How to Make Realistic Watercolor Effects in Photoshop in 5 steps

Several of our Photoshop Actions come with beautiful watercolor effects that will turn your photo into a realistic painting, and do so easily!

Top watercolor effect Photoshop actions are:

In this article, we will show you how to create a realistic watercolor painting effect in Photoshop with Wet Watercolor Photoshop Action. You will also learn how to customize and create your masterpiece watercolor painting.

Here are the 5 steps to make a realistic watercolor effect.

STEP 1 – Open your image

Open your image in Photoshop. You can use any image which you want maybe a portrait or landscape, etc. To open your photo, go to File > Open, choose your photo, and click Open. Now, before we get started, just check a couple of things:

Your photo should be in RGB Color mode, To check this, go to Image > Mode.
For best results, recommended image size is 3000px wide/high. To check this, go to Image > Image Size.

STEP 2 – Install watercolor Photoshop action

In this section, we are going to download watercolor effect Photoshop filter and install it in Photoshop. Click here to download Wet Watercolor Photoshop Action

Then install the action file as shown below:

1, Inside Photoshop, go to the File > Open…

Inside the Open window, navigate to the Photoshop action folder

2, Select the following files, Action (.atn file), Brush (.abr file), and Pattern (.pat file)

3, Click Open to load files in Photoshop.

Done! The action files are ready to use.

STEP 3 – Brush the subject area

The subject area of the photo where you want to apply watercolor effects needs to be brushed before playing the action. Follow the below steps to brush the subject area.

Create a new layer, go to Layer > New > Layer
With this new layer selected, brush the subject area with any color

3. Select the brush tool, On the top toolbar, make sure Mode is Normal, and both opacity and flow values are set to 100%.

STEP 4 – Play action

Open the Actions panel, select the WET WATERCOLOR action, and click Play. Playback time can vary based on your system performance.

After playing the main Wet watercolor action you can run extra actions to get additional watercolor effects. There are 4 extra actions included, they are:

Colorful
Black & White
Creative
Default

The extra action “[Extra]Creative” applies additional watercolor splatter effects to your image as shown below.

The extra action “[Extra]Black & White” turns your artwork into a black & white watercolor painting.

In a similar way, you can also try other extra actions to create different watercolor effects.

STEP 5 – customize to add more details

To add more details to the painting select the mask area of the layer “Add details – Masking”. Then, with white color in the foreground, brush on the area where you want to have more details.

The results will resemble the below image. Here details of the painting increased after masking with a white color brush.

Extra 10+ color options are also included. Tweak each layer to Create your masterpiece watercolor painting. Unlimited possibilities. A PDF “Help file” is also included with detailed instructions.

Here are final outcomes:

After adding details to the painting.

Examples

How To Add Actions To Photoshop – 2022

Welcome to GOGIVO Photoshop Actions!

Installing Photoshop Actions is extremely easy now. This article reveals the easiest way to install Photoshop action files in a few clicks, successfully tested, and works with all versions of Photoshop.

For advanced painting photoshop actions, you may need to install multiple files like Photoshop action, brushes, and Patterns. Let’s look into the easy way to install photoshop action files.

How to install actions to Photoshop

METHOD 1

Installing Photoshop actions is super simple. Follow the below steps:

1, Inside Photoshop, go to the File > Open…

Inside the Open window, navigate to the Photoshop action folder

2, Select the following files, Action (.atn file), Brush (.abr file), and Pattern (.pat file)(Depending on the action set that you’ve downloaded there could be 1 to 3 files to install.)

3, Click Open to load files in Photoshop.

Done! The action files are ready to use.

METHOD 2

There is an alternative way to install action files in Photoshop. In this case, you need to install action, brushes, and pattern files separately.

To install the Actions file:

Go to the top menu WINDOW –> ACTIONS, to open the Actions panel.

2) On this panel click the menu icon at the top-right corner and select LOAD ACTIONS.

3) Select the action file(.atn) you wish to install and then click “Load”.

Your ACTION will now appear in the actions palette and are ready to be used.

To install the Brushes file:

1) Go to the top menu WINDOW –> BRUSHES, to open the Brushes panel.

