I’ve been wanting to do this for a while – share some of my editing shortcuts with fellow photographers!
Concert photographers deal with such extreme conditions that many other readily available actions are often not applicable to concert photos. With that in mind, I tried to make these actions adjustable so that they work with different lighting conditions (but even with their flexibility, keep in mind that these actions still work best on properly exposed and white balanced photos). Also, I’ve used these actions on lots of non-concert photos, so non-concert photographers, feel free to download them too!
These are the first actions I’ve put out for the public to use, so I would love feedback. Let me know if you run into any problems or if you have a suggestion on how to make them better. Also, if you use them, let me know that too – feel free to post pictures in the comments that have been edited with the actions!
POP
This action makes images “pop” – a little bit of contrast, a little bit of an S curve, some saturation, a tad of unsharpen mask (in LAB mode), and a smidge of vignette. Since some photos need a little more help than others, this action is the most adjustable of the set. And don’t be afraid to run the action twice if you need extra pop!
Before & After:
ROCK
Rock is a strongly contrasted black and white with a little color added back in. I love this action, probably the favorite of my set because, simply put, it makes even small indie band members look like rock stars. The contrast is adjustable on this action, and the “Light” action is also designed to work in conjuction with this image to add even more flexibility.
Before & After:
ROCK – RED WASH
This image produces the same result as the “Rock” action above – but with a little twist. Since red wash from the lights is such a common problem with concert photography, I created this action to specifically combat that problem.
Before & After:
METAL
Metal is just a vignetting action. While “Pop” and “Rock” are standalone actions, and both contain small amounts of vignetting, “Metal” is around for those pictures that need more a little more emphasis on the center of the image. It is a subtle action though, so you can keep running the action until you feel as though you have enough vignette.
Before, Mid, & After:
LIGHT
I originally created this action to work with my “Rock” actions, but this works with any action or photo that needs a little lightening up. This action quickly corrects slight underexposure and just brightens up the whole image.
Before, Mid, & After:
Again, please let me know what you think of these, and don’t forget to post examples of the actions in use in the comments!
32 Comments so far
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Yeah, it’s the set I had handy when I went to make example shots… someday I’ll post the full set from that show, haha.
Comment by Tasha 01.04.09 @ 2:48 pmCool, I just downloaded the actions. I will definitely let you know if I have used them and show off the photos.
I’m one of those people that sometimes loathes editing. I use very basic editing on my concert photos. Thanks for sharing Tasha.
Hey Charlyn! I’m not a huge fan of editing concert photos either (it takes so long!), which is one of the reasons I like actions – these are pretty basic. Let me know if you think anything can be improved – I’m not sure how these are going to work on other people’s photos!
Comment by Tasha 01.05.09 @ 2:02 pmI just downloaded these – Can’t wait to give them a try on some fun portraits.. I really want to learn how to share actions! If you know how – let me know!
Comment by Natalie Franke 01.05.09 @ 5:40 pmThis is great! Thanks.. I’ll be downloading this and experimenting when I get home. You legend :)
Comment by Meesh 01.05.09 @ 6:50 pmNatalie – Thanks – definitely let me know of any feedback you have!
And share actions? Do you mean how to make them or how to save them for others to use?
Thanks Meesh – Let me know how the experimenting turns out!
Comment by Tasha 01.05.09 @ 10:17 pmVery interesting. I tried them on different photos, and liked the results.
Comment by Francis G. 01.06.09 @ 12:23 amThanks, FG! I’m glad you liked them – let me know if you can think of anything to improve them!
Comment by Tasha 01.06.09 @ 10:56 amTried them out on photos I took last night (The Black Keys and Gomez). I’m a fan of the Pop and metal vignetting one – nicely done, thanks so much for sharing :)
Comment by Meesh 01.10.09 @ 12:32 amTasha, I tried the pop action on a couple of my photos:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/vibeimages/3186937740/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/vibeimages/3186193197/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/vibeimages/3186193123/
I’m happy with the way the photos turned out.
Comment by Charlyn Cameron 01.11.09 @ 1:54 amMeesh – I just checked them out, they look great. Thanks for sharing!
Charlyn – Love them :) Let me know if you have any suggestions on making the actions easier as you use them more!
Comment by Tasha 01.11.09 @ 11:45 pmGreat set – you’ve been selected as the Epic styler!!
I’ll be pulling a few of your photos for the announcement post.
Check your inbox for the winnings.
I just tried these out and they’re great! Very awesome of you to share this with everyone! Many thank you’s!!
Comment by Jose Deleon 02.15.09 @ 3:01 am[...] Tasha Schalk with her Rock Concert Photoshop Actions. [...]
Pingback by Epic Styler Contest Winners and Download 02.16.09 @ 10:39 pmThanks a lot for sharing your Photoshop actions. I tried using Pop as the basis for this graffiti shot:
http://www.rockland.dk/show/?post=339
Love it:-)
That shot looks great! Thanks for sharing, and I’m glad you like the actions!
Comment by Tasha 03.18.09 @ 5:35 pmHey Tasha! I used one here
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jaelau/3383809022/
thanks :D
That looks great Jessie! I love the Rock action – it seems like that’s one of the most popular ones from the set too :) Thanks for sharing!
Comment by Tasha 03.24.09 @ 9:04 pmWorks on WinXP CS3!
And so does 2nd set as well.
nice! Thx!
Great article. I have some beginner photographer blogs also.
Comment by Taylor Mahaffey 09.06.09 @ 6:38 pmYou rock for sharing these!
Comment by Amy 09.23.09 @ 11:58 pmNo problem! Hope you like them, and post some examples of the results if you want!
Comment by Tasha 09.24.09 @ 9:53 amhow do you use them after you download them
Comment by dod 10.17.09 @ 1:22 pmThis website has a good explanation on how to use actions HERE. You have to have PS 7 or later to use these, however.
Comment by Tasha 10.17.09 @ 2:13 pmThanks for sharing these. Just downloaded them. Going to try them out later. Looks like they could be just what I was looking for as I’ve got quite a few photos from a concert last week that I’m planning on improving. Thank You.
Comment by Sally 11.11.09 @ 2:47 pmLeave a comment