Sunday, May 22, 2011

CoffeeShop Polaroid Effect Action!

Here is my newest free action, CoffeeShop Polaroid Effect.  This action turns your image into a faux Polaroid that you can post on the web.  It also sharpens and resizes your final image.

Instructions for the CoffeeShop Polaroid Effects Action:

1.  Start with a flattened edited image.

2.  Start the action.  It prompts you to transform the size to fit the polaroid frame, so drag the transform bars to taste.  If you can't see them, zoom in and out by clicking Ctrl-0 (zero).  Make sure constrain proportions is clicked on top in PSE and that the width and height ratios stay the same in Photoshop.  Click the check to accept.

3.  Sharpen the image by adjusting the radius of unsharp mask. If you would rather sharpen at the end (after resizing your image), slide the amount to 1.

4.  Your image will now be transformed magically into a faux Polaroid and the action will prompt you to adjust the final size.  Put in your final horizontal size (don't go higher than 1215 pixels wide or the image will lose resolution).

5. You will have three layers as seen below.  Turn off the top layer if you don't want an inner drop shadow.  Then save as a .png if you want a transparent background or save as a .jgp if you are posting or printing on a white background.  If you merge visible you can Ctrl-T and tilt the Polaroid to the left or right before saving.



I hope you have fun creating your own fake Polaroid photos! 

Download the free CoffeeShop Polaroid Effects action

Do you want to download my favorite CoffeeShop Actions or Design Elements in one convenient zipped file AND help support this blog? Just click here for my action pack or here for a download of some of my most popular design elements, storyboards, and textures.

11 comments:

  1. Thank you Thank you Love it !
    Carol in FL

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  2. Wonderful! I recently did some polariod effects in one of my designs for an ad and it would have been handy to have an action for it! I will have to share this on my blog so others can enjoy it too!

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  3. Thank you for another amazing action!

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  4. Thank you so much for this post. I want to let you know that I posted a link to your blog in CBH Digital Scrapbooking Freebies, under the Page 4 post on May. 23, 2011. Thanks again.

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  5. such a great action! I love the Polaroid look! thanks for creating such fun actions!

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  6. Oooo, I am so excited to use this! Thank you!

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  7. Love the look of this but when I tried to download through the link it kept taking me to a page on your blog!

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  8. The link goes to MediaFire (on the bottom of the post), I just checked!

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  9. I have been a fan of your site for years! Thank you so much for this new action. I love it! It's totally perfect. (:

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  10. Hello!! I recently discovered your blog and LOVE all your tips and actions:) I wanted to download this one and give it a try but for some reason it won't let me. It says there is a download error.
    Thanks for your help!

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Thank you for taking the time to leave a message, I love reading them! All comments are personally moderated by me and I will post and answer them them as soon as possible.
Rita