Editing photos can be time-consuming, but Photoshop actions can streamline your workflow and produce stunning, professional results quickly.
To help you find the best options, we’ve curated a collection of art-inspired Photoshop actions to transform your photos. Whether you’re a digital designer, illustrator, or photographer, these actions will add creativity and style to your work.
Our selection includes effects to suit every taste. There’s something for everyone, from pencil sketches and watercolors to modern and pop art. These actions turn your photos into works of art, reflecting traditional painting and drawing techniques.
With just a few clicks, you can convert ordinary photos and graphics into oil paintings or create the nostalgic feel of vintage film. With these actions, you can have the artistic results you’ve always wanted!
The Top Art Effect Photoshop Actions for Creatives
Enamel Pin Photoshop Action
This Photoshop action styles photos into fun, colorful metal pins. With three metal colors to choose from, you have plenty of options here. This action works with text layers, vector shapes, and much more.
Cartoon Paint Photoshop Action
A cartoon action like this transforms everyday photos into fantastic artwork, adding a stylish aesthetic to your favorite shots. It works best with 2000x4000px dimension photos, delivering maximum style. It’s quick and easy to use, requiring no artistic talent!
Pencil Sketch Art Photoshop Action
Pencil sketches are a creative way to illustrate. This Photoshop action set lets you quickly add a sketching style to your photos. The set also includes brushes and patterns for added effects.
GlowArt Photoshop Action
Are you looking for a funky, contemporary feel in your photography? GlowArt is the Photoshop action for you. With a single click, it will add a vibrant glow to any photo.
Vintage Art Photoshop Action
Vintage effects add a timeless aesthetic to your favorite photos. They never go out of style and work well with portraits and landscapes. By applying this action, you will see your photos transform before your eyes.
Photo Art Gaming Photoshop Action
These Photoshop actions will style your images and graphics to look like video game covers. They’re especially useful for gamers sharing their artwork on social media. The pack also includes pattern sets.
Creative Art Photoshop Action
For an abstract effect, the Creative Art Photoshop action is hard to beat. It is well-suited for action and sports photos. With a few clicks, you’ll create stunning effects that almost seem as if they are in motion.
Vintage Effect Photoshop Action
Here is another Photoshop action with vintage styling. It converts photos to a faded, sepia tone and adds retro hues to every image you edit.
Movie Poster Art Photoshop Action
Movie posters have a unique style. With these Photoshop actions, you can bring that style to your favorite photos. Prepare to see colors pop and contrasts sharpen when you apply these effects.
Cyborg Photoshop Action
The Cyborg Photoshop actions offer a sci-fi effect for portrait photos. With two actions included, you can choose your preferred character design. The pack also includes Photoshop brushes and various color options.
Halloween Photoshop Action
Are you searching for spooky effects for your favorite Halloween photos? This is a purpose-built action pack for scary photos. Choose from various resolution options while editing. It features HDR effects that boost colors and contrast, and you can apply it with just a single click.
Sport Poster Effect Photoshop Action
Designed for sports posters, these Photoshop actions add a starry red backdrop. It works best for subjects that are in motion. The modern styling applies instantly, with geometric elements dropping into place. It’s a futuristic design for all your sports photos.
Art Work Photoshop Action
The Art Work Photoshop action pack helps the subjects of images stand out. With this pack, you’ll see backgrounds disappear, replaced with an abstract 3D concrete layout.
Posterize Effect Photoshop Action
With this Photoshop action pack, you can create elegant poster designs. With a single click, any portrait photo can be transformed into a stunning, posterized graphic.
Grunge Portrait Photoshop Action
The effect these Photoshop actions produce will turn any portrait into a decolorized, hand-drawn work of art. Brush and action files are included in the download pack. This action works best with portrait-style photos.
Old Newspaper Photoshop Action
Old newspapers have an unmistakable look and feel, from the typesetting to the slightly blurry photos. With this Photoshop action pack, you can bring this aesthetic to your photos. For maximum impact, wider photos are recommended.
Watercolor Photoshop Action
Watercolor artwork is a popular style, especially for landscape photos. With these actions, you can apply watercolor styling to any photo with a single click. Though designed for portraits, these actions will work on any image.
Plastic Wrapped Overlay Photoshop Action
The Plastic Wrapped Overlay Photoshop action pack is ideal for portrait subjects with a neutral yet stylish backdrop. This pack focuses on color contrasts. With a single click, you can apply a solid 3D background to the portrait photo of your choice.
