Unlock the full potential of your photos with these 45 incredible free Photoshop actions. These tools streamline your photo editing process, saving you time and effort in getting stunning results.
Whether you’re a pro or an enthusiastic hobbyist, these versatile actions offer an array of effects and enhancements. There are everything from vintage filters to sleek modern touches.
Adobe Photoshop is a fantastic editing software. And many photographers and creatives use it to get the most out of their work.
But because it has so many possibilities, it can sometimes take hours to get the right result. So why not use these free Photoshop actions to yourself save some time?
We highlight 45 free Photoshop actions you can download and use immediately. If you need help downloading them, read our step-by-step article about using Photoshop Actions.
Dark and Haunted is an excellent set of actions for those who like gloomy atmospheres. You get six general effects and two extra tools to enhance your photos further.
The general effects are all meant to make your photos look as moody as possible. You can even use them to enhance your black-and-white images.
Instagram is known for its special in-app filters. These six FixThePhoto Photoshop actions re-create the most popular Instagram looks. This is a great way to add consistency to your lifestyle, portrait, or landscape photos.
This set of actions is versatile. So you can use it to enhance all kinds of pictures. You can even use it to make your indoor photos look more appealing.
The saying “winter blues” usually has a negative connotation. But that’s not the case here. This set of 10 Winter Blues free Photoshop actions lets you experiment with all kinds of cool photo effects.
These actions can make any winter photo look dramatic and atmospheric. But you don’t have to limit yourself to winter landscape photos only. You can use these free actions to eliminate warm tones in any image.
Flour is a standard prop in dance photography. Combined with movement, it can add a whole new level of drama to your images.
This Powder Explosion Photoshop action can create a flour explosion without making you do all the work. It works best with clean photos taken in a studio. The more movement there is, the better!
Note: If you use this action for free, you must credit the designer.
The Cinematic Rain Effects action is ideal for nighttime photos with lots of shadows. It fills empty spaces with rain and fog and slightly color-corrects your image, giving a haunting atmosphere. You cannot use it in every shot, but it’s perfect for creative projects.
Night to Twilight is a free Photoshop action for nighttime photographers. It lightens dark skies and makes it seem like your photos were taken at twilight.
A paid version of the action gives you access to customizable Photoshop actions. But the free version is good enough for those who want a subtle but effective transformation.
Are you a fan of nostalgic looks? If yes, the Sweet Cupid Tinted B&W Photoshop action is right up your creative alley.
This single action converts your photos to black and white and gives them a pink tint. The results look soft and romantic. It works perfectly as a wedding photo preset.
Aquamarine Dreams actions give your photos a fresh and dreamy look. It’s ideal for spring or winter photos. It enhances the cool tones there already.
You can use it to edit portraits. But ensure you use a Photoshop layer mask to restore your subject’s skin color. If you don’t, their skin might look dull.
This belongs to the same person who made the previous Photoshop action. You can find hundreds of free Photoshop actions on her blog.
If you’re a landscape photographer who loves vibrant colors, the Mermaid free Photoshop action set is for you. It adds a color pop to your images.
There’s a cool turquoise or romantic pink tone, depending on the atmosphere you want to create. You end up with vibrant results and a tinted vignette.
The Sunny free Photoshop actions make any image look like it was taken during golden hour. You can choose from three effects. You also get one adjustment action and an extra surprise!
They all give your photos a look like the reference image below. Your final images should look sharp, warm, and ethereal.
Van Gogh Art is a unique Photoshop action for fans of Van Gogh’s oil painting style. It turns any image into a masterpiece resembling his famous oil paintings.
The action is quite complex, so you have many layers. Fortunately, you get access to each layer. So you can adjust each Photo setting to make your photos look as painterly as possible.
This sample set of Morgan Burks free Photoshop actions is for lifestyle, family, and portrait photographers. It works very well with backlit photos. It adds vibrance, gets rid of cool tones, and mutes highlights.
Watercolor Photoshop effects are very popular in the creative photography industry. The Watercolor free Photoshop action was made for photographers who love this effect.
It transforms any image into one that strongly resembles a watercolor painting. It is a great action for those who want to make creative photos for their clients or make their portfolios stand out more.
The Rustic Photoshop action helps you achieve a warm analog effect with your picture. It makes any image look like it was taken with a 35mm film camera. This action’s effects are very subtle. Because of this, you can use it to enhance almost any kind of photo.
