Question: what about those trendy action sets?

I’m a beginner photographer of about two years. I have a Nikon, two lenses and photoshop. I’m thinking I could do this professionally on the side from my regular job and want to create images that look like what is being done by other photographers. I saw they are using pre-programmed photoshop actions and lightroom presets and there are a lot out there.  I bought one package. In using it on this photo,  no matter which action I use, it doesn’t look as great as the original and I can’t recreate the effect I saw on the sample. What could I be doing wrong? I included a before and after so you can see what I’m talking about.

AAAHHHH! My first question! And I’m not ashamed to admit, I am not qualified to give you advice on this, but I will definitely give you my opinion based on my own experience.  Please note: I did not share your images as I don’t know the people in the photos and if they would be okay with it. I will illustrate with one of my own images.

If you’re buying prefab action sets, in my opinion, you’re wasting your money. Why? Because it's not a one-click fix-it like an Instagram filter and because you can create those effects in Photoshop for free AND, what’s more, you can tailor the effects to fit YOUR image.  (Says the girl who purchased several action sets already.)

Check it.

Enter exhibit A: photo of my kid. RAW image before any Photoshop. As you can see, it’s a little bland, but it’s a decent photograph. I used a Canon 20D and a 50mm 1.8 lens.

Presenting Exhibit B: I used the RAW edit dialogue box to add a vignette and up the vibrancy and contrast so the fall colors would pop.  Once I brought it into Photoshop, I took the burn tool and darkened the edges at 36 percent power. As a portrait, it’s standard and I like it. Total time, two minutes.

But what if I want to add an action filter? Those are all so cool and the sample images, to be honest, are amazing (kudos to those who figured it out). So, I’ll re-import and use an action or two and see if I can make this image look better.

Exhibit C: Going back to the original, I used a color base action along with a photo color action after only adding a vignette in the RAW edit box. Not too bad if you like a pinkish-yellow tint to the skin – which I hear is all the rage these days. As an effect, I really can see why people like it – it’s different. I did have to tweak each layer to make sure the skin didn’t look jaundiced. Total time – 10 minutes.

Exchibit D: Same photo. Created a layer and added an orange photo filter. Tweaked the orange so it’s not so orange. Adjusted color balance to get the yellow-y/orange-y glow and adjusted the gamma correction and contrast. Boom, I’m done: 5 minutes.

And, I like the original image sans action better. So, I wasted my time.

I did not create different layers for all of this, but it is recommended so that you can tweak the individual layers as needed because not all effects will agree with your photo – depends on the original photo, exposure, etc. It also makes it easier to scratch an effect by deleting that layer so you don’t have to re-import and start all over.

I’m just too lazy to do all of that. 

But that’s not the point. The point is that you don’t need an action set to make your image pop. Sometimes you don’t even need to do much at all to your photo, like my original image and yours. Simple and natural is best – you don’t want to lose the personality and integrity (lack of better words) of a shot under a lot of photoshop. ß speaking as a chick who use to slather on photoshop like it was icing on a cake (the more the better)!

So, you’re not doing anything wrong from where I'm standing. But if you want to utilize those trending, trendy action sets you purchased, take the time to go through each one and understand the effect you will get with them and how to apply those to your images - and if it's worth it.  Also, sometimes more than one action is used and you more than likely will have to tweak the effects so they work with your photo. Remember, the people who created these nifty actions, tailored them to their own images and gave you a way to adjust them to work with yours. Because they were smart enough to know not everyone shoots the same. Check out the free tutorials that are offered on the action sets that I'm sure you didn't watch already - because I didn't at first, either. 

However, I say stick to what you’re doing because it’s working without all that PS action business. Remember, less is more when it comes to portraits. And anything you can buy an action for, you can figure out how to do on your own.

But the best thing you can do for yourself and your business is to find your own style and create a brand separate from what everyone else is doing. Because if your work looks just like someone else's work, why should clients choose you over someone else? At that point, it's about the cost and if they can get the same portraits cheaper, then you lose business.