What are Actions?

I've gotten a few questions in the past about how I make my photos look vintage, like this:


I do it by using Actions in either Photoshop or Photoshop Elements. (As far as I know they don't work on any other type of software. Sorry!)

What are actions?
In the simplest sense, Actions are a specific set of steps performed on an image. They can be as simple as turning a photo into black and white, resizing a photo, or making them look vintage, like my picture above. Actions take all the steps necessary to complete that 'look' and record them so that next time, you don't have to repeat all those steps. All you have to do is hit play. Genius, no?

How do I get them?
Which leads me to my picture above. I could have spent the time and manually figured out how to make it look vintage. Or, I can download an Action and let it do the work for me. There are tons of free actions out there for almost any kind of look you're going for. Here's a few I've tried:

- CoffeeShop Actions (works with both Photoshop and Photoshop Elements)
- The Pioneer Woman (only works with Photoshop)
- Totally Rad Actions (only works with Photoshop)
- Maggie Holmes also has a few sets that I've been wanting to purchase (they're not free!), and can be used with both PS + PSE.

Downloading Actions
From here on in, all my instructions will be for Photoshop Elements, as that's what I have, and what I think most people have. If you have Photoshop and would like some instructions, just let me know!

So, once you find some Actions that you like, follow the instructions here to find out how to download them if you have a PC, and here if you have a Mac.

Now What?
Now that you've downloaded them, open up an image that you want to alter. You should see your actions on the right hand side in the Effects palette. Now choose the Action that you want to use, and hit Apply at the bottom of the palette. Easy! If you want to adjust your picture after this, look in the Layers palette below the Effects palette. Near the top, you should see the Opacity, and a little slider next to it. Use this to make any adjustments. Just slide it left or right until it looks just right. The last step is to flatten your image. Go to Layer>Flatten Image. You're done!


I hope this has helped you out. Feel free to post any questions you may have, or show me any pictures you've altered. Just be warned - it's super addictive!