Alex Beadon is a very informative, video-making, action-creating, super star who has a brand new set of actions called the Express Yourself Collection.  She sent me the actions to review and I couldn’t be more excited!

Alex really thought of everything while creating this collection, but what really makes them stand out are the fact that they weren’t designed for a “one click wonder”, as we call it. In other words, although the actions do look gorgeous after you simply press “play”, she wanted to create actions that spark creativity, that give the photographer the power to creatively express him or herself in a way that felt free and non-restrictive without making the process any longer than it had to be. She did a great job of making it simple by not only keeping all of the adjustment layers untouched, but also because she named each layer according to what type of effect it had on the image. This makes it incredibly easy to open each Photoshop Action file, and see exactly what was done to create the look. Not only is this educational, but it allows for 100% customization as you can toggle the visibility of layers, experiment with varying layer modes, and best yet – use layer masks as and when you please. She knew that many of her clients would struggle with this, as it’s a bit more advanced Photoshop techniques than they are used to, so she decided to create a free Photoshop Training Series for her VIP List. It was totally amazing, and we’re keeping it live for as many people to enjoy as possible. You can see it here: http://expressyourselfcollection.com

I took a little time and experimented with these actions so I could let you guys know how awesome they are!  I went through each of them and found the ones that worked with my style.  I think the key to any action set is using it to fit your brand and your style.  So some may use actions in their full capacity while others may lower the intensity of the action, mix it with another action or pick certain actions out of the pack that fit you best.

When going through these actions, I noticed that they all have a layer or layers of color to them.  Playing around with them, I lowered the opacity to create a look that still fit with my style.  My favorite action was the Trust action.  It seemed to fit my style best and accomplished what I tend to do on my own in Photoshop, making my job faster and easier.  Check it out below in the before and after.

This collection also comes with a complete set of Black and White actions that incorporate the color actions in them.  It is a very unique look that is fun!

I love that the actions come with a “How to Edit and Express Yourself” PDF.  The PDF gives you great instructions on how to use your actions, how to change the opacity of the layers and how to use layer masks to only apply the actions to a particular part of the image.

In addition to reviewing these actions, Alex was kind enough to do a Giveaway for these actions!  Yep, that’s right, you could win your very own set of the Express Yourself Collection!!

To enter, please see the Rafflecopter Contest Entry Form below!  It’s super easy!  Enter between today, October 11 and Tuesday, October 12, 2013 at 11:59 p.m.  The winner will be announced on Wednesday, October 16, 2013!!

For those of you who want to purchase these awesome actions, Alex is offering an introductory rate that is 50% off the regular price of $149.  You can purchase these actions here.

a Rafflecopter giveaway