Adobe Photoshop is the most preferred photo editing tool amongst designers because of its extensive features and toolset. Photoshop is a versatile program that enables you to showcase exceptional photo editing skills and create virtual photo designs. However, Photoshop is sophisticated software that requires considerable expertise to edit photos. Thankfully, you can use pre-designed Photoshop Actions to speed up the photo editing process and get effortless results. Photoshop Actions are a bundle of commands recorded by photoshop experts that give impart effects to the photos. Like Macros in Excel, these files sequentially run the pre-recorded steps on the photos and apply the intended effects. These Photoshop Actions are useful for amateur designers who want to enhance the visual appearance of their images.
Benefits of using Photoshop Actions
Easy to use
Photoshop actions are an incredible choice for novice users who are not skilled enough to create exceptional designs. Actions also allow you to learn Photoshop, which is another advantage for beginners. The fact that the photos look impressive despite your lack the Photoshop skills makes Photoshop Actions the best fit for you.
Learn Photoshop
As you will use Photoshop actions in your projects, you will become more familiar with the nuts and bolts of Photoshop. These actions also give you the freedom to explore the concepts of Photoshop by combining different actions. This helps increase your expertise and sharpen your skills. When using pre-designed Photoshop Actions, carefully understand each step. This will give an idea about the tool, and you will understand how to design your own Photoshop Actions.
No need to repeat the steps
If you are editing photos in bulk, it can become tiring, especially if you have to repeat the same steps repeatedly. Thankfully, you can record the steps for the first time while editing photos as Photoshop Action, and you can apply the actions to other photos to avoid repeated editing steps.
Enhance photos at a button click
Editing photos is indeed a time-consuming task, but if you opt for Photoshop Actions to edit photos, you can edit the photos with a button click. All the steps bundled in Photoshop Actions apply to the photo immediately and give you remarkable photos. Actions leave you with a lot of time to edit more and more photos.
Save Time
Saving lots of time is another obvious advantage that you will get by using Photoshop Actions in your design projects. This is helpful when you have lots of tasks at your disposal and very little time. Actions also reduce your screen time by doing the same monotonous work repeatedly.
Professional Results
Photoshop Actions help you deliver professional photo editing results even if you are not well versed in Photoshop. After applying the actions, you will get the same effect seen in the preview created by an expert designer. Several platforms allow users to download and use Photoshop Actions, either for free or by paying a minimal price. Below, we have put together a list of websites where you are likely to find the best photoshop actions that can take your photo editing skills to the next level.
Envato
Backed by a community of accomplished designers, Envato offers a sea of high-quality Photoshop Actions and Presets that you can use directly or take inspiration from. These actions are classified into four categories, Actions and Presets, Brushes, Layer Styles, and Palettes, making it easy to find what you are looking for. Envato provides photoshop actions for all the popular platforms, including Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Lightroom, and Adobe Illustrator. The gorgeous collection of hand-picked actions found on Envato is capable of bringing your design projects to life. Since Envato keeps adding new resources every month and allows unlimited template downloads, subscribers don’t have to worry about running out of options.
PanosFX
Designers looking for some of the best Photoshop Actions can visit PanosFX, which provides tons of free and premium Photoshop Actions. Users have permission to use these Photoshop Actions in personal and commercial projects. You will also find video tutorials on the platform that are helpful for anyone wanting to learn using Photoshop Actions in the project. Besides, several videos help brainstorm ideas to use photoshop actions creatively. You can download all the free Photoshop Actions as ZIP files. Before downloading a Photoshop Action, you can check the version details to avoid compatibility issues. Some of the premium actions are available as a trial version, whereas the advanced ones will only available when you purchase a subscription.
GraphicRiver
Create better and faster design projects with tons of Photoshop Actions available on GraphicRiver. All the Photoshop resources you will find here are a part of Envato Market and act as an inspiration for the next projects and help you deliver stunning results. You can use the filter and sorting options on the website to search for suitable photoshop actions classified as photo effects, text effects, or utilities. All the Photoshop Actions available on the platform have details like ratings, the number of sales made, the name of the designer, and its price. GraphicRiver prompts you to sign up on the platform before making a purchase. Some of the resources here are on sale, so you will likely make a good deal on the platform.
PixelBuddha
PixelBudda is home to more than 300 hand-picked Photoshop Actions, and you will find one that can add amazing effects to your next design. Some of the Photoshop Actions on the platform are available for free, and the others are available as a part of the plus resources. You need to purchase the plus membership to access the high-quality Photoshop Action library. The collection on PixelBuddha is updated weekly, and the photoshop actions available here can convert text and photographs into elegant art pieces. Photoshop Actions available on PixelBuddha are compatible with Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and Lightroom and are easy to use at a click of the button, thus improving your workflow.
Deviant Art
Deviant Art is the largest art community on the internet. It is popular amongst art enthusiasts because of the eye-catching design resources, including the very creative and useful design resources. The Photoshop Actions available here are segregated into several categories that allow you to find the right one for your project without much effort. More than sixty thousand Photoshop Actions are present on the platform, and the thumbnail depicts the side-by-side before and after images enabling you to pick the right photoshop action. The content you’ll find here is contributed by several designers who are a part of the community. Clicking on a Photoshop Action takes you to the page of the contributing designer, and you also see how many times the action was viewed and liked. If you intend to download any of the design resources from the platform, you first have to sign up on the platform to initiate it. While some of the photoshop actions available here are paid, you can easily find a free piece for yourself.
Adobe Creative Cloud
Adobe Creative Cloud is another platform that offers several Photoshop Actions that automate the photo editing process without the need for you to have expertise. You will find more than 400 actions here, and all of them display the preview of the actions on the thumbnail. Details like supported platforms, download size, and version information can be seen after selecting a particular action. More than 40 basic photoshop actions are available for free download, and if you wish to use any of the advanced photoshop actions, you will be prompted to sign up for the premium membership. Doing so will give access to more than 400 premium photoshop actions, which will allow you to work faster and retouch your photos without doing repetitive work.
Finessefx
Lastly, we have Finessefx on the list where you can find some of the best Photoshop Actions to use in personal or commercial design projects. You will find more than 70 fantastic Photoshop Actions which enhance your scenic and photographic photos. While most of the content offered on the website is free, some premium content is also available, which provides a professional touch to your photos. The platform keeps adding new resources regularly, both free and paid. Apart from the photo-specific photoshop actions, some of the text effect Photoshop Actions are also available on the platform that produces topographic effects. The preview on the website gives a brief idea of how the Photoshop Action will work and what effect it will have on the target image. When you choose a Photoshop Action, you will see a brief description of the Photoshop Action, the names of compatible platforms, and the file size.
Bottom Line
Photoshop Actions successfully eliminate the repetitive steps, thereby reducing the time spent on design projects. All the platforms mentioned above are great places to get the best Photoshop Actions and productively edit photos. These websites offer both free and premium Photoshop Actions. It is recommended to check the compatibility and take the demo before purchasing any premium Photoshop Action.
