Actions, not diamonds, are my best friends.... Though diamonds are a close second.

So, I've recently discovered these AMAZING photographic tools called actions. They are basically a pure piece of photographic awesomeness that some people (thecoffeeshopblog.com) give away for free! "But Lindsi (you're probably asking yourself) what makes these things priceless bits of pure gold?" I am SO glad you asked, because I'd love to tell you!

I don't know how many of you have attempted to edit photos via photoshop before, but it can be a long and tedious process to achieve the look that you want. I have spent many a long night staring pointlessly at a photo I'm currently editing on my computer while thinking "WHY DON'T YOU LOOK LIKE WHAT I WANT YOU TO LOOK LIKE?!!??!!??!" Actions have (mostly) relieved my self-flagellation (or.... computer-flagellation??) and to top it all off, they make it sure easy to repeat the same result over and over.

In other words...... Actions are like small pieces of rainbow sprinkled with glitter and topped with whip cream.

Don't believe me? Let me show you!

Here is an unedited photo of my niece, Squishy (not her real name, don't worry):

Now, this photo of Squishy is already a nice photo, right?  She's looking at the camera, she's got a good expression, no boogers or anything of the face. But the problem is the quality of the light. It's nice and diffused (soft) light, but it's also a little cool and a little dim, making the photo seem flat and a bit colorless. No problemo with a touch of action magic! 

See:

Bam! Usually bumping the saturation and playing with the lighting would take a while, but with a customizable action like The Coffeshop Action Little Perk, I got this result in about 10 minutes.

I'm telling you this mostly because I love sharing cool things that make my life (and possibly your life) easier, but also because the person that I get my action from is this amazing lady over at The CoffeeShop Blog..... WHO GIVES THEM AWAY FOR FREE! Most actions cost hundreds of dollars, but this amazing person has 50+ (and growing) actions that she gives out to anyone.

Please, please, please check out her website! thecoffeeshopblog.com, and prepare to be amazed!