Title
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Image
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Description
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Downloads
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3-D Actions
Author: George Rosema
Posted: 11/25/2004
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Remember when you were a kid and wore colored
glasses to watch movies and read comics in 3D? Be a kid again with these
actions from George Rosema. Shoot two images about
2 1/2 inches apart, aligning them up as best you can, then bring them into Photoshop.
--For the bw action, select the right image and then hit play or F2 to run the action. Then use
the move tool to align the two images (or don your glasses until the 3D
image looks right) at your focus spot and crop your image.
--For the color action, bring in 2 color photos and make a new document
(File/New) that is the same size as those you are importing. With the
new document selected, hit play. When the action is completed.
move the layer into position, select your spot of focus, then flatten the
layer, crop it, and add contrast if you like.
George reports that a 50mm lens gets the best results and that he uses a
high ISO to shoot at the smallest possible
aperture. Glasses are free
here. Ask for the
red-cyan combination. And there are more results at George's
site.
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B/W 3D Action ZIP
Color 3D Action ZIP
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Author: Addicted to Design
Posted: 2/11/2007
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Creates a copy of the open image,
then applies a steps that produce an approximation of an infrared shot.
Examples on the Addicted to Design
website. |
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Author: Addicted to Design
Posted: 2/11/2007
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This action makes a copy of the open image,
then applies a series of steps that mimic the effect created by the Russian
Lomographic camera, highly stylized with noticeable image drop-off at the
edges. Alex of Addicted to Design provides other examples on his
website. |
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Airbrushing Action set
Author: Ronald Clercx
Posted: 6/5/2004
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Ronald
Clercx explains: Because I a graphic designer, not an illustrator, I've
marveled at people who could do airbrush effects, which are very hard to
achieve manually. So I developed at action set that should make it easier.
The actions are not one-click run-stop actions. They guide an iterative
process. Along with the actions, download Ronald's
notes and tips. Have fun! I have. |
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Alabaster Portrait
Author: Feivel
Posted: 12/13/2003
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Feivel's
exciting new action is designed for portraits. The rollover provides a
dramatic before
and after demonstration.
If high tone portraits cause you high anxiety, stay away. But if a
distinctive, romantic portrait look is what you're after, you'll find it
here. |
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Author: Alyson Camacho
Posted: 6/12//2006
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This is a simple, straightforward action that
gives a very mild color boost. Alyson Comacho tells us, "I use it routinely
on most of my color images and don't do anything else to it after that." As
you'll notice, Aly thoughtfully begins with a duplicate layer, so that
original pixels are not affected, and allows you to tweak the effect at the
end by going back one step in history.
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Author: Alyson Camacho
Posted: 5/7/2006
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A set of six actions that apply various
"vintage photo" effects to digital images. The actions are
- Simply Vintage
- Very Vintage
- Barely Vintage
- Old Canvas (with opacity control)
- Memory Lane, in low res and high res versions, both with a b/w
option
- Black & Color
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AutoColor
Author: Shane Metler
Posted: 1/6/2004
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On some images, Photoshop's auto color
adjustment does a great job, but on others, it doesn't come close. Shane's
action takes a different approach, by separating light, dark, and mid-range
tones and applying individual color correction. It doesn't work on all
images, but try it on under saturated natures and scenics. The last step in
the action allows you to adjust opacity. |
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Author: Jim Reynolds
Posted: 8/16/2005 |
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This is an update to Jim's basic workflow
which runs Neat Image, if installed, TLR Sharpening, available here, auto
color with a blend layer, and changes the saturation level back to default.
Jim recommends that you uncheck features you do not use.
The batch mode version is now included in the action set. |
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Author: Bruce Neville
Posted: 2/22/2005
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Bruce's highkey action has created a sensation
since it was first demonstrated on dpreview. My example to the left is an
extreme example and preserves hints of the original color, but Bruce
provides a more traditional presentation in this thread on
dpreview. My thanks to Bruce for allowing me to cross-post it here. You
may want to visit his
gallery where he posts variations on a theme. |
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Author: James Burke/Jim Lewis
Posted: 1/28/2005
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This action does one thing and does it well. It
resizes low rez line drawings, such as gif files from the web, with little
loss of quality. James Burke sent me this as a tutorial, and I turned it
into a an action. James says it also works well on scanned line art. |
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Author: Jim Lewis
New version: 3/19/2006
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This is version 2.0 of the selective
dodging and burning techniques outlined by John Paul Caponigro
in the January/February, 2006 edition of Digital Photo Pro that I turned into actions.
Run the action, paint on the layer that
is created, then complete the action to control saturation shifts. The
Subtle action uses the Softlight blend mode and is my preferred method,
while Intense uses the stronger Overlay blend mode. New to these actions is the fact that
each is now contained in a layer set. This allows you to adjust layer
opacity for the entire set. |
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Author: Maureen Barberio
Posted: 9/26//2004
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Maureen stumbled across this technique for turning a photo
into a cartoon or comic. Sharon was kind enough to offer to put it into an
atn format for her, so it could be submitted here. |
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Author: Shannon Beauford
Date: 10/27/2007
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This one-click action boosts color saturation
in your image. Another example of an action that does one thing and does it
well. |
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Author: A90Six
Posted 7/28.2007
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The author developed this comic effect for his son.
It works only in CS2 and later, since it uses the Surface Blue filter. Each action step contains
instructions. In the Cutout step, it's best to test the level required,
since too much of one color in the original will cause blurring at top and
bottom. If this occurs, try a lower number. It takes awhile to complete, so
have patience on slower machines. The last step produces four Snapshot
choices in History. 4 is usually better for portraits; others are a
matter of personal taste. You original image must be 8-bit, as is true of
many filters on the site. You can vary the effect by changing the total
resolution on your original image, but the most important variance will be
obtained in the Cutout step within the action. |
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Comix Actions
Author: Andy Purviance
Posted: 2/15//2004
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Two actions—monochrome and color— that turn photos into
comic book images with an outline, shadow and a blank layer to paint in
solid colors (or hide to show the photos true colors). The size of the image
effects the detail level, larger images will have more details.
