MCP Actions
MCP Actions is your shortcut to better photographs.

Information

Founded:
http://mcpactions.com
Create a Page for My BusinessReport Page
 
MCP Actions

MCP Actions

A Depth of Field Lesson from Finger Puppets at a Baseball Game
Many photographers who are just starting out have a hard time grasping and remembering how aperture and depth of field work. I have done a few posts on this before and will continue to as I think of various ways to describe it...
9 hours ago
Sheila
Sheila at 7:43am July 9
Great tutorial Jodi!
Kathy
Kathy at 12:52pm July 9
I would like to have some finger puppets of the Atlanta Braves!!!!!!
MCP Actions

MCP Actions

WIN AN SLR LENS: Brand New Tamron Lens – 18-270mm or 28-300mm
I am very excited to have my 1st BIG lens give away on the blog. Tamron USA, Inc. is sponsoring the MCP contest for a brand new lens. The WINNER chooses from the 18-270mm (for a crop sensor Nikon or Canon) or the 28-300mm (for a full frame Nikon or Canon)...
Yesterday at 8:11am
View 38 comments
MCP Actions

MCP Actions

My Current Workflow & and an INCREDIBLE product {Autoloader}
I get asked daily in emails what my workflow is and how do I get through my editing. I hear from photographers all the time who say that they spend too much time editing. Today’s video may help change all that for you (at least if you have Photoshop CS3 or CS4)...
Tue at 8:36am
MCP Actions

MCP Actions one more test - sorry - trying to get selective tweets app working...

Mon at 7:12pm · via Selective Twitter Status
Morgan
Morgan at 8:25pm July 6
any idea what made it work finally?
RECENT ACTIVITY
MCP Actions discussed What type of actions do you hope to see from MCP in the future? on the MCP Actions discussion board.
MCP Actions discussed Submissions for Blueprint Fridays on the MCP Actions discussion board.
2 more similar stories
MCP Actions discussed What are your favorite MCP Actions? on the MCP Actions discussion board.
MCP Actions discussed What topics would you like to see for MCP Photoshop Workshops? on the MCP Actions discussion board.
MCP Actions

MCP Actions

MCP Collaboration - Free Brushes for Photoshop
I had a brainstorm today… Guests have become a fun part of my blog, mainly because everyone has something valuable to give. So I thought I would start a new concept here at MCP: MCP Collaborations. These will be a FUN way to have all MCP readers help each other. I hope all of you will participate...
Mon at 7:08am
Jeannie
Jeannie at 8:30am July 6
What a great idea...here's my input...
http://graphics-illustrations.com/
MCP Actions

MCP Actions

Happy 4th of July Weekend!
I hope everyone is having a great weekend. And that my customers in the US are enjoying the Forth of July weekend celebrations. One of my customers sent me this photo, and I just had to share. Precious...
July 5 at 1:08pm
Kelley
Kelley at 1:12pm July 5
lol...very cute!
MCP Actions

MCP Actions

MCP Blueprint – an iphone 3gs picture edited in Photoshop
I was on a pontoon boat the day I took this shot. I did not bring my camera with me. When my daughter Jenna decided to jump from the boat and swim in the lake for her 1st time, I wanted to document it. I was bummed that I did not lug my camera… Then I remembered, iphone… It has a camera...
July 3 at 11:45am
Michelle
Michelle at 6:38am July 3
Now I just need an iphone!
Norine
Norine at 7:53am July 3
I never seem to take good iphone photos. This looks nice.
MCP Actions

MCP Actions

Temporary Post Used For Theme Detection (f4312d92-167f-43ac-b155-51664be4a9b4 - 3bfe001a-32de-4114-a6b4-4005b770f6d7)
This is a temporary post that was not deleted. Please delete this manually. (17ab6cee-4030-4881-925f-0948fa0459d5 - 3bfe001a-32de-4114-a6b4-4005b770f6d7) If you like what you read, please share it:
July 3 at 11:45am
MCP Actions

MCP Actions

Using Layer Masks for Skin Color Correction in Photoshop
This video tutorial builds on yesterday’s layer mask tutorial. It will teach you how to apply masking so that you can selectively affect parts of your photo when correcting skin tones...
July 2 at 7:20am
Sally
Sally at 7:20am July 2
Extremely helpful! Thank you!!
Clare
Clare at 7:26am July 2
great tips - much appreciated!
April
April at 5:46pm July 2
great tutorial!
Julie Bryant

Julie Bryant How do I go about getting one of your actions that I saw in the photo section?

