I started using Apple’s Aperature software a few months ago and it has changed my life.  I heart Aperature.  It’s beautiful, it’s simple, it’s Apple, it makes sense and it speeds up my workflow by about 358%.  So I thought I’d share a little before and after using both Aperature and some Photoshop actions.

Here is the before.  Shep was jumping on my bed and of course being his Mommy I thought it was the cutest thing I’d ever seen.

I did decide that I wanted to make it cuter, so here are the steps I took in Aperature and a screen shot.  Using Aperature, I -

I then opened the photo in Photoshop and used Totally Rad Actions and Kubota Actions.

First from the TRA’s I used

And voila!  Here’s what I ended up with -

Here is a little peek at what some girls and I did today!  More about that tomorrow, but I was so excited about how this photo turned out I just had to talk about it!  We were trying a lighting technique that we learned this morning.  The idea is to use your camera settings and flash to overpower the sun on a bright day.  Here is the before -

Camera settings are 100 ISO, shutter speed 200, at f/16, with the flash remotely fired at her face at +3.  The sun is behind her and slightly to the left.

This kind of photo is not really my normal style but I think it’s so cool looking.  I went nuts with the Photoshop.  To me this photo already has pop and pizzaz, so why not just add some more? =)

I used Totally Rad Actions and Kubota Actions on this photo.  Here’s the recipe -

- A color adjustment layer where I brought out the blue sky and masked out Rach, the subject.

- Pro Retouch on her face

- Technicolor Dreamworld No Glow at 23%

-Daily Multivitamin without the pop-n-punch layer