Duotone Photoshop Actions: 15 Subtle Color Grades
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Software
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CompatibilityPhotoshop CS6 & Newer
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Photoshop actions15 Color Grades
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To practice on3 Sample Images
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In the downloadPDF Install Guide
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Built onOne Gradient Map Layer
Install Guide
How to Install Your Actions
A short PDF that shows three ways to install this action in Photoshop, how to play it on your photo, and three tips for better results.
DESCRIPTION
Give any photo a subtle two-color grade in one click. These 15 Photoshop actions tint your shadows and highlights with hand-picked color pairs while skin tones stay natural, from Red / Blue and Orange / Magenta to Light Dark Orange and Blue Black.
Every look lands on a single Gradient Map adjustment layer, so nothing is baked in. Double-click the gradient to change either color, lower the layer’s opacity for a lighter touch, or paint on its mask to keep the grade off part of the photo.
Tested in Photoshop 2026 and built from steps that work in Photoshop CS6 and newer, with 3 sample images to practice on and a PDF install guide in the download.
PHLEARN PRO · Photoshop Actions
Duotone Photoshop Actions
15 color grades3 sample imagesInstall guideOne editable layer
15 Color Pairs · One Editable Layer
Two-Color Looks, Natural Skin
Each action tints the shadows and highlights with a hand-picked pair of colors while skin keeps its real tone, so the result reads like a color grade instead of a filter.
Yellow / Red Duotone
Yellow / Red puts a soft golden yellow into the highlights and a deep red-brown into the shadows. On this forest road the leaves and the light on her skin pick up late-afternoon warmth, and the dark trees settle into a rich brown, while her skin tone stays natural. Both colors sit on the warm side of the wheel, so nothing in the frame turns cool.
How the Split-Tone Works
Every action adds one Gradient Map layer set to Soft Light. The gradient runs from the shadow color through neutral gray to the highlight color, and neutral gray has no effect in Soft Light, so the middle tones, where skin sits, keep their real color. Only the shadows and highlights take the tint. The action adds this as its own adjustment layer, so the photo underneath never changes.
Best On
Outdoor portraits in green or neutral scenes, autumn shoots, and any photo that needs warmth without turning orange.
Orange / Magenta Duotone
Orange / Magenta pairs peach highlights with soft plum shadows. The sunset glow on her face and hair stays warm, and the sand and sky gain depth from the cooler shadows: a warm-against-cool contrast that still looks like real light.
Warm Against Cool
Seven of the pairs play a warm color against a cool one: Red & Blue, Green & Blue, Orange & Blue, Orange & Magenta, Yellow & Green, Yellow & Red and Yellow & Magenta. That contrast separates the subject from the background and gives the photo a cinematic grade.
Make It Stronger or Softer
The layer starts at 75% opacity. Raise it to 100% for a bolder grade, lower it for just a hint of color, or paint black on the layer mask to keep the color off a product, a logo or a face.
Light Dark Orange Duotone
Light Dark Orange keeps both colors in the same warm family: amber in the highlights and rich brown in the shadows. Her hair shifts toward copper and the sunset grows warmer, while her skin and the lilac dress keep their real color, so it reads as a grade rather than a filter.
Single-Color Families
The Light & Dark pairs (Blue, Blue 2, Magenta, Green, Purple and Orange) keep the whole photo in one family of color for a softer, almost monochrome mood. Red & Black and Blue & Black leave the shadows neutral and put the color in the highlights only.
Change the Colors
Double-click the gradient map thumbnail in the Layers panel, then click the gradient. The left stop is the shadow color and the right stop is the highlight color. Keep the middle stop a neutral gray so skin stays natural, and save your own pairs as presets.
What’s in the Download
One action set, 15 duotones
Unzip it and load the set in the Actions panel. Every action name starts with PHLEARN Duotone.
- ATNPHLEARN Duotones.atn1 action set with all 15 duotones
- JPG3 Sample ImagesFree-to-use practice photos
- PDFInstall Guide (2026)Three ways to install the actions
- PHLEARN Duotone Red Blue
- PHLEARN Duotone Green Blue
- PHLEARN Duotone Orange Blue
- PHLEARN Duotone Orange Magenta
- PHLEARN Duotone Yellow Green
- PHLEARN Duotone Yellow Red
- PHLEARN Duotone Yellow Magenta
- PHLEARN Duotone Light Dark Blue
- PHLEARN Duotone Light Dark Blue 2
- PHLEARN Duotone Light Dark Magenta
- PHLEARN Duotone Light Dark Green
- PHLEARN Duotone Light Dark Purple
- PHLEARN Duotone Light Dark Orange
- PHLEARN Duotone Red Black
- PHLEARN Duotone Blue Black
The 3 sample images
Photoshop Action Questions, Answered
What’s included in the Duotone Colors Photoshop Actions?
15 actions: Red & Blue, Green & Blue, Orange & Blue, Orange & Magenta, Yellow & Green, Yellow & Red, Yellow & Magenta, Light Blue & Dark Blue, Light Blue & Dark Blue 2, Light Magenta & Dark Magenta, Light Green & Dark Green, Light Purple & Dark Purple, Light Orange & Dark Orange, Red & Black and Blue & Black, plus 3 sample images and a PDF install guide.
What kind of photos are the Duotone Colors Photoshop Actions made for?
Portraits, fashion, travel, product shots and landscapes. Each action gives a subtle two-color grade, with one color in the shadows and another in the highlights, while the midtones, where skin lives, keep their real color. Using one look across a set of photos gives a consistent style for a website, portfolio or social feed.
What does each Duotone action add to my photo?
One editable Gradient Map adjustment layer set to Soft Light at 75% opacity. The gradient runs from the shadow color through neutral gray to the highlight color, and your pixels stay untouched. Lower the opacity for a hint of color, raise it to 100% for a bolder grade, or paint black on the mask to keep color off part of the photo.
Are Photoshop Actions included in my PHLEARN PRO subscription?
Yes. A PHLEARN PRO membership includes every Photoshop Action pack, plus PRO Tutorials, Lightroom Presets, LUTs and Photoshop Brushes.
What version of Photoshop do I need?
These actions work in Photoshop CS6 and newer, on Mac and Windows. We recommend the latest version. Photoshop on the iPad and on the web cannot run actions.
How do I install Photoshop Actions?
Unzip the download, open Photoshop, then double-click the .ATN file. Photoshop shows no confirmation, but the set is now at the bottom of the Actions panel. Your download also includes a PDF install guide and an install video, and every method is on our Photoshop Actions install guide.
Where do the actions show up after I install them?
At the bottom of the Actions panel, as a set named after the pack. Open the panel with Window > Actions, or press Option + F9 on a Mac or Alt + F9 on Windows.
Photoshop says “Command not currently available.” What do I do?
The photo is usually 16-bit or CMYK, or the wrong layer is selected. Set Image > Mode to RGB Color and 8 Bits/Channel, click the image layer and play the action again.
The action stopped and showed a message. Is something wrong?
No. Some actions pause with a note on purpose, to tell you what to do next. Read it, follow it, and click Continue.
How do I undo an action?
Open the History panel (Window > History) and click the state from before the action ran. You can also hide or delete the group the action built in the Layers panel.
Do you offer refunds?
Because these are downloadable products, all sales are final and we are not able to offer refunds.
Terms of Use
These Actions are licensed for personal and professional use by the individual who purchased or downloaded them. The license does not extend to companies or partnerships, and the files may not be resold, loaned, gifted, shared, copied or redistributed. All PHLEARN Actions are copyright protected.
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