2) On this panel click the menu icon at the top-right corner and select IMPORT BRUSHES.

3) Select the BRUSHES (.abr) you wish to install and then click “Load”.

Your “Brushes” will now appear in the brushes palette and are ready to be used.

To install the Patterns file:

1) Go to the top menu WINDOW –> PATTERNS, to open the Patterns panel.

2) On this panel click the menu icon at the top-right corner and select IMPORT PATTERNS.

3) Select the PATTERN (.pat) you wish to install and then click “Load”.

Your ” PATTERN ” will now appear in the PATTERN palette and are ready to be used.

Done! The action files are ready to use.

When you restart your computer brushes and patterns files installed this way tend to disappear. So please re-install Photoshop actions, brushes, and pattern files if you restart your computer.

How to use Photoshop actions in Photoshop

To apply and use Photoshop actions, the first step is to open the Actions palette. To open the Actions palette, go to “Window” and click on “Actions” from the dropdown menu.

Brush the Subject Area

(Leave this step if you are using a normal photo-editing action. So please confirm it by checking the detailed instructions provided with each action). For advanced painting Photoshop actions like Watercolor effect Photoshop action, the subject area of the photo needs to be brushed/marked before playing the action. Follow the below steps to brush the subject area.

Create a new layer, go to Layer > New > Layer
With this new layer selected, brush the subject area with any color

Select the brush tool, On the top toolbar, make sure Mode is Normal, and both opacity and flow values are set to 100%.

Play Action

With the Photoshop actions already loaded, and the Subject area layer selected, play the action as shown below.

Click the action you would like to run.

Navigate to the bottom of the Actions palette.
Click this “Play” button(triangle shape) and wait for the action to complete.

Once the action is complete, you can click the visibility “eyeball” next to the newly created layer group and see the effect before and after the action is applied.

As a bonus, Gogivo actions include a step-by-step PDF help file with easy-to-follow instructions.

4 Steps To Use Actions In Photoshop Elements

1, Open your image

2, Install action files

3, Brush Subject area

4, Play action

1 ) Open Your Image

a, Open your image in Photoshop Elements

b, Set image mode to RGB color Image > Mode > RGB color

c, Recommended image size is 3000px. Image > Resize > Image size

2) INSTALL Action Files

Follow the below steps to add actions, brushes and pattern files to Photoshop Elements:

a, Inside Photoshop Elements, go to the File > Open…

Inside the Open window, navigate to the Photoshop action folder

b, Select the following files, Action (.atn file), Brush (.abr file), and Pattern (.pat file)(Depending on the action set that you’ve downloaded there could be 1 to 3 files to install.)

c, Click Open to load files in Photoshop Elements.

3) BRUSH Subject Area

a, Create a new layer and brush subject area with any color

b, Select brush tool, make sure Mode is Normal, and opacity set to 100%

4) PLAY ACTION

a, Open Action panel by going to Window > Actions.

Now select your action and click Play

Done. Tweak layers to customize your artwork

When you restart your computer brushes and patterns files installed this way tend to disappear. So please re-install Photoshop actions, brushes, and pattern files if you restart your computer.

11 Free Best Photoshop Actions For Creative Photography 2022

Photoshop Actions help us to automate tasks in Photoshop. Photographers & designers are commonly using Photoshop actions for photo editing and to create digital paintings. And with a single click, you can create everything from improved portraits to professional watercolor painting.

Similar to Plugins, Photoshop Actions are also useful for special effects and more complex postproduction. It helps us to save a lot of time and effort.

You can also make your own Actions or get them from other professionals. In this article, we would like to share with you 10 amazing free Best Photoshop Actions that are available online.

1) FREE Color Pencil Sketch Photoshop Action

DOWNLOAD HERE

This is an excellent set action for those who like creative artworks. It converts your photo to a beautiful color pencil sketch. Easy to customize and improve. 10+ color effects included. You can even create black & white sketches with these effects. Save hours of work with this action.

Please go through the video tutorial before playing the action.

2) FREE Wet Watercolor Photoshop Action

DOWNLOAD HERE

This amazing watercolor effect Photoshop action transforms your images into beautiful watercolor paintings within few clicks. Now anyone can create paintings like a professional watercolor artist.

