The modern magic wand for any graphic designer, Photoshop actions easily turn any basic image into a magnificent artistic miracle.
I simply can’t imagine my work without Photoshop actions, bet neither of you does too. These essential instruments of bringing some next-level quality images deserve an extra place on our design blog. How come we haven’t covered them yet?
Among different kinds of Photoshop actions, we differentiate two predominant groups: the ones, which improve and modify a photography, adding exclusive accents and those, which create unimaginable Photoshop effects, blowing up your perception! The latter ones can be frequently met as epic covers.
It’s hard to say, which type of Photoshop actions evaluated more, guess everything depends on the sphere of usage. However, let me bring back the missing point: free resources usually tend to lack the exclusiveness and an original view. Sometimes even finding at least one is such an accomplishment, that you almost whisper “my precious” to it. That’s why you’ll find there free Photoshop actions and the premium ones.
What is Photoshop Action?
Has it ever occurred to your mind to add dynamism to an image you’re working with? Let’s say make a part of it fade away in pieces of ash like Thanos did, which tools you’d use? Sure, it sounds like a challenging gig, but with Photoshop brushes your worries are pointless!
Photoshop action is a valuable tool in design, allowing you to add any effect to your image by running the prepared set of steps, merged together. These steps get recorded and delivered in .ATN format to eventually be played on any file. For example, you can turn your image into the knitted blanket, watercolor illustration, mosaics, and more!
Photoshop actions save tons of time, liberating you from setting the steps in Photoshop manually to achieve the desired result. The action can be of any kind: adding the photo effect, changing the structure of the image, its size, and position. Once you figure out the instructions, the magic transformation of your design begins! (edited)
Anyway, it’s obvious that gripping one single (but enormously bewitching!) Photoshop action won’t bring you a constant glory of an ingenious creator, novelty is always welcomed. You’ll be just mildly petted on the back with “Hey, appreciate your devotion to this style, but it’s too much”. To avoid it, feel free to take the first row and watch us screening terrific Photoshop actions, destined to be deeply rooted in your toolbox.
Our Team’s Top Pick
Guardian Photoshop Action
elements.envato.com
Commando is a Photoshop action that you can use it to create photo manipulation artworks including explosions, lights, clouds, and fantastic color grading. The action doesn’t require any professional skills to create unique designs for CD covers, posters, flyers, ad campaigns, social media uses, etc.
Photo Filters
Sometimes a photo lacks just a couple of essential adjustments when you don’t want to disturb the core setting or idea put into the composition. Experiencing such a need, it’s important to be armed with the right instruments (Photoshop actions and Photoshop effects), doing the job for you! Rummage through our collection of free and premium Photoshop goods, I’m sure you’ll find dozens of suitable items.
Indie Camera Photoshop Actions
pixelbuddha.net
Enter the art that’s free, work off imposed concepts, obligations, and must-dos paging an exceptional collection of 30 free Photoshop actions. Add some strokes of glamour, weirdness, grunge, passion, retro following your artistic vision, or re-discover the attractiveness of finely aged shots.
Paris Travel Photoshop Actions
filtergrade.com
Photoshop Portrait Action
deviantart.com
Reddish Lite Photoshop Action
freedesignresources.net
Skin Tone Photoshop Action
turningturnip.co.uk
Soften skin tones without losing the natural look of skin texture. This free Photoshop action is a one-click solution for everyone, who wants to hide some skin imperfections. It’s super easy to work with this Photoshop effect: a couple of clicks and you’re done, no special design knowledge required.
Faded Film Photoshop Action
presetkingdom.com
Sunrise/Sunset Free Photoshop Action
photographypla.net
HDR Photoshop Action
photographypla.net
Deep Matte Lightroom Preset and Photoshop Action
exposureempire.com
Need to have a strong, deep matte effect for your photos? Great, ‘cause you’re looking at one of Photoshop presets, capable of doing that and even more — expressing the hidden beauty of a dim shot. Works with any Photoshop version, so you don’t need to worry about it.