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Author: CSpringer
Updated: 11/23/2007
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You will want to move this into your actions
pallet pronto. A contrast mask is a tone mapping technique that lightens the
dark areas and darkens the light areas. Adjust the slider in the Gaussian
Blur step to reflect the resolution of your image. After the action runs,
adjust layer opacity to vary the effect. At 100%, it will provide a
photomatix/lucisart look. For minor correction, Ctrl+I to invert the Mask
and paint over the affected areas. You can run this action on every image
and reduce the effect as needed. |
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Author: Galen Evans
Update: 4/1/2008
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Galen Evans has rewritten his Custom Vignette
action to work with CS3. This features improved efficiency and
greater user control over the end result of the image. Still available is CS
2.0 for PS and PS2. Both are designed
primarily for images 6-megapixels and larger. The layer and mask structure
of v3.0 also allows for high-key and even tinted vignettes. |
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Dave Beaman's Ethereal Glow
Author: Dave Beaman
Posted: 3/27/2004
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This small action has been getting a lot of action on
dpreview recently. The rollover shows what it does with a color photo, but
try it with a black and white as well. Thanks to Feivel for sending Dave to
this site. |
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Author: Dave Jaseck
New Version: 3/20/2006
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Dave Jaseck's infrared act set was one of the
first ever contributed to this site. It is now all dressed up with someplace
to go. It's all contained in one action now, which optionally allows you to
add some color back in by reducing the opacity of a layer. Dave says:
"You cannot create a real IR look in PS, but you can fake
it if the picture has some blue sky and white clouds. Use it on select
pictures. " This makes filter calls that are only available in 8-bit mode.
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Dave's Simplifier v.2
Author: Dave Jaseck
Posted: 5/8/2004
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From Dave Jaseck, an updated version one of my favorite
actions. Simplifier provides a painted effect by eliminating unimportant
color detail. Don't confuse this with posterization. The histogram shows a
lot of detail, rather than a staircase effect. |
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DK Color Vibrance
Author: Daniel Kvarfordt
Posted: 5/4/2008
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This action creates a saturation layer with a
mask that targets the low saturated parts of the image. It gives a similar
effect to the vibrance option in ACR. For more information, see Daniel's
website. |
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Dodging and Burning
Author: Perijn Hoefsloot
Posted: 7/10/2004
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A straightforward approach to dodging and burning that
creates two adjustment layers, one for each effect. You paint on the layer
masks in black or white (white adds the effect, while black erases it) ...
then adjust the opacity for the degree of dodging or burning you wish.
In the example, the burn layer is at 100%, while the dodge layer is 22%.
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Author: Doug Bardell
Posted: 8/14/2005
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A set of actions the contributors Doug Bardell
uses in everyday Photoshop operations. Some of these you'll want to use
as-is, others you may want to modify. Contents include:
- 20 D jpgs, horizontal and vertical
- Pre-printing adjustment
- 16 bit>8 bit conversion
- Rotate image V>H Vertical
- Convert to JPG low resolution, both horizontal and vertical
- Katrin’s fill flash
- Flatten framed image
- Framed border
- Overlay
- Prepare for printing (needs modification to your own file
locations)
- Infrared
- Sharpen in LAB
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Zip |
Author: Sharon Lee Core
Posted: 11/15/2004 |
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Sharon has developed an action version of the Dragan effect
that has been the subject of much discussion on dpreview.com. . Other examples are available at this
link.
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Edgarian Blur
Author: Howard Owen
Posted: 5/3/2004
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Howard Owen has produced an attractive blur action for
portraits and named it for the man who described the technique, Albert
Edgar, PhD., in the January, 2001 issue of PEI. "This effect uses
mathematically related Gaussian blurs and fades to produce a misty,
dreamlike blur," Howard writes. I concur. Instructions in the action. |
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Author: Shannon Beauford
Posted: 10/17/2007
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This set contains two actions.
Editorial creates the look of a fashion editorial.
Lomo creates the look of lomography through cross processing. |
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Author: Shannon Beauford
Posted: 10/14/2007
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This action allows you to remove skin
imperfections without blurring the hair or the eyes. The action includes
step-by-step instructions. I recommend practicing to get the mask right.
(Remember, skin tones are generally in the middle of the range.) The GIF
example does not do this action justice because the effect can be quite
subtle. |
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Author: Edgar Berendsen
Posted: 4/16/2005
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Glamour Blur does what its name suggests. After
flattening the image, it blurs skin tone but, by finding edges, keeps
details such as hair in place. As a variation with a complex background to
which you don't want the blur applied, select the face with a slight
feather, select inverse, cut, rename this as a new document, run the action
on it, then copy it into the original document as a new layer, and apply
darken mode.
Or, as Edgar points out, paint with a black brush over the blur mask to
eliminate the blur in specific areas. |
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Gothic Glow
Author: Feivel
Posted: 12/6/2003
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Gothic Glow gives a glowing and feathering
effect to an image.
It can be applied to either the entire image or to just a selection,
depending on which version of the action you select.
Download this example to see an illustration of how to make the selection
in the second action. |
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Author: Kent Christiansen
Posted: 11/15//2004
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This action mimics the effect of the popular “LensBaby,”
which Kent urges you to try because no Photoshop effect can duplicate it
entirely. The action has 3 main aspects: A motion and radial blur; a noise
and chromatic aberration routine; and a vignette. You can use the first
action alone or in any combination. The noise and CA part is written for
both CS or earlier versions of PS. It has built in flexibility and is not a
'one click' action, although running just the first action is quick and gets
good results. Kent suggests trying the default settings at first, then
experimenting. He thanks Danny R for help in crafting the action and Pam R
for her insights on the actual effect and the vignette idea. |
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Author: Kent Christiansen
Posted: 10/2/2005
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I am tempted to give this a subtitle, "the Julie
Lewis" action, since my wife always wants my photos in finished form NOW.
Kent's CS/CS2 Quick Retouch action is
intended to be used in batch processing of multiple images. It is intended
to give your images a quick 'snapshot' adjustment to satisfy the demanding
audience. Kent says, "It is because of the 'average' aspect of this action,
that it is intended as more of a 'learning aid' than an actual production
tool as is." But I have put it to the test and its works quite well on
several sample images. The Zip contains the action, complete instructions,
and a JPG showing the settings to be used in the batch dialogue.