3) FREE Fogo Photoshop Action

DOWNLOAD HERE

This free Photoshop action will give your images a soothing feel. Your subject will stand out amongst fog & smoke.

This action is suitable for creative projects and design work. It’s guaranteed to make your photos stand out from the rest.

4) FREE Vectro Photoshop Action

DOWNLOAD HERE

This is one of the most creative Photoshop actions on this list. It will make any image look like it was designed by a graphic artist. The action is infinitely customizable and can help you take your design work to the next level. You can even make professional vector illustrations by tracing this artwork in Adobe Illustrator. Make sure you go through the tutorial to avoid making mistakes.

5) FREE Explodo Photoshop Action

DOWNLOAD HERE

This color explosion effect is a unique idea for your creative photography. combined with movement, it can add a whole new level of drama to your images. It works best with colorful photos. The more movement there is, the better!

You can set different directions for color explosion by choosing different direction actions.

6) FREE Michelangelo Photoshop Action

DOWNLOAD HERE

Watercolor Photoshop actions are very popular in the creative photography industry. This free Photoshop action was made for photographers who love this effect. It will transform any image into something that strongly resembles a watercolor painting on a wooden texture.

7) FREE Color Mixer Photoshop Action

DOWNLOAD HERE

Sometimes, all you need to do is add a pop of color to your images. The right kind of color correction can make a significant difference in your work. A few simple edits can make your image worthy of being featured in magazines, on book covers, and in posters.

There are 10 effects you can choose from, all of which will give your photos different types of color effects. Try each effect and see the wonder it make in your photos.

8) FREE Sketch Photoshop Action

DOWNLOAD HERE

This is a unique Photoshop action for fans of the pencil drawing look. It will turn any image into something that resembles a hand-drawn pencil sketch! Action delivers you a well-organized and structured file with many layers, folders, and settings to improve the final result. So, you can adjust each setting to make your photos look as creative as possible.

9) FREE Coloringo Photoshop Action

DOWNLOAD HERE

This free Photoshop action will add a color dust explosion effect to your images. This dust effect looks great on any artwork. It’s easy to use, and you’ll impress everybody in no time!

10) FREE Blast Photoshop Action

DOWNLOAD HERE

Particle effects give your photographs high energy and movement. This Photoshop action will make any photo look like it belongs in an action-thriller movie.

The results are unpredictable but often look very cool. With these free Photoshop actions, you can simulate this effect in your digital photos.

11) FREE Color Wave Photoshop Action

DOWNLOAD HERE

This is an awesome free action that gives your image dynamic dust particle dispersion effects within just one click. All you need to do is brush over your subject. The action will do the rest.

Conclusion

Photoshop actions can reduce the time you spend editing your photos. Add cool effects to your photos in a few clicks and make your editing process a lot easier and faster. You can also create your own actions to make your workflow easier.

Want More? Try our Top 30 Photoshop Action Bundle

Do you want to see some professional photo effects that you have never seen before? Please check out “Top 30 Photoshop Actions Bundle”.

Frequently Asked Questions(FAQ): Photoshop Actions

We’ve compiled a list of frequently asked questions for your convenience. If you have other questions, feel free to email us at info@gogivo.com. “INDEX OF QUESTIONS” shows the points we cover in this article and you can quickly scroll to the relevant section.

INDEX OF QUESTIONS

1, What are Photoshop actions?

2, How do I install my Photoshop action files?

3, Is there any alternative way to install action files?

4, How to solve the error “could not fill because no pattern has been defined”

5, How to solve the error “The object ‘brush’ is not currently available”

6, How to solve the error “no pixels selected”.

7, How to solve the error “The command “Oil Paint Plugin” is not currently available.”

8, Do the actions work on Photoshop elements?

1, What are Photoshop actions?

Photoshop actions are time-saving tools that allow you to create stunning visual effects to your images within a few clicks. You can do photo editing like a professional artist within Adobe Photoshop with these awesome photo filters. Super easy to use.