Do you like making photos look old and textured? The Nothing But Memories Photoshop action helps you achieve that in a few simple clicks.
This action is for photographers who want to give their digital photos a faded analog look. It can be used in any genre of photography. But it might work best with landscape, still-life, and portrait photos.
BlackNull’s Modern Artist is an Adobe original. BlackNull, a well-known digital artist, originally made it. And it is one of the most complex Photoshop actions on our list.
It makes any image look like a graphic artist designed it. It is infinitely customizable. And it can help take your designs to the next level! Make sure you go through the tutorial to avoid making mistakes.
High-key photography has more highlights than shadows. It’s ideal for commercial, portrait, and even landscape photography. You can use it to make your subjects look optimistic and eye-catching.
The High-key free Photoshop action by Mark Galer makes a simple image pop! It’s an action set with two variations to simplify customization. Just make a few clicks, and you’re done!
Multiplicity is another free Photoshop action by Mark Galer. It focuses more on effects than color correction. Multiplicity creates a distorted look in your images.
As Mark Galer describes, it makes it seem like you have triple-vision. It works best with photos featuring architecture or intricate designs. The more details, the more interesting the final results!
Daguerreotypes introduced much of the public to photography. They were high in contrast and gave their models a haunting look. And some of them had a yellowish tint.
All of that inspired this Daguerreotype Photoshop action. Given the nature of daguerreotypes, this action works best when editing portraits.
Pop art gained popularity in the ’50s. It’s vibrant and has a comic-book feel to it. Back in the day, it was made to lift people’s spirits during a gloomy time in history.
You can achieve a similar effect using one of these Pop Art free Photoshop actions. They’re highly customizable. So you can edit them as much as you like after the action has done its work.
Forest Waterfalls is an exclusive set of free Photoshop actions for landscape photographers. More specifically, it’s for landscape photographers who shoot forests, waterfalls, rivers, etc.
These actions boost your photos’ color and sharpness. The results are meant to be subtle and natural. Thanks to these actions, you’ll likely save a lot of time.
The Space free Photoshop action gives your images a galactic feel. Your subject will stand out among a sky full of stars, vibrant lights, or smoke. This action is suitable for creative projects and design work. It’s guaranteed to make your photos stand out.
Orange and teal are colors that work wonderfully together. You might have seen them in images by popular photographers. They’re often used in lifestyle, portrait, and landscape photography.
This vibrant color duo gives your photos a surreal and dreamy look. This Orange and Teal pack has a set of five free Photoshop actions inspired by orange and teal. The different variations work well with any photo.
Science-fiction movies and TV shows often feature holograms. They’re effective thanks to their vibrance and sharpness.
The Hologram Photoshop action makes any photo look like it belongs in a science-fiction movie. All you need to do is brush it over your subject. The action does the rest.
The Fusion Photoshop action is ideal for portraits and fashion photos. Sometimes, you want to change the mood of your images. And the right change in color, contrast, or tint can make a significant difference.
It’s a simple and quick way to add unique effects and a personal touch to your pictures. This versatile action set is perfect for editing photos for publications, ads, posters, and graphics.
The best thing about the Sepia free Photoshop filter is that you don’t have to download it to test its effects. You can upload a sample image on the website and instantly see what your picture will look like.
When you download it, you get more customization options, which saves you time. This action gives your photos a brown tint with yellow highlights. It’s ideal for creating nostalgic monochrome images.
A blurred background can make your subject stand out more. It can also eliminate distractions and add depth to your image. The Blur Background Photoshop action helps you achieve this.
It comes with three variations, depending on how intense you want your background to look. After the action is applied, all you need to do is mask your subject. That way, only the backdrop is blurred.
If you’re a boudoir photographer, you know how important it is to make your model look as appealing as possible. This can be difficult to achieve if you have a deadline and a messy editing workflow.
These Boudoir free Photoshop actions are made specifically for romantic boudoir photography. They give images a soft, hazy, dreamy feel. There are even a few black-and-white options.
This set of free Photoshop actions by Greater Than Gatsby is perfect for wedding, portrait, and newborn photography. Each action is taken from the creator’s premium collections.
This is a great opportunity to try out their resources for free. And there’s one action in the set that’s not available in any of their exclusive products.