IMPORTANT: Read the instructions thoroughly, particularly the cautions,
before using. |
Zip |
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Author: Kent Christiansen
Posted: 9/6/2007
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(shows action in process)
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This is a sketch and charcoal smudge action.
The action set contains separate versions for CS3, which utilizes the B&W
adjustment layer along with smart filters, and CS/CS2 and PS7, which do not. The
archive also contains a PSD file that contains the texture and a readme file
which contains instructions. Kent thanks Mike Warren for contributing to the
workflow and says, "I felt a routine similar to my B&W action could be used
to tweak the tones of a sketch. Those who understand and appreciate the B&W
action may find the sketch action interesting and useful. Those who want a
quick one click method should probably not bother." |
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CSpringer's Portrait Actions
Author: Chip Springer
Updated: 4/1/2008
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Chip has organized the latest versions of all
his portrait retouching actions into one set that can serve as a workflow
for retouching images of people.
This one belongs in everyone's collection. |
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Chip says, "This action will fix skin problems
while retaining texture. It also adds additional Healing Tool and
Texturizing layers for further tweaking. It has been tested on CS3 only."
For those still on earlier version of PS (and for CS3 users, too), we
welcome your feedback. |
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CSpringer's Wrinkle and Blemish Repair
Author: Chip Springer
Posted: 1/06/2008
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This action is similar to the second part of Chip's Skin Repair Action found
immediately above. It fixes wrinkles and blemishes. This is not a substitute
for the Skin Repair Action, since it does a different sort of repair.
To use it, you will have to download and install
Polaroid's free Dust and Scratch Removal plug-in. Then install and run
this action. Chip reports you will find many other uses for the Polaroid
plug-in, such as cleaning dandruff/dust on clothes, damaged old photos, etc.
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Author: Kent Christiansen
Posted: 10/202004
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Kent Chrisiansen's "Skin Fix" is a set of actions for
smoothing skin.
The first action 'Basic skin fix' is
quick and easy and utilizes a method laid out in the dpr retouch forum by *isteve
who found it by accident. It involves using the high pass filter, inverted
and set to soft light. Kent added a layer mask to reveal details in eyes,
lips, and other areas.
The second action also employs the
gaussian blur along with the high pass filters which tends to brighten up the
effects of the gblur. By putting the original background on top of the layer
with those filters, one can 'paint' in the softness and use brush opacity to
determine how soft a look one wants to achieve. This and the last action has
subsequent layers beyond skin smoothing for contrast, color toning and
cloning and healing, although one can stop at any point.
The third action is similar to the first
in that it employs the high pass, invert, soft light scheme, where you paint
in sharpness instead of softness which the action creates, but like the
second action, it adds contrast and color adjustments and clone/healing
capabilities.
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LAB Saturation ActionsAuthor:
Alessandro Di Sciascio
Posted: 9/23.2006
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I love subtlety in actions, and these actions
deliver it. The set contains two actions. One boosts the saturation of all
colors through an LAB boost, the other does the same, but protects skin
colors by isolating them. Both operate on a layer at 60% opacity,
giving you considerable control. |
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Author: thejaybird
Posted: 11/18/2007
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This updated action enhances local contrast through the
"local auto levels" technique, which enhances contrast uniformly throughout
the image, optimizing parameters locally to each region of pixels. The
example image is in black and white, but
there are instructions for using it with color images, too. The new
version fixes bugs and is compatible from PS6 on. |
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Author: Dave Jaseck
Posted:1/30/2005
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Dave Jaseck has pulled his four popular
"midnight" actions together into one set--Midnight Blue, Gold, Sepia--and
the new Midnight Black. These at last equal and may surpass some commercial
filters designed to achieve the same effects. The color tone can be adjusted
by putting an action stop at the color balance step.
Also included is an Elements2 version for use with Ling's
snapAction interface. The .atn files go into Element's "Presets/Photoshop
Actions" folder. The .xml file goes into Elements' "HTMLPalettes/Recipes/LUI/add"
folder. Then run snapActions and you should see "Menu: Dave Jasecks's
Midnight actions" on the Left. Move it to the Right and hit Generate. |
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Author: Dave Jaseck
Posted:11/5/2005
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An alternative version of Dave's Midnight Sepia action, but
without the sepia tone. Check out the Photoshop file Dave has provided
that shows it in use. Beautiful! |
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Author: Dave Jaseck
Posted:2/22/2005
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I am convinced that Dave Jaseck never sleeps. Lucky thing
for us. Dave has updated his favorite action, Midnight Sepia, to overcome
issues reported to him in version 1 with certain types of images.