For example, using the wonder watercolor Photoshop action you can add a realistic watercolor effect to turn your photo to the next level. Extremely easy to use, anyone can create great artworks within a few clicks.

2, How do I install my Photoshop action files?

Installing our Photoshop action packs is super simple. Follow below steps:

1, Unzip the Photoshop action pack .zip file you downloaded from us.

2, Inside Photoshop, go to the File > Open…

Inside the Open window, navigate to the Photoshop action folder

3, Select the following files, Action (.atn file), Brush (.abr file), and Pattern (.pat file)(Depending on the action set that you’ve downloaded there could be 1 to 3 files to install.)

4, Click Open to load files in Photoshop.

Done! The action files are ready to use.

3, Is there any alternative way to install action files?

Yes. There is an alternative method to install action files. (Depending on the action set that you’ve downloaded there could be 1 to 3 files to install).

To install the Actions file:

Go to the top menu WINDOW –> ACTIONS, to open the Actions panel..
On this panel click the menu icon at the top-right corner and select LOAD ACTIONS.
Select the action file(.atn) you wish to install and then click “Load”.
Your ACTION will now appear in the actions palette and are ready to be used.

To install the Brushes file:

Go to the top menu WINDOW –> BRUSHES, to open the Brushes panel.
On this panel click the menu icon at the top-right corner and select IMPORT BRUSHES.
Select the BRUSHES (.abr) you wish to install and then click “Load”.
Your “Brushes” will now appear in the brushes palette and are ready to be used.

To install the Patterns file:

Go to the top menu WINDOW –> PATTERNS, to open the Patterns panel.
On this panel click the menu icon at the top-right corner and select IMPORT PATTERNS.
Select the PATTERN (.pat) you wish to install and then click “Load”.
Your ” PATTERN ” will now appear in the PATTERN palette and are ready to be used.

4, How to solve the error “could not fill because no pattern has been defined”

This error message shows that the pattern file is not loaded correctly. Please load the Pattern file again.

Go to the top menu WINDOW –> PATTERNS, to open the Patterns panel.
On this panel click the menu icon at the top-right corner and select IMPORT PATTERNS.
Select the PATTERN (.pat) you wish to install and then click “Load”.
Your ” PATTERN ” will now appear in the PATTERN palette and are ready to be used.

After installing action, brushes & pattern please play action again.

5, How to solve the error “The object ‘brush’ is not currently available”

This error message shows that the Brush file is not loaded correctly. Please load the Brush file again as shown below.

Go to the top menu WINDOW –> BRUSHES, to open the Brushes panel.
On this panel click the menu icon at the top-right corner and select IMPORT BRUSHES.
Select the BRUSHES (.abr) you wish to install and then click “Load”.
Your “Brushes” will now appear in the brushes palette and are ready to be used.

After installing action, brushes & pattern please play action again.

6, How to solve the error “no pixels selected”.

Please make sure to follow the below 5 steps before playing the action.

Please set image size is to 3000px
Set image mode to RGB color.
Set brush opacity & flow to 100%
Create a new layer and brush the subject area with any color
This new layer should be selected while playing the action.

This error will be solved by following these steps. Please contact us if you need any further assistance.

7, How to solve the error “The command “Oil Paint Plugin” is not currently available.”

In the case of Photo retouch action & Vector actions, there are two separate action files included for different versions of Photoshop.

If you are using the Photoshop CS6 version, install the action file from the folder “for CS6”.

If you are using Photoshop CC+ versions (CC 2014 to 2022+), install the action file from the folder “for CC+”.

Please confirm if you installed the right action file for your Photoshop version.

Please let us know if still there is an issue.

8, Do the actions works on Photoshop elements?

All Photoshop actions may not work with Photoshop Elements. However following Photoshop actions successfully tested and working for Photoshop Elements too (Photoshop elements15, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022 versions, Windows or Mac.)

1, Premio Watercolor Photoshop Action

2, Pen & Watercolor Photoshop Action

3, Architecto Photoshop Action

4, Vintageo Photoshop Action

5, Double Exposure Photoshop Actions

6, Premio 2 Photoshop Action

7, Painto Photoshop Action

8, Dispersion Photoshop Action

Still need help?

