]/library/application support/adobe/camera raw/settings
if you do not have a settings folder, create one in your camera raw folder. once you have moved the files to the proper folder, you will need to restart your camera raw to register the new presets.
are the PRESETS customizable?
yes, after selecting a lilyblue PRESET you may [and should] continue to adjust settings for each photograph--you can adjust exposure, contrast, shadows, color temperature and more. lilyblue presets were developed for properly exposed photographs so even after using a lilyblue preset you may need to adjust for exposure, shadow and brightness according to each photograph's need. sometimes that makes all the difference.
TIP: lilyblue PRESETS never adjust the photograph's temperature or exposure. make those changes according to the photograph's need first, then click through the settings to see which works best for the particular photograph you are editing.
do you offer refunds if i am unhappy with the product?
due to the nature of these products, refunds are not provided. please see terms of use.