Sunset Photo Filter
loadedlandscapes.com
50 Winter Photoshop Actions
creativeultra.com
Nightmare Free Photoshop Action
shutterpulse.com
Skin Retouching Photoshop Actions
deviantart.com
Retouch skin like a pro with these Photoshop actions that will let you heal, mattify, and airbrush skin with one click. It also includes actions for brightening eyes and increasing contrast; the former reduces redness and increases brightness in the eyes while the latter increases contrast without clipping highlights/shadows. Simply play the action then paint over the areas that you want to retouch.
Free Cinematic Photoshop Actions
creativetacos.com
Color Pop Free Photoshop Eye Action
fixthephoto.com
Free Cinema Photoshop Action
shutterpulse.com
Free Shifted Photoshop Action
shutterpulse.com
This free Photoshop action will covert your multicolor photos to black & white ones, with a hint of a colored tone. The effect, called Shifted, is a nice solution for turning any image into the old-school photo from your grandparents’ youth.
PRO Skin Retouch Photoshop Action
creativemarket.com
Instaglow Lightroom and PS Presets
creativemarket.com
Fitness Model Lightroom Presets
creativemarket.com
Majestic Black & White Photoshop Actions
creativemarket.com
This free Photoshop action will covert your multicolor photos to black & white ones, with a hint of a colored tone. The effect, called Shifted, is a nice solution for turning any image into the old-school photo from your grandparents’ youth.
Real Estate Photoshop Actions and Overlays
creativemarket.com
Instant Hipster Photoshop Actions
creativemarket.com
Blogger & Instagram Lightroom Preset
creativemarket.com
Aspyn Ovard Lightroom Photoshop Presets
creativemarket.com
These Photoshop effects will add a bright and colorful tone with orange saturation to your photos within a few clicks! Spend more time shooting and less time editing. Each from the Photoshop presets has been crafted to look great with a wide variety of images. You will be able to get a great result with a single click! However, you can always make adjustments to suit individual photo concepts.
Vintage Filters
Oh, the never-dying trend for vintage and retro! So many creators fall for its classic movements, once changed the whole perception of design with other fields bordering with it. Old-school grain, noise, and scratches — everything right here, in these Photoshop actions!
Retro Prime Photoshop Action
pixelbuddha.net
Get a set of professional free Photoshop actions and textures to rejoice yourself with retro-looking images that won’t remain inappreciable. Vintage has always been in vogue! So these Photoshop effects will transform a common photo into a piece of retro film with a few clicks without reducing its quality.
Renegade: Vintage Actions
pixelbuddha.net
Vintage Matte Photoshop Action
loadedlandscapes.com
Polaroid Generator Action
deviantart.com
Vintage Colors Photoshop Action
deviantart.com
Like the time and sun turn any old picture into the cultural heritage, charged with good memories, this Photoshop action makes any chosen photo look like it’s been brought from the past. Different color shades to choose from and immense energy behind them!
LITHPRINT Vintage Filter
deviantart.com
Retro Light Leaks Set
pixelbuddha.net
LITHPRINT Vintage Filter
deviantart.com
Dust and Scratch Overlay Textures
creativemarket.com
Add that vintage feel to your images using the optically captured dust & scratch overlay textures. It’s made as a Photoshop action to make workflow easier for you. If you are a wedding, portrait or family photographer and your aim is to create realistic retro photos, this toolkit is the right choice for you.
Vintage Effect Photoshop Action Set
creativemarket.com
Old Photo Effect Actions
creativemarket.com
Old Photo Effect Actions
creativemarket.com
Instant Vintage Photoshop Effects
creativemarket.com
Instantly create scratchy, and extreme vintage effects on your photos that look like they were taken out from the grandma’s attic after laying there for years together. You just need to give this Photoshop action a go and watch the masterpiece gets created!
