Greater Than Gatsby Free Action Sampler Review

I have a confession. I am a Photoshop action hoarder. Whenever there is a free one, I snatch it up right away! There are very, very few that remain on my computer though. My current favorite is the free action sampler Greater Than Gatsby was generous enough to offer up the other day. They have a little bit of everything and all of those little bits are all perfect. I rarely feel inclined to review anything (what with a baby and all, I'm lucky to have any computer time at all) BUT I just had to put my two cents out there because I truly LOVE this set. I'll start with posting just a basic, starting image and after every new action, I'll post the same photo edited in the default settings for that action.

original

The first little "action" is just a way to create a more pleasing starting canvas. "Clean Edit Color Base" reduces noise, provides a light sharpen and adds a nice punch of contrast. You can obviously change the opacity of all of the layers depending on the image but I found with most of my images, their default settings were just right and did not make my photos look edited, which is a key thing I look for in actions (and rarely find). Coincidentally, this is the only image that I did not like the default settings on (too sharp for my tastes) but left them as they are for reference.

Clean Edit Color Base

The actual set is composed of ten actions, two from each of their more popular sets. First up is "Sparrow" from The Carving Tree Collection. Sparrow is an airy action. There is a bright, warm haze, light contrast boost, and a slight matte. I find that this action looks especially great on photos I take in the early morning and gives them a beautiful light, creamy feel.

Sparrow

"Nautical" is up next. I LOVE this one. Once again, this action has a beautiful creaminess while maintaining sharpness. Even on the original settings the editing doesn't look overdone. The smooth blue and yellow gradient with purple undertones gives the image an amazing dream-like look. Even though this is my second most used action from this set, mainly on images of my daughter, I can't wait to test this out on some landscape shots!

Nautical

 "Joplin" is from The Woodstock Collection. This collection has a vintage film feel, which again, I am crazy about. Slightly flat contrast, light matting, minimal blue tones, warm haze and a rich, chocolatey darkness - perfection.

Joplin

"Dylan" is also from the Woodstock Collection (loving the clever names!). This is pretty similar to "Joplin"- flat contrast, matting, and chocolate-beige tones. I think this would look better on images taken outdoors or in a well-lit studio where there is more contrast with subject lighting.

Dylan

"Ghost Man on Third" is my most used action from this set so far. I love the name and everything else about this wonderful action. "Ghost" is from The Radiance Collection. It's got deep blues, dreamy contrast, hazy yellows and velvety shadows. I could go on and on and on about this one but I'll spare you. It's amazing on everything.

Ghost Man on Third

 "Hammers and Strings" is also from The Radiance Collection. I love the kind of "haunted" feeling of this and "Ghost". "Hammers" is all sorts of vignetting, boosted contrast, blue toned, glowing goodness. Once again, I think this action looks good on just about everything - I'll say it again, ah-mazing!

Hammers And Strings

 This gem is "Clean Vivid Color" and it is from Clean Workflow. With this action you get a bump of contrast and a punch of color. Simple but very effective. If this photo didn't have so many neutral colors in it and less yellows, I'm sure the action would be more effective but I love it just the same.

Clean Vivid Color

"Clean Drama" does a little bit of everything - darkens shadows, brightens midtones, cleanly lightens highlights, provides a boost of contrast and finishes with a pleasing vignette.

Clean Drama

"Eeny Meeny Miny Moe" is an action from the Newborn Collection. This action provides that perfect baby softness every amazing newborn portrait SHOULD have. Behind the softness comes a bright, warm haze, soft blue toner and a creamy purple gradient. It is absolutely beautiful, especially on close up portraits. I just want to reach through the screen and kiss all over Mila's milky baby skin!

Eeny Meeny Miny Moe

The last artistic enhancement action is "London Bridge" and it is also from the Newborn Collection so you can expect the same creamy-smooth heaven as "Eeny". "London", however, has more blues and dark purples and overall has a "moodier" look.

London Bridge

The action set closes with a nice little surprise for those of us who post our photos on Facebook. It seems their photo requirements are ALWAYS changing and most of us are struggling to keep up. Greater Than Gatsby sets up a very simple action that resizes and sharpens your image so it can escape Facebook's crunch monster!

If I had to rate this set on a scale of 1-10, I'd probably give it a 20. Every action is beautiful, well handled and creatively named. I definitely recommend checking their Facebook and store out and grabbing this freebie while you can. You'll be glad you did! And feel free to share some love on my Facebook photography page, where I'm sure you'll be seeing a lot more photos edited with these actions soon!



This post was not sponsored by Greater Than Gatsby Photoshop Actions or Facebook in any way. It is just one girl's personal opinion! The images of my daughter are not for stealing, thank you!