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Author: Shannon Beauford
Posted: 10/27/2007
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An action Shannon uses in her fashion work to
turn down color intensity. On my images, it imparts a mild Siena tone to the
images and thus does interesting things to landscapes. |
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Author: Chip Springer
Posted:12/10/2004
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Chip's action creates two layers, Use both layers to bring
out this dynamic effect. Grab a white brush (10-15% opacity) to paint Light
on the Color Dodge layer. Grab a black brush (10-15% opacity) to add shadows
and bring out the drama with the Color Burn Shadow layer. You may need to
use higher opacity brushes on some pictures. If
using a Wacom tablet, you may also want to adjust flow control. |
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Author: Chip Springer
Posted:12/28/2004
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Chip's Paint with Light II will bring out details in shadows
and highlights. It is similar to his other PWL action, but does not use the
burn modes, leaving a more natural, but equally dramatic look—especially
effective for black and white. Run the action, pick a soft black or white
brush, and start painting. You can also use it as a gray layer for adding
filters such as texturizing. Play with different layer modes to alter
effects. |
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Author: Steven Almas
Posted: 5/7/2006 |
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A great new action from the author of Urban
Acid that mimics a platinotype look. There are two versions. Version 1 has
slightly more green in the toning, Version 2 is slightly more yellow. All
the instructions are prompted during the action's running, just click
continue when asked. |
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Portrait Effect
Author: Paul Bleicher
Posted: 4/26/2004
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This action desaturates a portrait and gives you control
over degree of saturation, contrast, background blur and soft focus. |
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Author: Michael Van De Carr
Posted: 2/16/2007
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This action produces a 60's-70's retro style
effect. It can also be used for earlier vintage looks. DO NOT apply
sharpening after running this action as it uses both unsharp mask and a
Hirloam sharpening effect to achieve its result. |
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Author: Shannon Beauford
Posted:9/10/2006
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The title of this action aptly describes its
function. Shay's Rich Color Landscapes is a simple, one-click action that
makes your landscapes pop by bringing out the rich colors. The action leaves
the level unflattened, letting you adjust opacity if your image is too
saturated. Try changing the blending mode to Lighten to get a somewhat
different effect. You may want to play with several blending modes. |
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Sepiatone
Author: Andy Purviance
Posted: 2/15//2004
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Another action from Andy Purviance, this uses a duotone
approach to create a sepiatone effect. |
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Simple Color Pop Author: Anna Bottoms
Posted: 10/18//2007
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When you need to brighten colors, this action
provides a soft light layer to give portraits a slight color pop. You can
adjust the layer opacity to fine tune the results. |
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Author: Daniel Chui
Posted: 8/7/2004
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Version 2 of Daniel Chui's soft focus action is now a set
that provides small and large photo versions for each of several
effects—color, monochrome, and cross-toned images. A quick, easy approach to
light portrait retouching. He explains more about the action and gives more examples in this
thread on dpreview. |
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Author: Shannon Beauford
Posted:9/11/2006
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Shay's Soft Light Portrait is a simple,
one-click action to deepen the color of your portraits without
over-saturating skin tones. Layers are left unflattened for adjustments to
suit personal tastes. This action works well with Edgar Berendsen's Glamour
Blur. |
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Author: Shannon Beauford
Posted: 10/14/2007
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This takes a bit of practice to get right, but
it's a lot simpler than feeding your model onions ... and will make the
model more willing to work with you in the future. (Follow the steps
included in the action.) |
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Author: Glenn Mitchell
Posted: 5/21/2006
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One of many color adjustments that can be made through
this action set.
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Glenn Mitchell has allowed me to cross-post
more of his actions here, and I am pleased to do so. The actions in TLR
Color Compensating Filters replicate the CC correction filters used by
photographers for many years in the color darkroom. Sometimes called a
filter pack, CC filters were used between the enlarger lens and the
photographic paper. The filter effects in this action set are precisely
measured. They are designed for specific RGB Workspaces. You will find
separate sets of actions for Adobe RGB, sRGB, ColorMatchRGB, and ProPhotoRGB.
Interactive examples can be seen at Glenn's
website. |
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Author: Tracy McGee
Posted: 3/28/2007
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Tracy's flash action can be
used on the entire picture, but is really designed to lighten faces and
other elements without blowing out backgrounds. It was designed for 300dpi
images, but can be used on smaller images if you use a smaller, softer brush
when prompted. Simply follow the pop-up instructions. |
ZIP |
Author: Steven Almas
Posted: 7/9/2005
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This action mimics a cross-processing
technique used in some glamour, fashion, and urban photography. It skews and
saturates colors, while dramatically increasing contrast. The action does
all this by creating an aggressive curves adjustment layer (which is user
adjustable). Secondly, the action creates a black layer which can be used to desaturate/mute the colors. This can be accomplished by changing the opacity
of the layer. |
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Velvia-Provia v. 2
Author: Paul Bleicher
Posted: 4/25/2004
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This suite of actions reproduce the selective color, contrast,
and saturation boost of Velvia film and the shadow detail of Provia film. The effects
are adjustable from
minimal to maximum. All steps are done on a copy of the original photo. It
should be used as the last step in your process, before resizing and
sharpening. There are two versions here, one for Photoshop, the other for
Photoshop Elements 2.0 |
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Author: Erick Nguyen
Posted: 3/1/2005
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This action helps you to create a beautiful
watercolor effect from any image. It takes a bit of work on your part, all
of which is explained in this tutorial
posted on dpreview. The action sets up all the layers automatically so that
you select your preferred brush and go to work. Erick has changed all the
default layer names, since he works in the French version of PS.
Also available, Bob Jones' and Conchita's adaptation of this action for
PSE 3.0, both Windows and Mac versions. |
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Author: Shannon Beauford
Date: 10/17/2007
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This is a simple action to whiten teeth and
eyes. It might be interesting to combine with Shannon's Flawless Portrait
action to create a makeover workflow. |
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B&W Sketch
Author: Sharon Lee Core
Posted: 7/113/2004
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Sharon Lee Core presents two sketch actions, one requiring
little user intervention, the other inviting a bit more playing. The
rollover example, taken in an historic Charleston graveyard, uses the
simpler interface ... and works just great! (Incidentally, these actions
also allow you to add back color.) |
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Author: Sharon Lee Core
Posted: 12/2//2004
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While reading a thread on dpreview on caricatures, Sharon
got the idea for this action. So she wrote it. And it's great.( So how can
we get her to read more threads on dpreview? Then we wouldn't
have to do any work at all.) The zip file contains both the action and a
Word document Sharon prepared that explains how to use Liquefy to
create a caricature and offers suggestions for finishing the caricature
image after running the action. |
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Author: Sharon Lee Core
Posted: 7/11//2004
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Sharon has worked and worked on this action, incorporating
advice from Danny Raphael and others. The result is a masterpiece. Just run
it on an appropriate image and follow the instructions. I've had great
results on scenes of Charleston's historic district , but Sharon's own
example shows it off to its maximum advantage. |
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Author: Dave Jaseck
Posted: 8/11/2004
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A set of sketch actions from Dave Jaseck in two flavors--a
straight line sketch and a version that adds back some color for a Currier
and Ives look. |
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Mitch's Sketch Action
Author: Mitchell Weitz
Posted: 2/17//2004
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"I was feeling unproductive because it seemed that everyone
in this forum had his/her own sketch action except me," Mitchell Weitz said
on dpreview.com, "so I decided to do something about it." Here is that
something: Mitch's sketch action. Mitch, we hope the spirit moves you again.
