Whether you’re designing a unique website background, a poster, sketch, or a creating an artistic photo composition, using a watercolor Photoshop action can make your design stand out from the crowd.

A watercolor effect it’s not an easy effect to master when created from scratch. It takes a lot of work, time, and skill to achieve a realistic watercolor effect in Photoshop. The good news is that using a watercolor Photoshop action can help you skip the learning curve and experiment with a watercolor effect in just a few clicks!

In this collection, we’re featuring some of the best watercolor Photoshop actions you can use to turn your photos into watercolor art, craft amazing backgrounds, and do much more.

Have a look and start downloading. You can grab all these Photoshop actions for a single price when you subscribe to Envato Elements.

Photo Painter Photoshop Actions

Photo-Painter-Photoshop-Actions 20+ Best Watercolor Photoshop Actions design tips

This is a bundle of 5 different Photoshop actions that includes different actions for transforming many types of images, graphics, and designs into artworks. The actions feature unique effects that will make your design look like watercolor and hand-drawn paintings.

ModernArt 4 Photoshop Action

ModernArt-4-Photoshop-Action 20+ Best Watercolor Photoshop Actions design tips

This is another unique watercolor Photoshop action that blends the effects of a painting with your real-life photos for achieving the perfectly artistic look. Getting this effect to work is as simple as brushing over the areas for applying the effect and playing the action.

Perfectum 2 – Watercolor Artist Photoshop Action

Perfectum-2-Watercolor-Artist-Photoshop-Action 20+ Best Watercolor Photoshop Actions design tips

One of the most attractive features of the watercolor effect is how it adds more vibrance and color to your designs and photos. This Photoshop action helps you achieve that with its colorful one-click process. It also includes a video tutorial on how to customize the effect as well.

Miniaturum – Watercolor Sketch Photoshop Action

Miniaturum-Watercolor-Sketch-Photoshop-Action 20+ Best Watercolor Photoshop Actions design tips

Miniaturum is another professional Photoshop action that creates a realistic watercolor sketch effect. This action is best used with your landscape and outdoor photos. But it will also work well with portraits as well. The best part is this action is that it’s compatible with Photoshop CS3 and above.

 

ModernArt 3 Photoshop Action

ModernArt-3-Photoshop-Action 20+ Best Watercolor Photoshop Actions design tips

This Photoshop action is designed specifically for modern portraits and street photos. The effect adds a watercolor effect with a slightly modern touch for giving your photos a mixed look full of both artistic and modern elements.

Perfectum – Vintage Watercolor Photoshop Action

Perfectum-Vintage-Watercolor-Photoshop-Action 20+ Best Watercolor Photoshop Actions design tips

When it comes to watercolor effects, most Photoshop actions try to make your designs look too much like a painting. This effect, however, is not one of those PS actions. This effect gives an authentic look to your artworks and designs to make them look like true watercolor and pencil art. The effect is also customizable and features 20 color presets and options.

8 Watercolor and Acrylic Painting FX

8-Watercolor-and-Acrylic-Painting-FX 20+ Best Watercolor Photoshop Actions design tips

A bundle of watercolor effects. This pack comes with 8 different Photoshop actions featuring watercolor effects and acrylic painting effects. It includes textures made with real watercolor paintings. Each action creates effects with non-destructive layers so you can easily edit the effect to your preference.

Creative Watercolor Action

Creative-Watercolor-Action 20+ Best Watercolor Photoshop Actions design tips

This creative watercolor Photoshop action comes with 5 different color options for using with different types of your designs and artworks. The effects mix watercolor and photo effects to give a unique look to your images. The actions are compatible with Photoshop CS3 and above.

Watercolor and Pencil Action for Photoshop

Watercolor-and-Pencil-Action-for-Photoshop 20+ Best Watercolor Photoshop Actions design tips

An accurately designed Photoshop action that allows you to transform your portrait photos and designs into pieces of art. This action has been crafted by a professional designer to make it as authentic as possible. The effect will give your photos an artistic watercolor painting look like none other.

Modern Watercolor Photoshop Action

Modern-Watercolor-Photoshop-Action 20+ Best Watercolor Photoshop Actions design tips

This is a watercolor Photoshop action that will work with almost any type of an image or design. It simply adds a basic watercolor effect to your designs to specific areas of your preference. All you have to do is brush over the areas you want to apply the effect and play the action.