This is a simple but effective Mini Fusion action by MCP Actions. It’s perfect for newborn, portrait, and family photography. It gives your image a boost of color. And it works best with flat photos that lack vibrance.
Cross-processing comes from the darkroom. Photographers process their film using chemicals produced for different types or brands of film. It’s also known as X-Pro. And it used to be very popular in fashion photography.
The results are unpredictable but often look very cool. These Cross-Processing free Photoshop actions can simulate this effect with your digital photos.
A duotone effect is very popular in graphic design. It looks modern and timeless. These free Duotone Photoshop actions are perfect if you’re looking for a way to combine photography and graphic design.
This set features some excellent duotone effects. Use them to take your graphics to the next level and produce cool artwork. Experiment with different colors and fonts to create something unique!
If you’re into lifestyle and design photography, these Lifestyle free Photoshop actions you want. They take social media photos to the next level, especially if you’re an Instagram influencer.
Get the look you want with a few clicks. And luckily, this set is not a one-trick pony. You can also use them for creative adventure, portrait, and landscape photography.
Soft pastel is hip these days. It’s popular among photographers, bloggers, and graphic designers. This is an awesome set of free Pastel Effects Photoshop actions to turn your photos into beautiful pastel artwork.
It includes 40 different effects that can be used to impress your social media followers. These actions work well with most Photoshop versions.
Get this Retro Vintage Photoshop action set to add a retro flavor to your photos. This retro look is great for creative urban portraits. It might also fit with car photography and a lot more.
Try it out on a few of your photos. I’m sure you’ll like it for various genres of photography.
Light leaks are still popular in many types of photography. The Film Light Leak free Photoshop action pack simulates light leaks from film photography.
A light leak occurs when a small crack lets extra (unwanted) light in. The extra light exposes the film and creates surprising colors and effects. It’s perfect for social media. With a few clicks, you can make ordinary photos perfect for Instagram.
Here’s another set of free Photoshop actions to simplify portrait photo editing. These Skin Retouching actions with portrait photography and save yourself a lot of time.
This Photoshop action does all your necessary skin smoothing. This set works best with fashion portraits.
The Animated Glitch free Photoshop action adds movement to your photos. It’s a great way to add a unique glitching effect. It turns your photos into an animated GIF. It’s a great way to create quirky graphics.
Wedding photographers can also benefit from free Photoshop actions. The Vintage Wedding action makes your photos look like stylish, vintage photos. This style was and is still popular in wedding photography.
This bundle contains professional, elegant, color-enhancing actions. They add beautiful colors to your pictures. Both seasoned pros and enthusiasts will love using these.
Here’s a great action pack for baby and family photography. These free Fairy Photoshop actions offer a collection of lively pastel filters.
You can use these creative effects for blogging or Instagram. They can also work for food photography and ads.
Do you shoot outdoor weddings? The Royal Wedding free Photoshop actions offer a simple filter for wedding photos. With just a few clicks, you can add great colors and tones.
It’s optimized for outdoor photos and adds a unique look to every wedding. The contrast and colors in your photos will pop like never before.
Landscape photography is not easy. Sometimes, waiting for the right light to get the right shot takes hours.
This free Natural Light Photoshop action pack saves you a lot of hard work in post-production. Adjust the exposure, tones, brightness, and more to take your landscapes to the next level!
Can’t get enough of that glitch effect action? Here’s another one. This ’80s Glitch effect looks great on any photo to create interesting artwork. It’s easy to use and leaves an impression.
If you’re a portrait photographer, then you know retouching portraits is hard. You can’t go too far, or your photos look unnatural.
This Skin Retouching set is all about smoothening skin and beauty retouching. It makes your work a lot easier and faster. You have to pay for the full version. But the free ones are a few must-have portrait tools.
Do you feel like your photos are missing something? This Color Pop free Photoshop action makes the colors in boring photos pop. They add brightness and make those images lively and vibrant.
The free bundle includes 20 Photoshop actions and 20 Lightroom presets. With a few clicks, you’ll bring your photos to life.
Don’t let the countless editing possibilities of Photoshop intimidate you. Many photographers have done the work for you by creating these free Photoshop actions.
Add cool effects to your photos in a few clicks, making your editing process much easier and faster. Most actions work with any version of Adobe Photoshop.
When you’re done experimenting with these free Photoshop actions, why not create some actions yourself? Photoshop actions reduce the time you spend editing your photos.