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I would like to purchase a Faded / Vintage Film presets progam for my Photoshop Elements 11 to recreate the wash-out film look of the 1970-80s. But unforunately, the few programs that I know all require CS6 or Lightroom as a requirement.

www.vsco.co/store

www.reallyniceimages.com/

www.adobelightroompresets.net/lightroom-presets/ultrafaded-presets

Are there any other programs that you will recommend as I feel Photoshop Elements 11 fulfil my needs and I do not see the need to upgrade to Lightroom or CS6.

Cheers!

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    \$\begingroup\$ It may be simpler to find some tutorials on how to give the effects you want manually and then record them as actions, if Elements allows you to do that. \$\endgroup\$ Mar 13, 2013 at 7:51
  • \$\begingroup\$ The answer given so far seem to suggest that what you want can be done without getting other products, can you reword the question so that it looks less like a product/service recommendation and more of a 'can I do this with what I have' question? \$\endgroup\$ Sep 16, 2015 at 8:47

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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.

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    \$\begingroup\$ I'm a Topaz user (and enthusiastic booster) myself, but I have to point out that Nik Color Efex Pro and Alien Skin Exposure will also do the job wonderfully (but they cost more). And there is much to be said about Nik Snapseed, but it's a separate editor rather than a plug-in, so workflow would bbe drastically different. Again, free fully-functional trials are just part of the game at this level. \$\endgroup\$
    – user2719
    Mar 13, 2013 at 18:34
  • \$\begingroup\$ +1 I'm a user of Nik as well, but to be honest I didn't think they were compatible with Elements (but they are). \$\endgroup\$
    – MikeW
    Mar 13, 2013 at 18:50

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