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Author: Ben Morales-Correa
Posted: 6/23/2007
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This action helps you paint like a master
artist. The right combination of Photoshop filters and blend modes can be
used to quickly turn a photo into a fine work of art.
Use it as a final digital art or as a study for a finished painting. A
full tutorial of this
effect is posted at
BMC
PhotoArt. Works with Photoshop 7 and above. |
ZIP |
Author: Tom Bennett
Posted:9/26/2004
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Turns a photograph into a pen and ink drawing.
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Author: Sharon Lee Core and Isabel Cutler
Posted: 11/15//2004
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Frequent visitors to dpreview.com have seen numerous
examples of Isabel Cutler's sketch techniques. Now she and Sharon Lee Core
have joined forces to turn her rough pastels technique into an action. See
more examples of this action in action at this
link. |
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Author: Sheri Pierce
Posted: 2/3/2004
|
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From Sheri Pierce, sketch actions for Photoshop 6 and
above. There are three actions in the set: "Sheri's Sketch CS", "Sheri's
Sketch 2 Max" and "Sheri's Sketch 2 Lt". The CS version uses a new Photoshop
feature called Layer Comps to produce five variations in a single
document. It will not work properly on earlier versions. Readme file
included |
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Sheri's Sketch Action (PSE) 2.1
Author: Sheri Pierce
Posted: 2/3/2004
|
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From Sheri Pierce, a similar action for Photoshop Elements.
Both archive versions include a Readme file that explains both the action
and the installation procedures for Photoshop Elements. The example photos
are also from Sheri. |
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Author: Alex Glassman
Posted: 3/5/2005
|
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Alex developed this sketch action from a
tutorial on wetcanvas.com based on a
technique developed by Trimoon, Photoshop artist Stephen LeQuire. (Stephen's
own actions are available on his
website.) Alex also
credits photographer Cathy Sheeter with helping him develop the color steps.
This is a process, not an event, but you may find the work you have to do
in this step-by-step approach yields the excellent results Alex gets from
the examples posted on the left. |
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Watercolor Tint Action
Author: Ben Morales-Correa
Posted: 1/6/2008
|
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This action converts a photo into a tinted
illustration, a classical watercolor technique used by artists to brush hues
and values over an ink drawing. A full tutorial of this effect is posted at
BMC PhotoArt. There is also an instruction file in the zip archive.
Works with Photoshop 7 and above. |
|
|
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1Click NewBW
Author: 1-Click Actions
Posted: 3/30/2008
|
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This action set contains four black and white
conversion actions, which are explained in a PDF document within the
archive. Included are versions for PS7 and CS and newer. Considerable
tweaking is available and explained in the PDF. (I got interesting results
on a Hawai'i sunset by lowering the opacity of the b/w layer to achieve a
tinted effect.) |
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Author: Alyson Comacho
Posted: 7/17/2006 |
|
Let's first attest to the fact that Aly's
daughter, pictured in the example, has to be one of the most beautiful
little girls I've seen. And also that Aly is a great photographer. Finally,
this simple, straightforward black and white conversion action that leans
heavily on the red channel might be the first weapon you select when doing a
conversion. If it doesn't work, you can use an action using channel mixer or
some other approach, but that may just do the trick right out of the box.
|
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B's SplitTone 2
Author: Bärbel Wilm
Posted: 3/27/08
|
Example |
Bärbel Wilm presents a straightforward approach
to black and white conversion with a split-toned image. The conversion is
done on layers so that you can tweak the settings. The archive folder
contains separate folders for PSE 5, PSE 6, and PS 7 and later. |
|
B's Vanilla B&W II
Author: Bärbel Wilm
Posted: 3/27/08
|
Example |
A black and white conversion action that
creates layers, so that you can fine tune the results—particularly the
contrast. The archive folder contains separate folders for PSE 5, PSE 6, and
PS 7 and later. |
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Blanco y Negro (Black and White
conversion)
Author: Juan García Gálvez
Posted: 11/16/2006
|
|
A different approach to b/w conversion. Juan
García Gálvez uses the channel mixer to approximate the renditions provided
by fifteen black and white film stocks: Agfa 200X; Agfapan 25, 100, and 400;
Ilford Delta 100, Delta 400, Delta 400 Pro & 3200, FP4, HP5, Pan F,
SFX, and XP2 Super; and Kodak Tmax 100, Tmax 400, and Tri-X. There's a
separate action for each stock plus five more controlling refinements as
contrast. Each is placed on its own layer, allowing you to run multiple
versions of the action and
click on layers for different effects. See more, including the channel mixer
settings, at Juan's
website.
|
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Author: Brian James
Posted: 1/22/2006
|
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This action builds black and white layers
composed of every available channel, allows you to click off those you don't
want, then to paint in those sections you want to use on layer masks. Don't
forget that you can move layers to reposition the one you wish to use as the
base ... and that you can change layer opacity on any layer you are using.
|
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Author: Danny Raphael
Posted: 7/16/2006
|
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This is a collection of four actions, three of
which are used in converting color images to black and white, and one of
which is useful for monitor calibration. Included are:
- BW Calculations Like: Renders results like the
Calculations dialog, only more flexible and easier to use.
- BW Swiss Army Knife: Greg Gorman, Maurice Hamilton,
Russell Brown and KentC methods rolled into one action.
- BW Kloskowski Variations: Who knew you could use
Variations to make a BW?
- BW Step Wedge: A tool for creating 4, 10 or 11
segment step wedges. Handy for monitor calibration.
The readme step in each fully explains what they do and how to use them.
The three conversion actions have lots of customization options, and I took
advantage of some of them in the demonstration image made with the BW Swiss
Army Knife. I suspect this is going to be the core of many of your
conversion efforts. Known to work with PS7 on. Users of earlier versions,
please provide us with feedback. |
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Author: Danny Raphael
Posted: 5/4/2005
|
|
Version 5 of Danny Raphael's set of black and white actions
that convert color to grayscale.
The example shows the third action which creates 11 monochrome versions
using RGB, CMYK, and LAB channels and channel mixer variations. Also
included is a method developed by John Paul Caponigro and three other
approaches. The readme action that begins this set provides an overview. |
|
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Author: Matthew Greer
Posted: 1/21/2007
|
Image courtesy of Daniel Diaz
|
Matthew Greer has taken a black and white
conversion process developed by Daniel Diaz and, with Daniel's help, turned
it into an action that has been tested in PSCS2. It stops at every crucial
point so you can make adjustments, and the final image has all the
adjustments in layers so you can go back and change your previous settings.
