Not too long ago, Drea posted some great info here on Photo Bliss about using free actions to automate processes in Photoshop Elements. She mentioned CoffeeShop, whose Creamy Toffee Latte action I used for this belly button shot. 
Here are some other places to find Photoshop Elements friendly freebies!
One caveat before you start downloading – confirm that these actions are compatible with your version of Photoshop Elements and with your operating system (Mac, Vista, XP).
- Graficalicus - Not only does Graffi have a great free action sampler pack, he also has good tutorials in his blog, and he posts free stuff there from time to time. The free sampler pack has these actions, among others: Soft Black & White, Old Romance, and Sketch.
- Grant’s Tools - totally free set of 10 actions that gives missing Photoshop functions to Photoshop Elements. Free is good! Some of the actions you get are Layer Masks, Channels and Curves. No one has an excuse not to use Layer Masks now!
- Elements Plus - up to 145 free actions that “reveal the hidden functions in Photoshop Elements” to make it more like Photoshop itself. It has a great black & white conversion, paths and a watermarker.
- virtualPhotographer by optikVerve Labs - I can’t even count how many effects you can get here – all for free! These actions are compatible with Paint Shop Pro too. virtualPhotographer will help you modify color, create soft focus, add film grain and more. Here is the Faded effect from virtualPhotographer:
- Panos FX - Lots of fun effects here, like Out of Bounds, Rubik’s Cube, and Rainy Day (see below).
Installing Actions in Photoshop Elements
Some of these actions automatically install themselves. Unfortunately, you have to install the others yourself. The process sounds intimidating, but it’s not! Tutorials for installing actionsin Photoshop Elements 4, 5, 6 & 7 on XP and Vista are available on my blog. Happy Photoshopping!
The contest for a free copy of Photoshop Elements 7/Premiere Elements 7 is running on my blogthrough December 21. Click through and comment on any post I make in December for a chance to win! Good luck!
Erin is a bookish SAHM, former Latin teacher and occasional CPA. She is Episcopalian, a yellow dog democrat and a British royal history addict. She is trying to add photography to her repertoire due to a moral obligation to document for posterity the extreme cuteness of her husband and two daughters. Her blog, DigitalPhotographyForMoms.net offers tips and short cuts to help other Moms create great pictures of their kids.
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I LOVE FREE THINGS! Thank you for gathering them up and posting them!
Oh yes!! Love it!
Thanks for this… VERY helpful!
Just a warning — the free download for PS7 from Graficalicus is filled with viruses.
Jaye,
I hate to hear that you had issues with that download! What happened?
Erin
When I downloaded the file, my antivirus software “quarantined” it because it contained viruses.
Incidentally, thank you for the post, Erin. I’ve been having a wonderful time with the VirtualPhotographer download — it’s probably more than I’ll ever need.
You are welcome, Jaye! That virtualPhotog is fabulous! I’m so glad you’re using it.
If you’re interested in the Graficalicus stuff, you could post a comment on his blog. He’s been very responsive with helping me in the past, and he might be able to tell you if some anti-virus software doesn’t like his actions.
I have just purchased photoshop elements 7 and must be a real dummy.* cant even figure out how to get a photo in the right place to edit it,muchless understaning how to…Can anyone help me..Evev a tip or two would be nice
Thank you
Hi Carroll,
I’m sure we can help you. Have you figured out how to get your photo in the right place to edit it? I’m not quite sure what you’re asking, but we’ll figure it out.
I have lots of tutorials on my website (www.DigitalPhotographyForMoms.net). You might start with some of those. And there is a link to email me directly if you have more questions.
Erin
Thanks a lot for posting these Erin, I’l definitely try all of these. I only got 10 free actions from Elements plus demo version, not ”up to 145 free actions that “reveal the hidden functions in Photoshop Elements” to make it more like Photoshop itself. It has a great black & white conversion, paths and a watermarker. ” as written above. Am I missing something?