Photo Tips: My Favorite Must-Have (Free!) Photoshop Actions

Hello everybody! Today I'm going to share with you some of my favorite photoshop actions! If you're not sure what actions are, they are a sort of a 'one-click' photo editing system that can save you a ton of time. (you can read more on how to use photoshop actions here). Today I'm going to show you what photoshop action sets I use most frequently (which, consequently, are all free!).

NOTE: All of these photos were applied with the action once, with no further editing. The 'Original' photo is compleately SOOC (straight out of the camera). 

Simon Flip Action Set

download

As of recently, these have been some of my favorite actions. Lots of these have a dreamy, vintage feel to them, especially 'Goldfinch'. Also, the 'Leaves' action is one of my all around favorites, as it evens out color and boots contrast in one click! A lot of these actions have a hint of grain to them as well, making giving them an even more 'vintage' look.

Rocketlaunch Action Set

download

I've had this set of actions for years, and keep going back to it. It has over 40 actions in it, with lots of different color combos and black & white options. A lot of them have a 'retro' feel to them. This set is definitely a must-have!

Little Lusker's Free Action Set

download

Now, this is only a free sample of this brand's actions, but just the sample pack has blown me away. If you are looking for some simple but striking actions for portraiture photography, you need to download this set. I love these so much, I am looking into buying one of their full packages!

DBOX Instagram Action Set

download

I originally downloaded this set for funsies, because I love instagram, haha! But I actually ended up really liking a lot of these actions, especially the black & white ones!  

Coffeshop's Vignette Action

download

This is only one singular action, not a set, but it's a must-have for any photographer. It's amazing what a vignette can add to an image, especially a portrait. This one is pretty great, because it's adjustable as well!

AFW's 'Go Boom' Action

download

Once again, this is only one action, but look at those colors! Whenever I use this action I typically tone down many of the color layers & levels, but this is what the action looks like untouched. I've even used it in a few of my 365 pictures! 

Well, there you have it! A few things to keep in mind: actions can be relative to your photos; one particular action may make one photo look great, and another photo blown out or over-edited. Sometimes it can just take some tweaking of the action's layers, or simply choosing another action. Eventually you'll find your own personal go-to actions!

Thanks for reading!