Crack Stone Photoshop Action
These actions will add a cracked stone effect to your photos and graphics. They work with portraits and landscapes alike. It’s not a style you’ll likely use every day, but it’s handy to have in your editing toolbox. Multiple files are included, with documentation available. Single-click editing makes the process a breeze from start to finish.
Mirror Effect Photoshop Action
Mirror effects are powerful edits that work well with many types of photos. With these actions, you’ll see mirrored rings around your portrait subjects. It’s a sure way to help your photos get a second look from casual viewers.
Engraved Money Photoshop Action
Think of the portraits you’ve seen on printed money. Remember the iconic green stripes and portrait effects? You can add the effect to your photos with these custom actions. Use them to create fun designs for posters, blog posts, social media, and more.
Aquarelle Photoshop Action
Aquarelle is an artistic option for adding abstract watercolor effects to your images. With these color presets, you can easily tailor a photo’s palette to fit your style.
Sketch Painting Photoshop Action
Sketch paintings are a great way to be creative. Apply their aesthetic to the photos of your choice by using this Photoshop action pack. They work with just a single click and are well-suited to editors of all skill levels. You can create spectacular artwork in moments.
Pixel Sorting Photoshop Action
Pixel effects give the illusion of motion in still images. The Pixel Sorting Photoshop action pack allows you to add this effect to your top shots. This effect works best when applied to an action photo.
Fake Blueprint Photoshop Action
Have you ever wanted to create blueprint designs for your photo collection? It’s a terrific way to create modern, geometric designs. Now you can, with these Photoshop actions. Blueprint images are artsy and add a dose of contemporary cool to any wall or workspace.
Code Art Photoshop Actions
Code Art is an excellent choice for adding coding effects to your photographs. It works with portraits and full-body photos and includes ten color effects. Apply the action, and your image file will be layered and organized accordingly. This one’s a real time-saver.
Pencil Art Photoshop Actions
This action pack replicates the look of a pencil drawing in your photographs. Once the action generates the graphical elements, you can adjust them to suit your needs. It is non-destructive and includes six paper textures, eight color corrections, 28 brushes, and 14 patterns.
Mixed Art Photoshop Action
Another great option is the Mixed Art action pack. This Photoshop action can be applied with just one click, resulting in a look that replicates a watercolor painting.
Retro Art Photoshop Action
If you want to add a retro aesthetic to your photos, you’ll want to add the Retro Art Photoshop action kit to your toolbox. It adds an exciting artistic effect to your photos.
Chroma Art Photoshop Action
The Chroma Art Photoshop Action makes it easy to transform your photos into pieces of art that look like mixed-media artwork. It also comes with ten color presets that can be applied with a single click.
Drawing Art Animation Photoshop Action
The Drawing Art Animation Photoshop action adds a cool effect to your photographs. It is a time-saver that makes it easy to give your images the look of a hand-drawn piece of art.
Grunge Art Photoshop Action
This Grunge Art Photoshop action adds a dark and gritty look to your photographs. With a few clicks, you can give your images a real moody look with minimal effort. While this action works as expected, the results can be different each time to create a truly unique effect.
Piratum Map Art Photoshop Action
The Piratum Map Art Photoshop action offers a highly unique effect. When applied to your photos, it turns the image into a vintage-looking graphic, like a hand-drawn map. The result is an old-style graphic with tons of geographical details.
Sketch Art Photoshop Action
The Sketch Art Photoshop Action transforms your photo into a realistic painting while keeping the underlying sketch visible. It automatically creates all the necessary layers, which can be adjusted manually. The download includes ten brushes, five textures, and a quick start guide.
Spray Paint Photoshop Action
The Spray Paint Photoshop action is a set of 10 different effects you can apply to your photos immediately. Each effect creates the look of spray paint art. The result mimics edgy street art.
Pixel Art Photoshop Action
The Pixel Art Photoshop Action is another fantastic choice for your creative projects. It adds a retro, pixelated appearance to any image you apply it to. The result is a photo that looks like it came from the 1980s or 90s. Once used, you can adjust individual layers and gradient masks to refine the look further.
Blood Art Photoshop Action
The Blood Art Photoshop Action will turn any photo you choose into a moody and distinct artwork. Once applied, it adds a sort of cloudy blood effect. It comes with ten color effects.