July 1 at 12:45pm · Report
MCP Actions
MCP Actions at 6:11pm July 6
go to my site at http://mcpactions.com.

Let me know if you have any questions.
MCP Actions

MCP Actions

How to use Layer Masks and Adjustment Layers in Photoshop
Do the words “adjustment layer” or “layer masks” scare you? If so, this revised video (which includes Photoshop versions up through CS4) is a MUST Watch, Must Share, and Must Bookmark...
July 1 at 7:15am
Norine
Norine at 10:22am July 1
TY for the video. Your videos are always informative and easy to follow. TY for sharing!
MCP Actions

MCP Actions

Sunsets and Silhouettes – a blueprint, tutorial and favorites poll
One of my all time favorite things to photograph are sunsets and silhouettes. There is something almost magical about them. Last year I wrote a 2 part tutorial on photographing and editing silhouettes. Part 1 Here * Part 2 Here...
June 30 at 7:21am
Show 2 more comments...
Alaina
Alaina at 11:38am June 30
#2 is my absolute favorite, #1 comes in a close second, #14 comes in third
Julie
Julie at 12:49pm July 1
#3- for the landscape and between 15 and 16 for the silhouttes
MCP Actions

MCP Actions

Winner of the Imagenomic Suite - Portraiture, Real Grain and Noiseware
Trying a new format via twitter to announce the winner of the contest for the Imagenomic Suite of products (Portraiture, Noiseware and Real Grain). My twins picked the number together and announced the winning number via Tweet Mic here...
June 29 at 7:11am
MCP Actions

MCP Actions

A New and Improved MCP Site and Blog Coming Soon
NEW MCP NEWS: You can now register your your Facebook name and page here. My FB sites are http://facebook.com/mcpactions (friend me) and http://facebook.com/mcpfans (FB page). Go get yours today. Not sure which will be done 1st but my blog and site have been works in progress for some time now...
June 29 at 7:11am
MCP Actions

MCP Actions

Alaskan Adventure – what other gear to pack for trip in the wild
Daniel Hurtubise is doing a series on his upcoming trip to the Alaskan Wild. Hopefully this will help you learn what you need to prepare for a huge expedition. Last week he will be discussed his camera gear. This week he will cover what other equipment he will be bringing...
June 27 at 6:58am
MCP Actions

MCP Actions

Blueprint - From Snapshot to Portrait in 6 Steps
This boy is just adorable. He is the “kid of the week” for the Fix It Friday edit at I Heart Faces. I loved my edit of this one so I had to share my steps with all of you...
June 26 at 7:02am
MCP Actions

MCP Actions

Enhancing Skies Using Smart Objects in Adobe Camera Raw and Photoshop
Yesterday I showed you how to add fake skies where the sky is completely blown. Today’s tutorial will teach you what to do if you have a nice sky that is just a little too light and could use some depth. Thank you to our guest blogger Daniel Hurtubise for this fantastic tutorial...
June 25 at 6:54am
MCP Actions

MCP Actions

Win Portraiture, Noiseware, and Real Grain from Imagenomic
MCP Actions is excited to announce this “smooth” contest where the lucky winner drawn at random will win Imagenomic Pro Plug-In Suite. The winner will get 3 fabulous products with a $300 retail value: Portraiture 2, Real Grain and Noiseware Professional Plug-In...
June 24 at 9:16am
Kim
Kim at 6:29am June 24
Easy..the worst location I had to shoot in was a church with no windows and 4 shop type lights. I was using a Rebel XT and shooting at ISO 800+ higher
MCP Actions

