Photoshop Actions
Want to speed up photo workflows? A Photoshop action can save you time and effort when it comes to processing multiple images at the same time. In this series, you’ll learn how to use Photoshop Actions and find professional examples to use in your own design work.
Use an action to create a specific filter or style or just about anything else that you can do in Photoshop. “Record” the process and use it repeatedly. Don’t want to create your own? There are plenty of great options out there ready to download.
Latest Photoshop Action Articles
3 Sep 2024
40+ Best Photo to Illustration Actions & Filters for Photoshop
One of the coolest things you can do with Photoshop is transform photos into art and illustrations.
It’s fun seeing your photos turn into artworks but this Photoshop technique has a function beyond just entertainment. It’s actually commonly used in designing posters, flyers, book covers, and various other designs to create unique art and graphics.
And the best part is you can create photo to illustration artworks without any drawing or painting skills. All you need is the right Photoshop action.
We found the perfect collection of Photoshop actions that allow you to instantly transform your photos and images into illustrations. Check out the list below and start experimenting. We also included a few free PS Actions for you.
22 Aug 2024
25+ Realistic Oil Paint Filters, Effects & Brushes for Photoshop
Photoshop offers a powerful platform for emulating the look and feel of real oil paint, allowing you to blend colors, build layers, and create intricate textures just like a master painter.
With the right filters, effects, and brushes, you can transform your digital canvas into a work of art that captures the essence and beauty of oil painting. Today, we have a bunch of Photoshop oil paint filters and effects to help you achieve that goal.
These Photoshop effects allow you to easily replicate the characteristics of traditional oil painting, from the smooth blending of colors to the thick, textured strokes of the brush. Our collection caters to a range of artistic styles, ensuring you find the perfect tools to bring your creative vision to life.
21 Aug 2024
80+ Best Photoshop Filters + Plugins 2024 (+ How to Use Them)
If you’re looking for unique Photoshop filters to turn your photos into artwork, you’ve come to the right place. In this post, we feature a collection of the best Photoshop filters and plugins you can use to add various effects to photos.
There are many benefits to using Photoshop filters. They are quite useful in crafting creative graphic designs such as posters, flyers, logos, and much more. While Photoshop itself comes with a set of default filters they don’t offer much value. Thankfully there are many filters you can download from third-party sources.
Using the Photoshop filters on our list, you can extend the functionality of Photoshop and create unique effects more easily.
19 Aug 2024
20+ Architecture Actions, Effects & Presets (For Photoshop + Lightroom)
Architectural photography and design demand precision, clarity, and an eye for detail. The right actions, effects, and presets can dramatically enhance your work, bringing out the best in your images with just a few clicks.
In this post, we showcase a selection of the best architecture-focused actions, effects, and presets available for Photoshop and Lightroom. They are designed to enhance architectural elements, improve lighting and contrast, and add artistic flair to your photos and designs.
From dramatic blueprint-style sketch effects to bold black-and-white conversions, our collection covers a wide range of styles and techniques to suit various creative needs.
What Is a Photoshop Action?
A Photoshop action is a “recorded” command that you can use later to perform tasks in the popular editing software. Using actions can help you tap into creative techniques, cutting edge post-processing styles and beautiful effects.
Here’s how Photoshop describes it:
An action is a series of tasks that you play back on a single file or a batch of files—menu commands, panel options, tool actions, and so on. For example, you can create an action that changes the size of an image, applies an effect to the image, and then saves the file in the desired format.
Actions can include steps that let you perform tasks that cannot be recorded (for example, using a painting tool). Actions can also include modal controls that let you enter values in a dialog box while playing an action.
5 Places to Find Photoshop Actions
While you can create your own Photoshop actions, there is an abundance of them available from third parties, with paid and free options. The nice thing about downloading a Photoshop action is that it can help you get comfortable with this design technique if you haven’t used it before.
Here are five places to find Photoshop actions for your projects:
- Envato Elements has a huge library of Photoshop actions that are all available to subscribers at no extra cost.
- Fix the Photo has a good collection of actions for portrait touch-ups that are all free to use.
- Shutter Pulse has an extensive library of Photoshop actions, most of which are designed for photos of people with easy to see previews.
- Creative Market includes a library of nearly 300 actions in .psd format that you can purchase one at a time for as little as a few bucks.
- Creative Tacos has a collection of several hundred Photoshop actions that are grouped by category for easy search and filtering.
How to Add an Action to Photoshop
Adding an action to Photoshop is easier than you might think. Once you add an action it is part of your Photoshop library and available to use over and over again.
Here’s how you do it:
- Download and unzip the action file.
- Open Photoshop and navigate to Window, then Actions. The Actions Panel will open. (The placement often defaults to the top right.)
- From the menu, select Load Actions, navigate to the saved, unzipped action and select it. The file you want to install ends with .atn. Many downloadable actions also include readme or instruction files that are not installed.
- The action is ready for use.
