how to install actions for Elements 10 if you have Windows 7

(I believe this also works for Elements 7, 8 and 9.)


1. Download your action - it should go into a Downloads folder on your computer.

2. Your new action and its files are contained in a folder which needs to be opened - open it up; try right-clicking and choosing Extract, or just double-clicking.

3. Use Control-A, which will select all the files, and then Control-C, which will copy them.

4. Getting out of the Download folder, double click on Computer (there are many ways to find it - it's in the start menu, for one), and then double click on Program Data. If you can not find this Program Data folder, click on your start button and in the search field type in
c:\ProgramData. (no spaces)  This should bring it up. You need to get in there.

5. Next, click on Adobe, then Photoshop Elements, then 10.0 (or whichever version you have), then Photo Creations, lastly Photo Effects. This Photo Effects folder contains all the actions which Elements comes with, and you are going to add your new actions to this group.

6. So, now do Control-V to paste your files in that Photo Effects folder. Are they there? Good! You're halfway done!

7. Look at the path you're in, in the space above (don't know what it's called!). It should look like this:
c:\Program Data\Adobe\PhotoShop Elements\10.0\Photo Creations\Photo Effects.

8. What you need to do now is go up there and click on the part which says 10.0.

9. Now, click on Locale, and then en_us.

10. Inside the folder named en_us, you will see a file named MediaDatabase.db3 - delete this file. Go ahead! Elements needs this file to start up; when it tries to open and doesn't see the file it will have to rebuild it and when it does, your newly acquired action will be drawn into Elements along with all the others.

11. Now, open Elements and let it alone for about fifteen minutes. This is about how long it'll take for the rebuilding process.

12. Look for your new action in the "Full" section of the panel. See where it's located. It should be in the Effects panel on the upper right (for Elements 10). If it isn't there, look at the four little icons which are underneath the word "Effects" - the far right one which looks like a blue rectangle with "fx" at the bottom - make sure that icon is chosen. They will be in there!

13. Enjoy using your new actions!


All the above information is out there online, but I was not able to find it - 1. All in one place, 2. Concisely explained and 3. Easily searchable.

(Dolly trying desperately to break into my brother's pickup)

It's a lot of steps and quite ridiculous actually, but after loading actions a few times you'll be doing it in your sleep!

Or, you can get Elements 11, which I've heard has finally eliminated the need for all these shenanigans.

I used The Coffee Shop's Sweet Bakery Glazes II - Vanilla Glaze - for the above photo.