This is not for the faint of heart, in that it requires some work from
you, but the results are worth the effort. I recommend you study this
tutorial
from Matthew's website before venturing forward. (And I'd be delighted to
post some other results here.) |
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Author: Dave Jaseck
Posted: 7/22/2004
|
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This simple action creates a duotone that looks as though
you spent a great deal of time on it. It works best on a 4-6 MB file
or a 5x7 240 ppi image. The action allows you to choose any Pantone color or
opt for the default. |
|
Author: Robin Holden, Sr.
Posted: 12/10//2005
|
|
All of us in the Photoshop
community learn from one another.
Robin Holden credits (the legendary) Greg Gorman for this great black and
white conversion action. Everything you need is in the zip file, including a
text file from Robin. Greg has written a tutorial on the procedure
that inspired this action, available on his
website. |
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Author: Juan García Gálvez
Posted: 11/26/2006
|
|
Juan García Gálvez, who also developed the
Blanco y Nero BW conversion action above, provides this simple action that
produces a high key image. Steps in the action are placed on layers so that
you can tweak the result. Details at Juan's
website.
|
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Author: Jodi Friedman
Posted: 9/26/2007
|
(Click on this, even if you're not interested in the
action.)
|
There are two stories here. The first is the
action itself, which converts your image to black and white, allows you to
tweak it, and then gives you the choice of 14 "ribbon colors"--overlays that
give you toning options. The second is that it is dedicated to Jodi's
Father in law, Bernie, who's undergoing treatment for Lymphoma. The layers
in the action highlight various types of cancer to create awareness—thus,
the ribbons. It's worth loading just for that reason. See more of
Jodi's actions at her
website. |
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Author: Julian Hebbrecht
Posted: 3/1//2006
|
|
This Black and White conversion action works
the way colored filters (yellow; orange; red; etc) work on cameras with
black and white film. You actually use a color filter to get the best
possible gray scale and contrast in your image. The action creates several
adjustment layers that can be fine tuned to get the desired result. The
example to the left shows your layers pallet. This is a goody, folks.
Thanks, Julian. |
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Author: Kent Christiansen
Posted: 10/8/2006
|
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Kent's B&W Selective Color 4.0 is the latest
version of an action Kent Christiansen developed to provide control in
making a monochrome version of a color image. It is among the most useful
actions on this site. Kent has made a number of changes to this version,
detailed in this file.
|
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Author:AsylumXL
Posted: 4/17//2007
|
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The latest version (v.5) of this very popular action. It first converts your
image to mono, then isolates one user-selected color in an image and allows you to adjust the intensity of the color.
The version works through layers and is non-destructive. Please refer
to the readme file first. |
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Thomas Niemann's Tones
Author: Danny Raphael
Posted: 12/10/2003
|
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An entertaining and very useful action developed by Danny
Raphael from a description by Portland's own Thomas Niemann on his
site. When the action has run,
you can modify it by turning layers on and off and playing with the opacity
settings. |
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Author: Glenn Mitchell
Posted: 1/3/2005
|
|
This is the current version of Glenn Mitchell's black and
white action set, with some help Danny Raphael in naming the Quick B&W
layers. The zip includes a readme.pdf and his Action Basics .pdf. For
more info on how to use this set, go to this
tutorial
on Glenn's website at The Lights Right Studio. (See Glenn's other tutorials
at his
website, and if you find them helpful, please support the site with a
donation. |
|
Author: Glenn Mitchell
Posted: 12/28//2004
|
|
The sepia tone effect in Glenn Mitchell's action set uses a
twist on a popular method of black and white conversion. The technique is
fast and easy, and you have control over the results. The Zip folder
contains the action, a PDF readme file, and Glenn's Action Basics tutorial
for those new to actions. |
|
Author: Alls A. Ten
Posted: 5/22/2006
|
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This action adds a vintage tint to your images,
making it possible to reveal or subdue the original colors of the
photograph. It creates a sepia toned image and allows you to selectively
paint back color. Alls uses this action in a number of his wedding
photographs. (Hint: If you have an image of a brown-skinned person,
try painting back their skin tone. Very interesting effect.) |
|
|
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Author: Sweet Cheeks Photography
Posted: 8/6/2006
|
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This is like a mini storyboard for sharing on
the web/mb/blog/email/clients,etc. It is formatted for vertical images.
Directions:
- Open 2 photos
- Crop both photos (280x420)
- Set your background to white, or whatever color you want
- Run Action
Finished your entire product will be 600 x 420, so any other resizing for
web, editing, is up to you. The author placed a mini border on mini so you
could see where it ends. |
|
3D Product Box
Author: Andy Purviance
Posted: 2/15/2004
|
 |
Here's a great little toy from Andy Purviance. It creates a
small icon—the example is full size—with your favorite photo packaged in a
box against a white background with a shadow. |
|
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Author: Addicted to Design
Posted: 2/11/2007
|
|
This action prompts you to open an existing
file and create a square selection. It places the resulting image within a
format that mimics that of the venerable Polaroid 600 series cameras.
Other examples on the Addicted to Design
website. |
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Author: Andrea Rascaglia
Posted: 12/18/2004-11/30/2005
|
|
These are not actions, but zipped PDF files, so the files
are large. Combine one with your image for a believable negative or Polaroid
border.
- Suite A contains three Polaroid-like borders.
- Suite B contains a
fourth, an Ektachrome border, and two that create the 6x6 edge that you
would get from a Hasselblad camera.
- Suite C provides a Kodak 160 NC
transparency film look and is smaller in size than the others.
- Test frame provides a 7 x 10 cm template, and the file contains instructions.
- Polaroid Giant Example mimics the 50x60 mm large Polaroid camera.
- Border Downtown is so named because it reminds Andrea of a poster
for the film of the same name.