Pixel Art Photoshop Actions
Another option is the Pixel Art Photoshop Action. This action turns your photo into a retro-looking image that looks like it came from a vintage video game. It comes with 21 actions, 32 tones, various color palettes, and more.
Ink Art Photoshop Action
The Ink Art Photoshop Action turns your photos into something that looks like it’s been hand-drawn. The result mimics Sumi-e-styled ink wash artwork. After you apply the effect, you can tweak various settings to customize the outcome.
Street Art Photoshop Action
You might also want to consider the Street Art Photoshop Action. As its name would suggest, this action transforms your images into street art. It works best with portraits and inanimate objects, and the result makes it appear as though a graffiti artist had drawn parts of the photo.
Modern Art Photoshop Action
Another option is this Modern Art Photoshop action pack. This action combines the look of real photography with watercolor and acrylic paint effects, creating a truly unique look. To use it, all you need to do is fill the subject of your photo with a color and then click play on the action.
Mix Art Photoshop Action
As its name suggests, the Mix Art Photoshop Action pack makes it easy to turn ordinary photos into pieces of mixed-media art. It comes with ten color presets, is easy to use, and allows for extra customization once applied.
Newspaper Art Photoshop Action
Give your images the appearance of newspaper print with the Newspaper Art Photoshop Action. It will turn your image into an abstract piece of art by adding letters and tidbits of newspaper graphics into geometric patterns that make up the subject of your photo.
Digital Art Photoshop Action
What an excellent effect this action creates! The Digital Art Photoshop Action turns your photographs into images that look as though they’ve been hand-painted. The result is highly realistic, with all the textures expected from an oil or acrylic painting. It works best on portraits and inanimate objects and can be customized to suit your needs.
Oil Paint Animation Photoshop Action
Instead of endlessly adjusting settings, use the Oil Paint Animation Photoshop action set to give your photographs the appearance of being manually painted.
Vintage Art Photoshop Action
This Photoshop action set combines splashes, brushes, and colors to create an artistic vintage look. It’s easy to apply and creates a professional look with minimal effort.
Street Art Photoshop Action
Here’s another action that brings the look of street art to your photographs. It includes 11 graffiti tags, five rugged wall styles, and ten color effects to create many different looks.
Concept Mix Art Photoshop Action
The Concept Mix Art Photoshop Action would be an excellent addition to your collection. It turns your photos into mixed media pieces with the look of watercolor splashes and pen marks. Use it on portraits, figures, and inanimate objects.
Fine Art Mobile Photoshop Action (and Lightroom Presets)
The Fine Art Mobile Photoshop Action comes with 11 different presets, making it easy to give your photos a modern look.
Watercolor Splash Art Photoshop Action
Last in our collection is the Watercolor Splash Art Photoshop Action. This set gives your photo a watercolor look with plenty of splatter effects. Use it on any image, and customize the final layers the action creates to match your style.
How to Install Photoshop Actions
- Download and unzip the action file.
- Launch Photoshop.
- Go to
Window > Actions. - Select
Load Actionsfrom the menu and go to the folder where you saved the unzipped action file to select it. - The Action will now be installed.
- To use the newly installed action, locate it in the
Actionpanel. - Click the triangle to the left of the action name to see the list of available actions.
- Click the action you want to play and press the play button at the bottom of the
Actionspanel.
Art Effect Photoshop Action FAQs
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What are art effects Photoshop actions?
Art effects actions are pre-set edits for Photoshop that add various artistic styles to your photos.
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Are these actions compatible with all versions of Photoshop?
Most actions are designed to work with a wide range of Photoshop versions, but checking their compatibility with your specific version is advisable.
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Can I apply these actions to different types of image files, such as RAW or JPEG?
These actions can be used with various image file types, including RAW and JPEG. However, the level of adjustment may vary based on the file format.
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Are these actions suitable for both digital and traditional art styles?
These art effect actions can improve photos in ways that suit both digital and traditional artistic styles, offering versatility to artists.
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Can I customize or combine multiple actions to create unique effects?
Certainly! You can adjust the opacity and layer blending modes and even combine multiple actions to achieve customized and distinctive artistic results.
Conclusion
These Photoshop actions offer a wide range of artistic possibilities, from turning a photo into a watercolor painting to giving it the appearance of an oil canvas.
These actions control elements like color, texture, and style but leave plenty of room for your own creative touches. Enjoy!