The 25 Best Photoshop Actions for Creating Stunning Art Effects

Photoshop actions can take much of the guesswork out of editing and finishing your photos. However, if you don’t have a handy set of resources on hand, it might be difficult to figure out how to proceed.

That’s why we’ve put together this collection of Photoshop actions that make it super easy to add artistic effects to your images. So, whether you want to make your photo look like an oil painting or you require a more subdued effect, this collection will serve you well.

Code Art is an excellent choice for adding cool art effects to your photographs.

It works with portraits as well as full-body photos, and it contains ten different color effects. Just add the action, and your file will be layered and organized accordingly. This one’s a real time-saver.

This action helps to imitate the look of a pencil drawing in your photographs. It’s easy to use and can be applied with just a few clicks. Once the action has generated the graphical elements, you can adjust them to suit your needs.

This action is non-destructive and includes six paper textures, eight color corrections, 28 brushes, and 14 patterns.

Another great option is the Mix Art 3 Action. This Photoshop action can be put into use with one click, and the result is a look that mimics a watercolor painting.

You can experiment with the layers created here to create an original effect you can be happy with. While pros can definitely use this action, beginners can use it as well right out of the box, as it were.

The Generative Geometric Art Photoshop Action is another great option to select. It adds a geometric effect to your photos with a single click. It’s a set of 5 actions that offer different design and color variations.

And you can tweak these actions to create a variety of different looks. This action comes with full instructions and tutorials as well.

If you want to add a retro look to your photos, you’ll want to check out the Retro Art Photoshop Action. It adds an exciting artistic effect to your images that various vintage looks to typography and splashes.

All layers are fully editable, and the action comes with a video tutorial and help text file.

The Chroma Art Photoshop Action makes it easy to transform your photos into pieces of art that look like mixed-media artwork. It works best on all sorts of types of photos, including portraits as well as images of inanimate objects.

This action also comes with ten color presets that can be added with just a single click. This action also comes with full instructions so you can get it up and running quickly.

The Drawing Art Animation Photoshop Action adds a cool effect to your photographs. Not only is it a time-saver, but it also makes it straightforward to add the look of a hand-drawn piece of art to your images.

It comes with complete and detailed instructions that make getting started super easy.

This Grunge Art Photoshop Action adds a dark and gritty look to your photographs. With just a few clicks, you can create a real moody look to your images with minimal effort.

The action is multilingual, non-destructive, and automatically creates layers that you can go back and adjust manually later if you wish. While this action works predictably, the results can be different each time to create a truly unique effect.

The Piratum Map Art Photoshop Action has a pretty novel effect. When applied to your photos, it turns the image into a vintage-looking graphic like that of a hand-drawn map.

The result is an old-style image with tons of tiny details. With a single click, you can put it into action. It comes with ten color presets and a full video tutorial to get you up and running.

The Sketch Art Photoshop Action turns your photo into a realistic-looking painting that still has the underlying sketch visible. It can be used for personal or commercial use and implemented with just a few clicks.

It automatically creates all the requisite layers, which can be adjusted manually as well. Additionally, this action comes with ten brushes, five textures, and a quick startup guide.

The Spray Paint Photoshop Action is a set of 10 different effects that you apply to your photos immediately. Each creates the look of spray paint art on your photographs.

It can be applied to logos, text, and portraits. The result mimics street art, and it’s super impactful. It can be applied with one click, it’s easy to use, and it is multilingual.

The Pixel Art Photoshop Action is another fantastic choice for your creative projects. It adds a retro, pixelated look to any image you apply it to. With just a few clicks, you can take your images from boring to works of art.

The result is a photo that looks like it came from the 80s or 90s. Once applied, you can adjust individual layers and gradient masks to further refine the look.

The Blood Art Photoshop Action turns any photo you select into a moody and distinct artwork. Once applied, it adds a sort of cloudy blood effect.

It also comes with ten color effects, and it creates well-organized layers and structure when applied.

Another option is the Pixel Art Photoshop Action. This one turns your photo into a retro-looking image that looks like it came from a vintage video game.

