Nerd Party // How to Use Photoshop Actions

Photoshop Actions are my favorite way to spice up my photos. It’s just like using the filters on Instagram – they add brightness, depth or color to otherwise bland photos.

Here’s a quick tutorial on how they work…

Once you’ve downloaded a new action set you’ll need to add it to Photoshop. Copy and paste the files into the Actions folder under Presets. (This is where you can add brushes, shapes and patterns too)

To use the actions, click the drop down menu in the corner of the palette and choose Load Actions. Then find your action files under Photoshop > Presets > Actions.

Select the action you’d like to use and then click the play button at the bottom of the menu.

If you find the action to be a little overwhelming, you can select that layer and then turn down the opacity. I use this if I want just a touch of brightness or color, but still want to retain the original qualities of the photo.

Some actions come with lots of layers – you can alter the action by clicking the down arrow to open the group and adjust the opacity on each layer or turn them off until your photo looks just right.

I mostly use Pioneer Woman action sets. You can also get actions from Totally Rad, 100 free Photoshop actions, Smashing Magazine, and Instagram filters as Photoshop actions.

If you’ve gone through my tutorial then I say you’ve earned a few nerd points! Feel free to grab the button and post it on your blog :)

If you have a Blogger, WordPress, Photoshop, HTML, oh so nerdy question, feel free to leave a comment and I’ll answer it in the next round of Nerd Q & A. P.S. Make sure your question hasn’t been covered in a past Nerd Q&A post :)

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