I got it in my head last week to figure out the differences between Photoshop and Photoshop Elements. After downloading the Photoshop trial, and experimenting a little (okay, a LOT), I feel like I owe everyone a big apology for saying that some of the Tip Shares I’ve written would work for Photoshop. It’s been a while since I actually used a recent version of Photoshop, and I didn’t fully anticipate allllll of the changes. My brief assessment? It’s really different, just enough different to be confusing.

That doesn’t mean that you can’t do them in Photoshop – you can; just not the same way I did it. Some things are easier, and some are harder in Photoshop versus Elements (like color correcting a photo – that’s easier for me in Elements). So, if you tried to follow a Tip Share of mine in regular Photoshop and it didn’t work? That’s on me.

But I had another purpose for downloading Photoshop – I wanted to learn how to make actions.

If you aren’t familiar with actions, they are preset, automated groups of steps for Photoshop and Photoshop Elements. All of the photos in this post show the original photo, then what it looks like after an action. With a click of my mouse, the action runs, and my photo gets processed. Then, all I have to do is go in and tweak it a little. They can be such a time saver if you want your photos edited/processed a particular way. They can also be really fun, and give your photos a playful look.

Erin and I were emailing last week, and I confessed that I actually like the editing process (I really do). I like creating moods with my photos, and playing with different techniques. After a few tries, I figured out the basics on creating an action (thanks to YouTube), but I think it’ll take a little while longer to make them look pretty.

Thankfully, while I experiment with making my own, there are tons of fantastic Photoshop actions out there. My favorite and most used actions have to be from Florabella Collection. They aren’t free, but I think they are absolutely worth it. I’ve used the Color & Haze and Vintage actions over and over on my personal photos – so, so lovely. And Florabella’s All-in-One Texture Action takes all of the textures I’ve been collecting to a new level.

Other paid actions I’ve got my eye on:

What if you want to try it one out before you commit to buying an action set? Then check out these links:

Couple of things to keep in mind. Be sure to use/buy an action that matches the version of Photoshop or Elements you have. Certain tools and menus aren’t always available in earlier versions of the same program, and, as I’ve rediscovered myself, there is a difference between the way Photoshop and Elements handles things. MCP Actions is a fabulous place to start because they offer different options for both programs so that you can find the version you use easily.

And not every action will look good on every photo, just like not every texture will work for every photo. But I’ve been happy with using the actions I’ve got on the majority of the photos I take!

I’d love to know – got a favorite action? I’m always on the look out for a new toy.