- Polaroid 89 is from Polaroid Series 8- peel apart film
- Vintage Background for portraits. This TIFF file contains a
background and border which can be used as Andrea did in his example ...
or you may apply an overlay blending effect to your image to produce an
aged effect over the picture
|
Borders A ZIP
(4.43 MB)
Borders B ZIP
(6.53 MB)
Borders C ZIP
(300 kb)
Test frame
Zip
(3.2 mb)
Polaroid Giant Example
Zip
(293 kb)
Border Dogtown
Zip
(323 kb)
Polaroid 89
Zip (1.1 mg)
Vintage Background
ZIP (3.6 mg) |
Author: Sharon Lee Core
Posted: 9/26//2004
|
|
Sharon Lee Core has come up with a unique bronzing action,
and the example is sufficiently humorous to be worth the click. |
|
Bud's Actions
Author: Bud Guinn
Posted: 12/10/2003
|
 |
From Bud Guinn, some great toys to play with. Brushes,
palettes, tiled images like the thumbnail example shown, and more. |
|
Bud's Brass Plaque
Author: Bud Guinn
Posted: 1/6/2004
|
 |
Also from Bud Guinn, an action that creates a brass plaque.
Use the Text tool to title it, Paste-into to add it as a layer on an image
that has a frame, and the Move tool to properly position it on the frame. |
|
Bud's Frames
Author: Bud Guinn
Posted: 12/6/2003
|
 |
Over 30 framing actions to attractively set off your images.
The sample shows the Basic Matte, but there are rosewood frames, frames on
textured walls, and many others. Some of these actions prompt for input
from the user, and many offer customization tools by adjusting layer
properties. |
|
Bud's Signature's & Stuff
Author: Bud Guinn
Posted: 12/12/2003
|
|
Various actions, of which this teakwood background with
multiple images is one of my favorites. Also includes logo, signature, and
brass plate actions. (Suggestion: while this works in 16 bit, I'd first make
my color adjustments, then use the mode command to convert to 8 bits, then
run the action.) |
|
Bud's Wooden Frames
Author: Bud Guinn
Posted: 12/14/2003
|
|
From Bud Guinn, a set of 22 wooden frame
actions. The example is Japanese ash, which is not the best for this
particular photo, but shows up well in the thumbnail. |
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Bud's Wooden Mattes
Author: Bud Guinn
Posted: 12/14/2003
|
|
More from Bud Guinn. This is a set of 22
wooden matte actions. The example is Cherry 2, chosen because it shows up
well in the thumbnail. |
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Bud's EZMiter, v.1
Author: Bud Guinn
Posted: 12/14/2003
|
|
This series of actions creates mitered
mattes. You can select the matte colors and textures. Read the instructions
carefully, as there is an instruction action which you are to read and then
move.
NOTE: This is a big action, expanding to half a MB.
|
|
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Author: Jodi Friedman
Posted: 10/30/2007
|
|
Burnt Edge Vignette creates a dark umber
vignette around the edge of your image. The instruction step tells you all
you need to know. You selected one of four actions—depending on whether your
image is a portrait or landscape, and high or low resolution—and then just
run it. More at
Multiple
Choices Photography. |
|
Author: Chip Springer
Posted: 1/14/2007
|
|
From Chip Springer, a simple, welcome action.
This creates a simple vignette on a new layer. Chip's example gives several
ideas on how to implement this. Tested in all versions of CS. |
|
Author: Brian James
Posted: 1/26/2005
|
|
Brian's action creates a transparent copyright
watermark as a brush. One action creates it, the second implements it. You
then have the brush available to you from the brushes palette. Increase or
decrease the size as you would any other brush. You can also reduce opacity
to make it more or less subtle. |
|
Crops Action and Scripts (CS3 only)
Author: John J. McAssey
Updated: 4/9/2008
|
|
This action and script set is not for the faint
of heart, and it works only in CS3. If you know your way around Photoshop,
the benefits outweigh the complexity.
This actions and scripts allows you to crop your image and apply a mat to
it. It can be called from the File>Automate menu.
There is an archive folder within the archive. You must extract and
properly install both. Read the enclosed instructions carefully. |
Contains action, installation instructions, PAT file, and
another ZIP folder, which contains the scripts. Read instructions
carefully.
|
Dave's Frame & Matte on White Background
Author: Dave Jaseck
Posted: 5/26/2004
|
|
A new action from Dave Jaseck for images destined for the
web . It allows you pick your matte and a
frame, and places the result on a white background with a shadow, drop
shadow, or several other effects. There's great user interaction, and it's
simple to follow. You get best results if the original photo is at
least 4 x 6 at 240. After finishing the action, you resize for the web.
(Example photo by Dave Jaseck.) |
|
Author: Dave Jaseck
Posted 4/22/2006
|
|
An action
set that consists of
two actions for 5x7 images of 240-300 ppi, one in portrait orientation, the
other landscape. These actions produce beautiful double mattes in 8 x
10 frames. This is a further refinement of the mattes Dave has been
producing in various size that have proved very popular on Action Central. |
|
Author: Dave Jaseck
New versions
posted 1/22/2006
|
|
Dave Jaseck has revised his
widely used double matte actions.
The ZIP archive contains two actions, one for 5x7 images that produces 8x10
double mattes, and another for 8x10 images that produce 11x14 double mattes. To run, size your
photo, pick the action for the appropriate size, select either the horizontal or vertical matte action, and follow the
instructions. |
|
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Author: Shannon Beauford
Posted: 10/27/2007 |
|
This action creates high resolution digital
backgrounds in ten popular portrait sizes. You do not need an open image.
Simply run the action, select the size you want, adjust color, and you have
an image. Now you can open a portrait, make certain it's the same size, move
it as a new layer over the background, mask the portrait layer, which is
easy if the original background has a uniform color, and your new backdrop
emerges. |
|
Author: Anna
Bottoms
Posted 10/18/2008
|
|
This action does one thing and does it well. It
provides a slightly darkened edge around a full-sized image. The aspect
ratio doesn't matter. I used it on an 8x8 portrait with great results.
|
|
Author: John Beardsworth
Posted: 7/25/2004
|
|
To reproduce the effect of Bud Guinn's "Bits and Pieces"
action, as shown in the above thumbnail, John Beardsworth has developed a
script called "Fracture." This is not an action, and must be copied to the
Presets folder in Photoshop 7 or CS. You run it from the File|Scripts menu.
