INSTRUCTIONS ON INSTALLATION AND TIPS ON HOW TO USE THE PRODUCTS

INSTALLATION

some of my downloads come in .zip files. you will need to extract the overlays, actions, and presets from these .zip files. if you double click on the file there should be an option to unzip it. if you have any issues with this, refer to this article here.

photoshop actions

photoshop actions are super easy to install. when you download them it will come in a .atn file. if you have photoshop open, all you have to do is double click that file and it will automatically download to photoshop. you can also download them this way by checking out this article. 

once you download the action, go to the "windows" tab on the top of the photoshop screen, make sure the "actions" panel is selected, and then on the right side of the screen you will see a play button and that's where your action is stored. all you do is click on the action, press play, and it's done! this article shows some screenshots of what this all looks like, refer to this if you have any issues.

photoshop overlays

once you unzip the overlays files, you will see the overlay images. all you have to do is drag one of the images onto your open file in photoshop, and it will appear as an extra layer. change the blending mode on that layer to "screen" and then the overlay background will be transparent over the image. you can adjust the opacity of the layer so the overlay isn't so bold, or you can keep it the way it is! this guide does a really good job of explaining how to use overlays so click on this if you're new to it!

lightroom presets

my lightroom presets will come in .xmp files once you unzip them! they're also very easy to install. go to the presets window in lightroom and click on the 3 dots in the top right corner. choose "import presets" and click on my .xmp files and there you go! it should appear in your presets window. if you're new to this check out this comprehensive article on importing presets!

TIPS ON HOW TO USE THEM

sun leak overlays

biggest tip! make sure you don't use the sun overlays incorrectly, and by this I mean don't put a sun overlay on the right side of the image when the actual sun is hitting the image from the left. make sure you're aware of the lighting in your image. you can turn the opacity down to make it more suble as well.

haze overlays

the haze overlays are pretty flexible, just turn the opacity down if you want a more subtle look.

motion blur actions

the motion blur actions are pretty straightforward as well. i recommend using these on shots where it looks like the couple would be moving. if they are sitting still it might not look as good but it's really up to you!

vintage film effect action

this action comes preset with haze and grain. on the "film haze" layer, i suggest you mess with the opacity to get the desired look you want. it comes preset at 30% but you can change that. i also suggest you mess with the color balance layer to get the colors you want. i have it set to be warm but if you want a cooler image change the yellow slider closer to blue and the cyan slider closer to the cyan side! you can also change the saturation if you want more color.

film presets

these presets are fun to mess with, and you're going to have to change things depending on the image. i suggest you mess with the exposure per image, i generally like it a bit darker but it's up to you! i also have it set to be slightly warmer but if you want a cooler image you can adjust that slider. the other slider you can mess with is the shadows slider, if you want the darks to be lighter you can bring it up a bit.