Watercolor Effects

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Photoshop Elements

Watercolor Effects Photoshop Elements

In this video:

  • Import the brushes, patterns, and actions into Photoshop Elements
  • Use the “main” action to apply a watercolor effect
  • Use the brushes to create a custom watercolor look
  • Add the watercolor overlays and paper effects to your photo

Read the instructions:

Click below to toggle each section.

Step 1: At the top, make sure that you are in the Expert workspace.

Step 2: Next, access the Actions panel. If you don’t see it in your workspace, go to Window > Actions.

Step 3: In the Actions panel, click the top-right menu drop down and choose Load Actions.

Step 4: Navigate to the Nicolesy Watercolor Effects (PSE).atn file and click Open. Your actions are now imported into Photoshop Elements.

Step 5: To play an action from an action set, click the action you want to use and press the Play button at the bottom of the window.

Brush and pattern presets must be installed via the folder system for them to be permanently added to Photoshop Elements. Here’s how:

Step 1: On your computer, navigate to the Adobe Photoshop Elements application folder.

Step 2: Within this folder, you will find a Presets folder. Here’s where to look for it on your computer (the exact folder destination might vary, depending on your version of PSE):

Mac: /Applications/Adobe Photoshop Elements /Support Files/Presets

Win: C:Program FilesAdobeAdobe Photoshop Elements (your version)Presets

Step 3: Next, you’ll copy the corresponding preset file into the folder it relates to:

Brush presets: Copy the .abr file into the “brushes” folder

Pattern presets: Copy the .pat file into the “patterns” folder

Troubleshoot common errors:

Problem: An error message pops up when running one of the Watercolor Effects brush actions.

Solution: This happens when the Nicolesy Watercolor Effects BRUSHES have not been installed. Install the brush pack (.abr) and then re-try the action.

Problem: When applying one of the Watercolor Paper actions, you receive an error.

Solution: This happens when the Nicolesy Watercolor Effects PATTERNS have not been installed. Install the pattern pack (.pat file) and then re-try the action.

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