Bought/Downloaded actions

I'm fairly new to the forums and I've seen a lot of talk about people buying or downloading actions for photoshop.

Personally I think your all nuts

Wouldn't you prefer to learn how to create the effect yourself rather than relying on someone else?

Perhaps it's because I love photoshop?

Discuss....

Just my preference, but once the wheel has been invented, it does not need to be reinveted by me.

Rad

I try free actions. But, I cannot justify "paid for" actions. I'd rather spend the money on classes offered by the college or tech center. even online PS classes.

If the actions are complex, you may not have the skill to be able to carry out the work the author has done to create the particular action. So either buy or spend many hours trying to create. A small payment can save you lots of hours and therefore it's your shout.

You may also learn something by studying the action you have purchased.

I too prefer my own but have considered one or two paid actions.

EOS_JD wrote in post #2089507
You may also learn something by studying the action you have purchased.

That's a good point

Radtech1 wrote in post #2088760
Just my preference, but once the wheel has been invented, it does not need to be reinveted by me.

Rad

Very true, but if for some reason Photoshop blows up and you have to use another editing program you may come unstuck?

Nothing like free actions for learning or improving one's PS scope. I suppose you never went to school and learned everything you know from hard knocks

If Photoshop blows up???? My computer may blow up but then I'd just fire up my backup with PS 7 loaded. If I really get hard up I could also fire up a Win 98 machine with PS 5.

I bought PS but I I'll not spend any money on actions.

Save your money for nice glass instead

Radtech1 wrote in post #2088760
Just my preference, but once the wheel has been invented, it does not need to be reinveted by me.

Rad

I second that. It's comparable to my purchasing "The DAM Book"...sure i could invent my own archival method, but it wouldn't be as comprehensive and precise as Peter Krogh's method.

If a particular actions perform a particular effect you do not know how to create, it 'might' be worth a few dollars. In the end it could be money well spent. Here are a few benefits.

It is already tested by others
It performs out of the box
It gives you ideas (if you look at what it does and why)
It is faster than creating your own
It is easier than creating your own (most selling ones are a bit more complex than a simply desaturation)
It helps to learn from someone else's experience
Last but not least, you get something that you do not have to learn if you do not want to.

Just my $0.02.

I think the motivation to purchase anything is related to the value of the time I would spend doing it myself. That is why I pay someone to spend 2 hours mowing my lawn, rather than doing it myself.

rklepper wrote in post #2092766
I think the motivation to purchase anything is related to the value of the time I would spend doing it myself. That is why I pay someone to spend 2 hours mowing my lawn, rather than doing it myself.

very well put. i second this one with a vengance.

rklepper wrote in post #2092766
I think the motivation to purchase anything is related to the value of the time I would spend doing it myself. That is why I pay someone to spend 2 hours mowing my lawn, rather than doing it myself.

Amen to that.

I was just thinking about getting a set of actions for a 100 bucks. There's about 10 of them and they seem to be cool. At 15 bucks per hour, there's no way that I'll be able to write 10 cool actions.

I'm too old to waste time creating something I can buy. I'm also too old to be concerned that you think I'm nuts for doing so. I love Photoshop, too, but that doesn't mean I want to sleep with it.

BTW, telling people you think they're nuts is not a good way to start a discussion.

Honeybee wrote in post #2094445
BTW, telling people you think they're nuts is not a good way to start a discussion.

Actually, in many cases, that is the actual point. There is a subset of message board participants called "Trolls" Netlingo defines Troll thusly:

troll

a.k.a. trolling

Online it originally meant the act of posting a message in a newsgroup that is obviously exaggerating something on a particular topic, hoping to trick a newbie into posting a follow-up article that points out the mistake. In general, to "troll" means to allure, to fish, to entice or to bait. Internet trolls are people who fish for other people's confidence and, once found, exploit it. Trolls vary in nature; here are four types of online trolls:

• Playtime Trolls: an individual plays a simple, short game. Such trolls are relatively easy to spot because their attack or provocation is fairly blatant, and the persona is fairly two-dimensional.
  
• Tactical Trolls: This is where the troller takes the game more seriously, creates a credible persona to gain confidence of others, and provokes strife in a subtle and invidious way.
  
• Strategic Trolls: A very serious form of game, involving the production of an overall strategy that can take months or years to develop. It can also involve a number of people acting together in order to invade a list.
  
• Domination Trolls: This is where the trollers' strategy extends to the creation and running of apparently bona-fide mailing lists.