Unlike Bud's action, it works with any file size and, John says, "also
shows how some Photoshop features that cannot currently be scripted can be
record with ScriptListener and incorporated in your code." |
|
Author: Sweet Cheek Photographer
Posted: 8/06/2006
|
|
An action for sharing your images on the web.
Allows editing and resizing in Photoshop. Sweet Cheek Photography wanted to
design a striking, yet simple means of displaying images online, in
email, on a webpage for general audiences, clients, etc. Very
straightforward. |
|
|
Author: Jodi Friedman
Posted: 3/30/2007
|
|
Jodi's Multiple Choices Gallery Frame Action
produces simple inner and outer borders in black. It will work on pictures
in both portrait or landscape orientation. Use this gallery frame action
before resizing for the web so that the frame looks best. You can turn
on and off the inner and/or outer border for different looks, as well as
change the color of the frame, add bevels, or add patterns
This action has been tested in Photoshop 7, CS, CS2 and CS3. If you know
how to use actions in elements, it has also been tested in elements 3, 4 and
5. Incidentally, Jodi has some great
retouching
actions for sale on her site. |
|
Author: Gord Wall
Posted: 1/24/2007
|
|
This Photoshop action can be run on an image of
any size. The result is a reflected image on a surface in front of the main
image. This revised version resets the color swatches and then to set black
as the background color. You can, of course, change this. Gord Wall's action was
inspired by Apple's Keynote software. |
|
Author: Marcia Fasy
Posted: 6/5/2005
|
|
Marcia Fasy's frame action set includes:
-Gallery frame
-Matte and simple gold frame
-Wide matte and a narrow matte
-2 simple drop shadow mattes - one for light background and one for dark
background.
Four are illustrated in the example to the left. |
|
Author: Mike Brewer
Posted: 9/26//2004
|
|
Mike Brewer has spent weeks working on versions of this
action to get it just right. And it's worth it. This action allows a
predictable and uniform frame to be added to an image of any size and shape. |
|
Author: Nasso
Posted: 10/2/2005
|
|
This is a very specialized action, but those of
us who need it will wonder how we got along without it. In his work, Nasso
has to cut out cartoon characters from their backgrounds in order to insert
them over other backgrounds. The magic wand tool bleeds inside the image
whenever there's a break. This action eliminates that problem. I have this
same problem with client logos for PowerPoint demonstrations. This little
tool makes quick work of it. This action converts the image to 200 dpi, but
can be edited for other resolutions if needed. |
|
Author: Terry Alford
Posted: 1/06/2005
|
|
For some, it is not enough to live in the nation's most
beautiful river gorge at the base of one of its most beautiful mountains
within view of two more. (And the place where some claim John Kerry lost the
election.) All this, and you have to tinker! And so Terry Alford of
gorgephotos.com gives us his PopOut—an image that extends a point
of interest beyond the frame. A discussion of the fine points is in this
dpreview
thread. |
|
Author: Panos Efstathiadis
Posted: 3/25/2006
|
|
I am indebted to Panos Efstathiadis for
allowing me to post five of his most popular free actions on his site, which
is filled with cool offerings. The sample at left is of his Big Picture
action that breaks an image into 25 tiles, mattes and offsets them. There is
a good measure of control available to alter the default behavior. Other
actions:
- BnBig picture, which creates a 3-D collage effect.
- Stamp, that turns your image into a postage stamp
- BB Filmstrip, a filmstrip frame
- Panos Puzzle, that breaks your image into a jjgsaw puzzle.
Panos has examples of these actions in use, a number of other free
actions, actions for Elements users, and a number of neat commercial actions
on his
website. |
|
Author: Brian de Cambra
Posted: 12/12/2004
|
|
Brian's version of PopOut action includes a Blend out instead of the Hard
Edged “PopOut”. He has thoughtfully included a separate tutorial
that shows “how to use the action”. |
|
Sharon's Mattes
Author: Sharon Lee Core
Posted: 7/11/2004
|
|
Sharon Lee Core provides a suite of new matte actions. The
simple example at left does not begin to show the possibilities. |
|
|
|
Dave's Sharpening Actions
Author: Dave Jaseck
Posted: 12/13/2003
|
 |
Dave Jaseck has turned four accepted methods of sharpening
into convenient actions. "I
don't claim to be the author of these techniques but did put them in action
form." Included are: -RGB Edge Sharpening
-Green Channel Edge Sharpening
-Red Channel Edge Sharpening
-High pass sharpening |
|
Harycover's Fringing Action
Author: Mohammed Yahyaoui
Posted:5/18/2004
|
|
This action helps to remove color fringing in high contrast
shots. Kent Christiansen and Mohammed have traded notes on this, and
Mohammed has tweaked it a bit based on Kent's feedback. You can read the
thread on dpreview
here. |
|
Author: Julian Hebbrecht
Posted: 1/3/2005
|
A straightforward action that applies a degree
of USM to separate layers set to a darken and lighten mode. You adjust the
opacity of each of these two layers in turn to minimize the effect of the
two blending modes, then adjust final opacity. |
|
Sharpener, v.3
Author: Paul Bleicher
Posted: 4/26/2004
|
|
This action takes a bit of work and judgment on your part,
but the results can be quite rewarding. There are several stops where you
make decisions about how much effect to allow. The example I've provided is
extreme, but shows how well this action works. |
|
Author: Glenn Mitchell
Posted: 8/14.2005 |
Version 1.0i of Glenn Mitchell's Professional
Sharpening Toolkit, a set of JavaScripts for
automating Photoshop CS/CS2 that makes it easy to obtain professional
sharpening of your digital images. The scripts in the TLR Professional
Sharpening Toolkit can be used for sharpening RGB, CMYK, L*a*b, and
grayscale images. This version adds a new user-configurable option: the
ability to set the Masks Only option and then run without a user interface
to generate only edge/surface masks. Useful for people who want to use a
surface mask with tools like Noise Ninja or Neat Image. The
zip file contains three JavaScripts, meaning that these are scripts |
.jpg){kind=link}