If you have further questions, feel free to email us by clicking here. We are always here to help you.

Are you looking for something more than these Photoshop actions? You will find a lot of helpful material at gogivo.com.

8 Best Actions For Photoshop And Photoshop Elements

Actions for Photoshop helps you to create stunning visual effects on your photos by applying beautiful Photoshop filters. It helps you speed up your workflow and let you create premium photo effects, even if you don’t know how to make them.

Actions Are Made in Photoshop Only. So there are many premium and free photoshop actions for photographers, but only a limited amount of Actions that work with Photoshop Elements. Finding the best suitable Photoshop Element Action for editing quickly and applying beautiful photo effects in a single click is quite challenging. Making it easier for you, we are revealing the Best actions for Photoshop that also work with Photoshop Elements.

1. Double Exposure Photoshop Actions:

DOWNLOAD HERE

Double Exposure is a unique photo editing technique that lets you blend two photos creatively. It combines a silhouette photo and a normal photo into one image to create abstract digital art. If you want to improve and customize unlimited photos by adding some magical effects in just a single click, then Double Exposure Photoshop Actions are perfect. With ease of use, this Photo filter converts your work into something professional and more artistic.
This double exposure action was successfully tested and optimized for both Photoshop and Photoshop Elements.

2. Premio Watercolor Photoshop Action:

DOWNLOAD HERE

An amazing photoshop action. Premio is the best watercolor effect Photoshop filter. If you desire to add a premium watercolor effect to your image, Premio Watercolor Photoshop action is the first option. Within just one click you get an extraordinary masterpiece.

Brilliant tool for transforming your favorite images! The sophistication of watercolor brush applications gives wonderful and inspiring results. The surprise is that it also successfully works with Photoshop Elements.

3. Pen and Watercolor Photoshop Action:

DOWNLOAD HERE

Pen and watercolor Photoshop action make your editing job much easier by converting your photos into eye-catching watercolor pen sketch artwork. This photoshop painting filter is a combination of Photoshop watercolor effect and photoshop sketch. With this photoshop plugin, you also get a PDF how-to-do guide, Photoshop brushes, multiple colors, patterns, editable graphic patterns, well-organized folders, and whatnot. Pen & watercolor action successfully tested in both Photoshop and Photoshop Elements.

Free Download Pencil Sketch Photoshop Action

4. Architecto Photoshop Action:

DOWNLOAD HERE

Architecto Photoshop Action is a vintage-style photoshop sketch filter that applies an architectural drawing effect to your photos. Not only is it simple to generate the watercolor drawing effect, it then becomes lots of fun playing around with all the layers! Everything remains layered giving you lots of creative control. This photo filter also gives the best results in Photoshop Elements.

5. Vintageo Photoshop Action:

DOWNLOAD HERE

Want to apply retro effects to your images? Vintageo Photoshop Action is the right choice for you. Adding funky, nostalgic, and vintage effects to your pictures, the easy-to-use action, with many features, is suitable for a wide variety of pictures. This vintage photoshop filter was fully tested and worked for Photoshop Elements too.

6. Painto Photoshop Action:

DOWNLOAD HERE

Painto Photoshop Action can turn your picture into a realistic acrylic painting effect in just a single click. Whether you want to edit a photo of your family, bird, flower, portraits, fashion, or any other event or celebration, with this amazing Photo effect you get compelling results. This creative Photoshop filter successfully works with both Photoshop & Photoshop elements.

7. Premio 2 Photoshop Action:

DOWNLOAD HERE

Add a creative yet smooth watercolor effect to your portraits and images using Premio 2 Photoshop Action. With this creative watercolor effect Photoshop filter, you can create unique watercolor art within a few clicks. Delivering you a multi-layered structured file, this Photoshop Element Action is so much fun playing with it.

8. Dispersion Photoshop Action:

DOWNLOAD HERE

Dispersion Photoshop action lets you add innovative and creative dispersion effects to your favorite photos. This creative Photoshop filter allows making dispersion effect in multiple directions. All you have to do is just select the dispersion area and apply the Photoshop filter. Yes, you can create this dispersion effect in Photoshop Elements too.