Special Effects
Dynamic visual miracles, guided by Photoshop presets, obtain much more of aesthetics! On your trip to the most iconic illustrations and images, you’re in a constant search for Photoshop actions, giving a new life to good old graphics.
Warfighter Photoshop Action
pixelbuddha.net
Choose an image, which needs to be charged with the force then let the Photoshop action do its job by adding the specks flying around in dust and mist, looking very intense. Fight for the attention with peaceful methods of graphic design!
Animated Glitch Effect
behance.net
Cloud Photoshop Action
pixelbuddha.net
Haunted Photoshop Action
pixelbuddha.net
Anaglyph Photoshop Actions
pixelbuddha.net
Equip yourself with these beautiful free Photoshop actions, allowing you to apply professional visual effects to your work in a few clicks! Let your social networks and design project look outstanding and original.
Sketch Photoshop Action
fixthephoto.com
Snow Photoshop Action
fixthephoto.com
Glitch Photoshop Action
fixthephoto.com
Sandstorm Free Photoshop Actions
fixthephoto.com
The mightiest sandstorm is captured in these Photoshop actions. They’re free, completely adjustable to your own personal vision of beauty. Invite the ferocious force of nature to your artboard and let it do its thing!
Brick Mosaics Photoshop Actions
brusheezy.com
Dispersion Effect Photoshop Action
psd-dude.com
Double Exposure Photoshop Actions
creativetacos.com
Fervent Photoshop Action
elements.envato.com
Fervent is a Photoshop action that you can use to create artworks including explosions, lights, clouds, and amazing color gradients that produce a theme of suspense. No need in having professional skills to create unique artworks, the vital thing is just your desire to create!
Brick Mosaics Photoshop Actions
brusheezy.com
Explode And Shatter Photoshop Action
elements.envato.com
Ice Nova – Photoshop Action
elements.envato.com
Commando Photoshop Action
elements.envato.com
Mixed Media Photoshop Effect
pixelbuddha.net
Admirable Photoshop effects are within an arm’s length with this pack! Mind-blowing photos are about to amaze anyone with their refinement. Let’s embark on your creative project with the Photoshop action, making miracles.
Watercolor Creator
creativemarket.com
Sketch Creator Action
creativemarket.com
Architecture Sketch Photoshop Action
creativemarket.com
Realistic Pencil Sketch Photoshop Action
creativemarket.com
The effect of a hand-drawn sketch in a couple of minutes with the just-right Photoshop effects, encapsulated in this kit. Any picture will look like a pencil drawing with a lot of efforts put into it, but the secret is all in the Photoshop action, applied to it, it’s that easy!
Glitch Photoshop Actions Set
creativemarket.com
Color Festival Photoshop Action
elements.envato.com
Vintage Art Photoshop Action
elements.envato.com
This is a Photoshop action that you can use it to create dynamic photo artworks with vintage beats. You take any image and apply a Photoshop effect to it, like letting it travel in time within a five-minute time. Sheer design magic!
Meteor Shower Photoshop Action
elements.envato.com
From Photo to Draw Action
creativemarket.com
Engrave and Halftone Creator
creativemarket.com
RENAISSANCE – Oil Painting Actions
creativemarket.com
Take your photos to hyper-enriched levels that will add an amount of depth and mood to your projects like never before. With Renaissance Photoshop effects do all of the heavy lifting for you while each maintains it’s own dramatic signature look and custom outputs. All of the Photoshop actions are completely editable and 100% non-destructive to your original images.
You can have a vast collection of ready-made ones, but being able to make up a custom Photoshop action can save you a couple of hours some day.
Excellent article. My favourites are sunrise/sunset, warfighter and faded film 🙂
Thank you, Juliet! Guess time is coming to bring another selection with the actions — already have a few great ideas on what to feature there 🙂
Hello, is it free? Do you need to register to pay for the download? thanksgiving
Hey Guo!
In this post we selected Photoshop actions available for free download. But note that some of the included websites require your email address to download the resources.