MCP Actions

How to Add a “Fake” Sky to a Photo in Photoshop
This video will teach you two methods for adding an artificial sky to a photograph where theysky has been accidentally blown out. Of course getting this right in camera is better and more preferable...
June 24 at 9:16am
MCP Actions

MCP Actions

Newborn Photography: How to Use Light When Shooting Newborns
Lighting and Newborn Photography By Guest Blogger Alisha Robertson Well it has been a while but I am back. I had a crazy end to the school year on top of spring time portraits starting up...
June 22 at 2:29pm
Carey
Carey at 5:42pm June 22
I found this extremely, extremely helpful! thanks!
MCP Actions

MCP Actions

Funny T-shirts – in light of my recent computer situation…
Just a quick post to share some funny t-shirts I saw online. I thought many of you would appreciate these:
June 22 at 2:29pm
MCP Actions

MCP Actions

Heading on a Trip to the Wilderness? What to bring?
Daniel Hurtubise is doing a series on his upcoming trip to the Alaskan Wild. Hopefully this will help you learn what you need to prepare for a huge expedition. This week he will be discussing his gear. Then next time he will discuss what else he is taking with him...
June 22 at 2:29pm
MCP Actions

MCP Actions

Opening & Resaving Jpeg images: Does It Really Degrade Your Images?
Thank you to Robert Watcher of finchandchimps and Robert Watcher Photography for this interesting guest post answering the question, “Does opening and resaving jpeg images over and over really degrade the image quality of your photos?” I have long been fascinated with the claim that resaving...
June 16 at 6:27am
Racheal
Racheal at 6:21am June 21
Interesting read, thanks!
MCP Actions

MCP Actions

Don’t Lose Your Head When You Crop in Photoshop
Have you ever tried cropping in Photoshop to find out that if you crop to an 8×10 you lose your head? Or the head of the person who was photographed? Why does this happen and what can you do about both in camera and in Photoshop...
June 15 at 8:09am
MCP Actions

MCP Actions

What I decided… Mac versus PC?
Last week I did this poll on my blog asking readers if I should get a Mac or stay with PC. No surprise that Mac won in the polls. I still have the poll open if you want to vote...
June 13 at 8:43am
Kara
Kara at 9:01am June 13
Hey Jodi, see if you can hire someone to make you one instead of Dell. Call around to your local computer shops, they'll be able to get you better and cheaper than what Dell wants! I have a friend that does mine for me, but your not in the chicago area are you?
Kelly
Kelly at 9:38am June 13
MAC for Sure!
Jennifer
Jennifer at 3:06pm June 13
Dell. Hubby works for them.
MCP Actions

MCP Actions

Blueprint – 2 different approaches to similar photographs (extreme versus natural)
Today’s blueprints will show you 2 similar photos of the same model taken in the same light. I edited them very differently so you could get an idea of how you can get completely different looks under the same conditions...
June 12 at 8:08am
Kristyn
Kristyn at 10:02am June 12
i love them both for different reasons... it's too hard to pick just one! i guess if i had to i'd pick the urban one just because that's what i'm feeling at the moment, i love the way the eyes pop and have a similar tone as the background. but seriously, if i was mom, i'd have to buy them both!
Tonya
Tonya at 10:18am June 12
I like the second one better. I like that it doesnt look like the everyday senior pic. The first one is great also, but the second is more my style and my personal preference.
MCP Actions

MCP Actions

Get Ready for Father’s Day and Celebrate with this GREAT FREE DAD Template
If you have been following MCP for years, this DAD template will not be new to you. I have so many new readers each year so certain goodies just have to be repeated. Here is the highly requested “DAD” storyboard template. I wanted to give you a few days to get it ready and to have it printed...
June 11 at 6:43am
Kelly
Kelly at 8:09am June 11
This is great! Thanks a bunch!
Thereasa
Thereasa at 9:59am June 11
Thank you, Jodi!!!
MCP Actions