Want More Photo filters?

Please check out the “Top 30 Photoshop Action Bundle“, all these Photoshop elements actions are included in this photo effect collection with a huge discount. Are you looking for something more than these Photoshop Element actions? You will find a lot of helpful material at gogivo.com.

Download our Top 30 Photoshop Actions

Top 5 Photoshop Actions that turn your photo to amazing artwork

Post-processing is an important part of digital photography. However, spending hours in front of a computer screen editing is not a favorite activity for most photographers. Surely you want to spend more time capturing great external images instead of tweaking them. Using Photoshop actions is one of the best ways to solve this problem. These plugins can convert your photos to awesome artwork within a few clicks. In this article, we introduce you Top 5 Photoshop Actions at Gogivo.

1. Wonder Watercolor Photoshop Action

wonder watercolor photoshop action preview_1 — wonder watercolor photoshop action

The best realistic watercolor Photoshop effect which you can find at Gogivo is Wonder Watercolor Photoshop action. It can convert your photos to realistic watercolor painting within a few clicks. Your photos will have the highly detailed painting in the easiest possible way. With 15+ color effects and 50+ Photoshop brushes, you can easily customize this Wonder Watercolor Photoshop Action from Gogivo.

By taking this Photoshop action to your artwork, you can save hours of work. Wonder Watercolor Photoshop Action delivers you a well-organized and structured file with many layers, folders, and settings to improve the final result. It works perfectly work on Mac or PC and is successfully tested and works on Photoshop CS3, CS4, CS5, CS6, CC 2015, CC 2017, CC 2018, CC 2019, CC 2020, CC 2021, and CC2022+.

DOWNLOAD NOW!

2. Gif Animated Twinkle Photoshop Action

Another Photoshop Action that can’t be missed at Gogivo is Gif Animated Twinkle Photoshop Action. It can convert your images into a premium twinkle gif animation effect with a few clicks. Gogivo team makes Gif Animated Twinkle Photoshop Action for photos of the celebration, birthday, lights, happiness, festivals, portraits, children, divine, etc. It is super easy to get on with this action. If you still need some bits of help, the Gif Animated Twinkle Photoshop Action video tutorial is here.

Let’s make use of this Gogivo Photoshop action to creative multifunctional Photoshop Action to convert your images into professional artwork within moments.

DOWNLOAD NOW!

3. Pen & Watercolor Photoshop Action

With highly detailed Pen & Watercolor Painting Photoshop Action, you just need one click to convert your photo to premium artwork. This action is very suitable for photos of portraits, animals, birds, architecture, products, vehicles, furniture, etc.

This Gogivo Photoshop Action contains more than 10 color FX, tested and working on Adobe Photoshop. Action perfectly works on Mac and PC.

DOWNLOAD NOW!

4. Architecto Photoshop Action

Architecto Photoshop Action from Gogivo will perfectly convert your images into architectural drawing effects. This action is very suitable for photos of buildings, products, vehicles, furniture, and other physical structures. For the best result when using this action, your photo sizes should be between 2000 – 5000px, your photo resolution should be between 72 – 300 dpi. Action perfectly works on Mac and PC.

DOWNLOAD NOW!

5. Premio Watercolor Photoshop Action

Premio converts your images into premium watercolor painting effects. Premio Watercolor Photoshop Action is one of the top reviewed watercolor Photoshop filters on the internet. It is very suitable for photos of portraits, animals, food, fruits, birds, architecture, products, vehicles, etc. We highly recommended seeing the video tutorial before using the action!

Watch detailed video tutorial for this action HERE

After downloading the files, you can install the Action, Brushes, and Patterns. Next, open your photo and create a new layer. With this new layer selected, brush (use any color soft brush) onto the area of the photo to choose the object. Click the play button on the action and done!

DOWNLOAD NOW!

In conclusion, Gogivo Photoshop Actions will save your time and effort, delivering stunning results for your creativity. We are also running a discount program for all products, don’t hesitate to claim 20% OFF For Everything At Gogivo.com and make your great digital arts.

Looking for more awesome Photoshop Actions?

Browse All Photoshop Actions