My nephew sent me a link to Smashing Magazine's Ultimate Collection of Photoshop Actions, so I I spent the morning downloading new actions, and then I started following links, adding new actions and textures and fonts. My poor computer is going to explode.
My favorite action set on Smashing Magazine's list is Aly's Vintage, a set that I've been using for years. The Very Vintage Action is perfect for heritage and collage work.
Another action that I've been playing with lately is Chip Springer's Paint with Light action, available from ATN Central. I used it to develop an artist trading card for this week's Quirkle challenge at Digital Art Quirks. My buddy Kim Gabriel challenged us to illustrate joy, using flowers and light. Using a photo of daisies from stock.xchng, I ran the action and then used the dodge tool to paint in the bright spots and the burn tool to burn in the darker spots. I think the effect is pretty cool; it's definitely an action I'll be using again.
Daisy photo from toutouke, stock.xchng; Genevieve Sass ATC Basics; and Lie Fhung Lumoz Whimsy overlay. Font is Fluoxetine.
For more great actions, check out my blog post from last year, Fun Friday Freebies: Actions.