MCP Actions

MCP’s Camera Bag: Equipment and Pictures from Past to Present
As a follow up to last weeks post on “how expensive equipment alone does not make a great photographer,” most people were in agreement that just because you have expensive gear does not make you a better photographer...
June 10 at 8:53am
Amy
Amy at 9:13am June 10
What's your best advice for improving lighting and focus. Sadly, I feel that my pics rank right up there with the first pics that you took. I know that I have potential, but soooo much to learn. I am doing photography as a second job and have two small children. So, I don't have a lot of time to research different learning materials. Can you point me in the right direction, or maybe even suggest one of your basic workshops that would be benefitial to me? I love your work!
Elisabeth
Elisabeth at 9:42am June 10
I think it was a mix of both learning and better equipment. I think natural talent helps too though...
I think that once you know what you are doing you can never achieve the level of professional without professional equipment. I agree its a waste if you dont know what you are doing though.
Carey
Carey at 12:25pm June 10
i loved this post! incredibly informative, and I LOVED your transparency!
MCP Actions

MCP Actions

Meet the “Clickin Mom” and learn about one of the coolest photo forums
I had the privilege to interview Kendra Okolita, owner of Clickinmoms – a great photography forum. You will love getting to know her as both a photographer (LuluBird Photography), owner of a popular photography forum and mom...
June 9 at 2:06pm
MCP Actions

MCP Actions

Temporary Post Used For Theme Detection (fd837419-ccb5-4953-bbb4-7faee72c1c12 - 3bfe001a-32de-4114-a6b4-4005b770f6d7)
This is a temporary post that was not deleted. Please delete this manually. (003467e3-c2c2-49d2-8db0-74371f33369f - 3bfe001a-32de-4114-a6b4-4005b770f6d7) If you like what you read, please share it:
June 9 at 2:06pm
MCP Actions

MCP Actions

How to use Content Aware Scaling in Photoshop CS4
Did you recently get Photoshop CS4 and you want to know what tools would be fun to play with? Though Content Aware Scaling is still in its infancy and is sure to improve in future versions, it can still be a fun tool to play with. Here is a video showing two ways to use this CS4 tool...
June 8 at 11:01am
MCP Actions

MCP Actions

Should I get a Mac or PC?
What computer should I get next? I would love your help choosing. I posed the question on this Facebook Thread - but it is hard to layout the whole picture in such few words. Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll...
June 8 at 11:01am
Show 2 more comments...
Norine
Norine at 1:34pm June 9
Well, my dh was quick to point out to me that I actually change platforms for a small fee. Very small.
Kristyn
Kristyn at 10:24am June 12
Did you know, you can run windows and all your windows programs on a mac?

Mac wins hands down for me, I have a Mac Pro desktop which I adore and am greatly desiring a laptop just because my husband and I are always fighting over the desktop and it would be nice to be able to both work at once, not to mention portability. I have PC's at work (I ... Read Morehave a full time job in addition to my part time photography) and I am ALWAYS having problems with my laptop and it's only maybe 2 years old. As far as I know there are a few different options you could look into for running windows on your mac so you would still have access to all your old files and programs. I've heard Parallels is one of the better ones, i think it'll set you back about $100 or so, but we've never had the need for it so i've never used myself. Good Luck and GO MAC! :D
MCP Actions

MCP Actions

Life Lesson - Be Thankful for What You Have - Appreciate Every Day
I know this is not photography related exactlybut I had to share an experience I had this past week. As some of you who read my newsletter may know, I am in the process of having a new website built with a full e-commerce system. It is going to be amazing...
June 7 at 8:52am
MCP Actions

MCP Actions

How to plan for a shooting exposition in the wild
I am excited to have Daniel Hurtubise as a guest blogger every few Saturdays this summer leading up to his shooting exposition in the wild. He will talk about his preparation for this trip with a world renown National Geographic Photographer...
June 6 at 7:41am