Any photographer wants to keep post-processing time to a minimum. Also, many professionals develop their style of retouching and still use a set of adjustments, so why not use Photoshop actions as a basis? Today we’re going to take a look at the best free options with you to help you create a creative photo. If you’re a beginner photographer and are actively learning how-to guides, we recommend reading how to cut an image in Photoshop on Skylum’s website.
So, Photoshop actions can be very useful in situations where you need to perform the same steps several times when editing an image. It’s also a great way for photographers to quickly and easily transfer their favorite processing techniques to others. Let’s start with the basics so that those who are new to Photoshop can understand what we’re talking about.
What are Actions in Photoshop?
This is a very handy tool for photo processing. Actions give you the ability to record the stages of editing and then apply them to all your other photos with one click. But many photographers don’t use all the features of actions. Let’s take a closer look at how it works:
- Essentially, this is the ability to record the sequence of all your actions in Photoshop.
- You opened a file, resized it, and applied a filter – actions will record all these steps in detail.
- The actions will record exactly how you resized and what filter settings you applied. All you need to do is click the Record button and you can record the action with the processing you use most often.
You can find a lot of ready-made actions created by other photographers. There are two handy functions for efficient work with actions in Photoshop. You can put any action on a hotkey. You can also apply an action to a large number of photos at once.
List of the Best Actions for Creative Photos
We’ve created a great selection for you with which in just a couple of mouse clicks you can take stunning photos that will stand out with a unique processing style. The best part is that all of these actions are available for free download.
Free Action for Eye Brightening
After a photoshoot in the studio, you may notice that your eyes are too red or dull when you zoom in. This usually happens if too much light is on. They have become too dry or the model is simply tired. Get rid of this defect and brighten your eyes with this free action. You can also change the color of the model’s eyes.
Free Landscape Actions
Add bright and vibrant colors to your landscape photos with these free action shots. Eliminate faded colors and overlights, make sunsets colorful, green up plants, and give water a true blue color.
Free Actions for Newborn Photos
Smooth baby’s skin, and remove redness and small pimples in your newborn photos with this Photoshop action pack. These actions don’t do deep retouching, but only remove small imperfections, making the photo clean and soft.
Free Matte Actions
Replace unpleasant yellowness and wrong white balance with beautiful matte shades by choosing one of these free actions. Add crisp shadows and smooth, gentle transitions to your portrait photos. These actions are recommended for photos taken in natural light.
Free Wedding Actions
Make your wedding photos warm, bright, black and white, or even matte by applying one of these free action sets. This kit will help eliminate blues and faded colors and make the bride’s dress white and the groom’s suit richly black.
Free Action for Winter Photos
A versatile set of actions for winter photos taken at any time of the day outside. Add fine, realistic snow that will convey that most festive atmosphere in just a few clicks.
Free HDR Actions
Replace the paid HDR programs with these free actions for Photoshop. In one click you can achieve that most vivid effect with multiple exposures. Make landscapes and real estate photos truly mesmerizing in one click.
Free Black & White Actions
Emphasize portrait details or highlight objects of interest with contrasting black and white colors. This collection contains several black-and-white actions with different effects: from vintage, cinematic colors to classic contrasts.
Free Product Photo Actions
Clean up the background, accentuate the shadows, and add saturation to the colors of your products using any action from this collection of actions. Regardless of the item you choose, you’ll get a clean, sellable look for it.
Free Photoshop Action for Teeth Whitening
Now you don’t need lessons on whitening yellowish teeth in Photoshop. Give your model’s smile a Hollywood gloss using this free action. You don’t have to manually correct your model’s smile with brushes, because it’s a time-consuming and time-consuming process, especially when there’s more than one photo.
Is There a Replacement for Actions in Photoshop?
Beginner photographers have a hard time mastering Photoshop because it takes a lot of time. Also, many professional photographers want to try something new as an additional or main editing tool. Luminar Neo is a modern photo editor with advanced AI-based editing capabilities, an intuitive interface, and many presets. It can be used to replace Photoshop or Lightroom. Discover new possibilities with Luminar Neo!
If you are still learning how to work with Adobe software, we recommend you read an article about how to cut an image in Photoshop on Skylum’s blog page.