This one comes with 21 actions, 32 tones, a variety of color palettes, and more. It also works in any language and on Mac and PC.

The Ink Art Photoshop Action turns your photos into something that looks like it’s been hand-drawn. The result mimics Sumi-e styled ink wash artwork and is definitely worth a second glance.

After you apply the effect, you can tweak various settings to customize the outcome. It comes with ten color presets and serves as a real-time saver as well.

You might also want to consider the Street Art Photoshop Action. As its name would suggest, this action transforms your images into pieces that look like street art.

It works ideally with portraits and inanimate objects, and the result makes it appear as though parts of the photo have been drawn by a graffiti artist. It automatically creates layers (which you can adjust) and comes with video and PDF tutorials.

Another option is the Modern Art 3 Photoshop Action. This one combines the look of your real photography with watercolor and acrylic paint effects, which creates a truly unique look in the end.

To use it, all you need to do is fill the subject of your photo with a color and then click play on the action. That’s it! It also comes with a video tutorial and a text-based Readme file that walk you through setup and usage.

As its name would suggest, the Mix Art Photoshop Action makes it a snap to turn your ordinary photos into pieces of mixed media art that look like they should appear in a museum.

All it takes is a couple of clicks to apply, and the actions can be put into motion on your portraits, inanimate object photos, cityscapes, and more. It comes with ten color presets, is easy to use, and allows for customization once applied.

Give your images the appearance of newspaper print with that Newspaper Art Photoshop Action.

This one turns your image into an abstract piece of art by adding letters and tidbits of newspaper graphics into geometric patterns that make up the subject of your photo. It comes with a full video tutorial, so you can get started using it in a hurry.

What an excellent effect this action creates! The Digital Art Photoshop Action turns your photographs into images that look as though they’ve been hand-painted. The result is highly realistic, with all the textures you’d expect from an oil or acrylic painting.

It works best on portraits and inanimate objects and can be customized to suit your needs. It also comes with 15 color presets for greater variety.

Don’t leave this look to guesswork. Instead of fiddling with settings endlessly, you can take full advantage of the Oil Paint Animation Photoshop Action to give your photographs the appearance of having been painted by hand.

The result is high quality, customizable and attractive. It also comes with a video tutorial and a text file so you can get started immediately.

Still another option you might wish to consider is the Vintage Art Action. This one works by combining splashes, brushes, and colors to create a vintage look. It’s easy to apply and creates a professional look with minimal effort.

It can be used for a wide variety of image types like flyers, ads, and more. Plus, it comes with full instructions, so you won’t be left in the dark about its use.

Here’s another action that brings the look of street art to your photographs. The result is highly realistic and fully layered, so you can customize every aspect.

It comes with 11 graffiti tags, five wall styles, and ten color effects so that you can achieve many different looks with this action. It comes with a help file as well.

The Concept Mix Art Photoshop Action is an excellent addition to your collection. It turns your photos into mixed media pieces with the look of watercolor splashes and pen marks.

Use it on portraits, figures, and inanimate objects. It’s layered and comes with many effects you can customize, including ten color presets and five print textures, as well as a full video tutorial.

The Fine Art Mobile Photoshop Action comes with 11 different presets that make it easy to give your photos a modern look.

Add creamy skin tones, drama, and more with just a few clicks. Most only take a few seconds to apply, and you’ll quickly find you can use them in a vast number of ways.

Last on our list is the Watercolor Splash Art Photoshop Action. This one gives your photo the appearance of having been created using watercolors and plenty of splatter effects.

Use it on any image you’d like, and feel free to customize the final layers the action creates to suit your fancy. It comes with 15 color presets and full instructions as well.

There you have it! Our complete collection of art Photoshop actions that you simply can’t pass up. Each of these offers something a little bit different, so it’s well worth the effort to check them all out.

What you’ll likely find is that they can be used in different circumstances. So feel free to experiment and play around. These actions are non-destructive, so your original images will always stay intact. Enjoy!