Adobe Photoshop: Double-Edged Sword to Professional Photographers

In my previous entry, I have mentioned that how the invention of Adobe Photoshop helps to simplify the workload of a photographer. Adobe Photoshop indeed is useful image editing software that helps the photographers nowadays to create fascinating images easier and more efficiently.

One of the Photoshop main benefits is the Photoshop actions. What are Photoshop actions? Photoshop actions are wonderful automate function provided by Adobe Photoshop to help you to do all your everyday repeating tasks automatically. This function let you free from repeating tasks and allows you to focus on your imagination and creativity which is also indirectly improving your daily workflow. It is an easy and effective time saver that helps you to finish tons of work in very little time.

Basically, Photoshop action record everything you have done for the first task and then can perform all the same actions to other tasks easily at lightning speed with just a simple click. If you are familiar with Photoshop actions, you may even run several actions by just pressing a button which will certainly save your times. In addition, all your action can also be used as Photoshop droplet. What is Photoshop droplet? Photoshop droplets allow you to perform batch images processing same as Photoshop actions right from your local computer file browser. You can simply select a group of images that need to be processed to the Photoshop droplet and it will do it for you automatically.

These Photoshop actions can be saved and shared on the internet. You can browse tons of Photoshop actions on-line and use them to enhance your daily workflow. However, these features also provide opportunities for many amateur and casual users to create amazing images that will threaten the position of professional photographers. In order to maintain their prides of professional, these professional photographers need to create something really outstanding works to distinguish themselves from the amateur and casual users.

In conclusion, Photoshop certainly help professional photographers a lot with all its convenient functions, but in the same time creating opportunities for the amateur and casual users to create images that catch up or even surpass the level of professional photographers. Photoshop indeed is a double-edged sword to professional photographers. It may help them or threaten them, depend on how they look at the Photoshop.

References:

• O'Donnell, C. How Photoshop Actions Help a Photographer’s Workflow. Available at: http://www.thephotoargus.com/tools/how-photoshop-actions-help-a-photographers-workflow/. [Accessed 3 August 2013] Annotation: This website basically talk about how the author use the Photoshop Action to simplify his workflow. He also listed out some useful Photoshop action that can easily simplify the workflow of designers on his website.

• Johnson, J. (2011) 10 Ways Photoshop Actions Can Improve Your Workflow. Available at: http://designshack.net/articles/software/10-ways-photoshop-actions-can-improve-your-workflow/. [Accessed 3 August 2013] Annotation: This website give a lots of example how Photoshop Actions can improving photographers workflow. However, from this website, I also have a different understanding that these Photoshop Actions may be a double-edged sword to photographers.