Delight Watercolor Photoshop Action

Delight-Watercolor-Photoshop-Action 20+ Best Watercolor Photoshop Actions design tips

Delight is an authentic watercolor Photoshop action that features a more realistic effect than most other Photoshop actions. This action also creates its effect in editable layers, which means you can easily customize the effect to your preference as well.

Modernum – Watercolor Art Photoshop Action

Modernum-Watercolor-Art-Photoshop-Action 20+ Best Watercolor Photoshop Actions design tips

Modernum Photoshop action creates a unique watercolor effect full of color and vibrance. The effect features a modern design and even allows you to customize it with using 10 different colors presets and other options.

Papyrum – Vintage Grunge Photoshop Action

Papyrum-Vintage-Grunge-Photoshop-Action 20+ Best Watercolor Photoshop Actions design tips

If you’re looking for a Photoshop action to give your designs an old-school vintage art look, this action will come in handy. It features a watercolor effect that gives a grunge like vintage look to your designs and photos. The action supports 20 colors presets and generates the effect in organized layers.

Palette Knife Photoshop Action

Palette-Knife-Photoshop-Action 20+ Best Watercolor Photoshop Actions design tips

This Photoshop action is truly one of a kind. It transforms your photos and graphic designs into palette knife artworks. The amazing part is how accurate and realistic this effect really looks. The effect is also fully editable to your preference.

Canvas Photoshop Action

Canvas-Photoshop-Action 20+ Best Watercolor Photoshop Actions design tips

Another simple watercolor Photoshop action that creates a canvas-like effect to make your designs look more like authentic paintings. The effect can be easily customized and it even comes with a tutorial video. The action is compatible with Photoshop CS3 and better.

Impressionist Photoshop Action

Impressionist-Photoshop-Action 20+ Best Watercolor Photoshop Actions design tips

If you’re looking for a more artistic watercolor effect, this is the best Photoshop action you can use. It completely transforms your photos into paintings by giving them a realistic look. Although, it may not work with all types of photos, especially family and group photos.

Ultimatum 2 – Oil Knife Painting Photoshop Action

Ultimatum-2-Oil-Knife-Painting-Photoshop-Action 20+ Best Watercolor Photoshop Actions design tips

Watercolor and oil paintings have a close relationship. This Photoshop action is a one that seems to do justice for both. This action features an oil and knife painting effect that gives an amazingly colorful look to designs and photos. It comes with 20 colors presets.

Posterum – Grunge Painting Photoshop Action

Posterum-Grunge-Painting-Photoshop-Action 20+ Best Watercolor Photoshop Actions design tips

This watercolor Photoshop action seems to work well with object and product based photos. It adds a natural watercolor effect to your photos that will wow your clients and audience.

Uniqum – Sketch Painting Photoshop Action

Uniqum-Sketch-Painting-Photoshop-Action 20+ Best Watercolor Photoshop Actions design tips

Uniqum is Photoshop action that comes with a mix of both a sketch and painting effect. It adds a unique look to your photos with a mix of sketch and painting to give them an authentic and unfinished look. The effect is fully customizable with adjustment layers and it includes 10 color presets as well.

Sketch Art Photoshop Action

Sketch-Art-Potoshop-Action 20+ Best Watercolor Photoshop Actions design tips

Even though this Photoshop action creates a sketch art effect, it also seems to add certain watercolor painting-like effect to photos as well. You can use this Photoshop action to create unique portrait photo designs, backgrounds, textures, and more.

Artista – Mixed Media Art Photoshop Action

Artista-Mixed-Media-Art-Photoshop-Action 20+ Best Watercolor Photoshop Actions design tips

Is it a watercolor painting? Digital art? Or a real photo? No one will be able to tell the difference once you apply this effect to your photos. This Photoshop action combines lots of graphical elements to create a unique artistic effect that will make your designs look more original.

Ultimatum – Digital Art Photoshop Action

Ultimatum-Digital-Art-Photoshop-Action 20+ Best Watercolor Photoshop Actions design tips

This is technically not a watercolor Photoshop action, but the effect it creates is truly original and it will definitely be helpful for your design work. The one-click Photoshop action creates a unique effect that will make your photos look like digital artworks.

Looking for cool backgrounds? Check out our watercolor background textures collection for more.