Can Photoshop Elements 11 use vintage film effects, and what should I look for instead of Lightroom presets?
Asked 3/13/2013
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I use Photoshop Elements 11 and want to recreate a faded, washed-out vintage film look similar to 1970s–80s film. Many products I’ve found are Lightroom presets or require Photoshop CS6. Since Elements already meets my needs, I’d prefer not to upgrade.
Can Photoshop Elements 11 use this kind of effect, and should I be looking for actions or plugins instead of Lightroom presets? Are there any compatible options that work well for vintage or faded film looks?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
13y ago
2 Answers
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Presets are a Lightroom thing. What you need are actions or plugins. Many plugins and actions for Photoshop are compatible with PS Elements. I think if you search on Actions for Photoshop Elements you may find a number of them.
I have tried out actions, and I've found that an action that works well on one image looks terrible with others. I've found it really time consuming running actions, then backing them out and trying another one. Instead I've found plugins, which have an interactive interface, are easier to use, as you can preview and fine-tune the effect.
Topaz Adjust is a plugin that is compatible with Photoshop Elements. While the plugin is best known for doing HDR like effects, it has a lot of Film and Toning presets. There are vintage, lomo, cross processing, soft focus. You can combine the presets and create your own recipes. Not too expensive, given you get free lifetime upgrades, and if you sign up for their newsletters they have periodic sales on some of their plugins. Also there is a 15 day trial, so you can try it out on some of your images and see if it suits.
Topaz also have an Elements-compatible plugin called photofxlab which has something they call InstaTone. With InstaTone, you choose an image that has the colours and tones you like, and it applies those to your image. It's a clever way of reverse-engineering an image you like when you don't know what action or adjustments to make. photoFXlab can be run as a stand-alone application as well as a plugin.
Originally by user4191. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user4191
13y ago
0
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Lightroom presets generally won’t work in Photoshop Elements, because presets are mainly a Lightroom feature. For Elements 11, you should look for either Photoshop Elements–compatible actions or plugins.
Between the two, plugins may be easier to use for this kind of styling. Actions can work, but results often vary a lot from image to image, so you may spend time testing one, undoing it, and trying another. Plugins with an interactive interface let you preview and fine-tune the look, which is usually more practical for vintage film effects.
One compatible option mentioned is Topaz Adjust. Although it’s often associated with HDR-style effects, it also includes film and toning presets such as vintage, lomo, cross-processing, and soft-focus looks.
So if you want a faded/vintage film style in Photoshop Elements 11 without moving to Lightroom or CS6, focus your search on Elements-compatible plugins or actions rather than Lightroom presets.
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