How can I create a custom setting for photo enhancements?

Are your photos jpeg or raw?  If the are raw, simply open them and they will open in the ACR Editor.  If they are jpeg, you can also open them in the ACR Editor (which IMO is the best place to make the changes you describe).  To do this, select the File>Open in Camera Raw dialog to choose the files to edit.

You can open multiple photos in the ACR Editor and change the settings all at once, by Shift-clicking the first and last image in the strip or pressing Ctrl+A to select them.  (You can select less than all open photos by Ctrl+clicking the ones you want to batch edit.)  Once you have multiple images selected, any changes you make to the settings for one image will be applied to all of the selected images.

There are other ways to apply a desired setting to an image in the ACR Editor.  There are now multiple profiles that are essentially saved settings that can be applied to your unedited image.  Take a look at them. You may find one that gives you the look/edit that you want.

If these profiles don't appeal to you, there is another trick you can use to apply the settings from your own edited file to others.  In order to effectively do this, you have to select raw files from the Organizer in which case, it doesn't matter what folder(s) the edited and new files are in.  Unfortunately, if you are working with jpeg files, the only way to open them in the ACR Editor is from the File>Open in Camera Raw menu setting.  And you can only select multiple files in the same folder.  So, I suppose you could move or copy your template file to the folder where your unedited files are stored.

Once you have your template and unedited files in the ACR filmstrip, select the template file and it will be surrounded by a white outline.  In the following screenshot, you will see that the top file has various settings that have been changed from zero.  The third file down has the original settings and displays zero in the numeric setting boxes:

In the next screenshot, I have selected the template photo and the third photo down.  The top image has the white border around the thumbnail, while the unedited file has a grey border.  Also notice that the numeric boxes for the settings are blank.

Next, simply click in each of the boxes that are blank - or at least the ones for the settings you want to use for the edit.  All of those settings will now be applied to all of the selected images.  You can click on each one to confirm this:

If you are editing raw files, you can select all of the edited files in the filmstrip and select the Done button in the lower right of the ACR Editor.  All of your changes will be automatically saved in a sidecar xml file.  

If you are editing jpegs, I recommend that you select the edited files and choose the Open button.  The edited files will then be opened in the regular PSE Editor and you can save them from there.  (I say this because when I tried using the Done button to save jpegs, I got an error message.  I'm not sure if this is a bug or feature limitation.  I will investigate further when I have some time.)

You cannot in PSE.  You would need  Photoshop to record an action (a series of edting steps) that you could "Play back" on an image.   PSE can play actions, but not record them.

In the past with PSE I made screenshots of settings and used that. 


Here is how it would be done in Photoshop: (they do offer a free 7 day trial)

• Open an image in Photoshop that you want to use as a basis for your action.
• Make sure the Actions panel is visible by going to Window > Actions.

• In the Actions panel, click on the Create New Action button (the square icon with a plus sign).
• Give your action a descriptive name, like "My Lighting and Color Correction."
• Click Record. Photoshop will now record every step you take.

• Lighting adjustments (e.g., Brightness/Contrast, Levels, Curves):
  • Brightness/Contrast: Go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Brightness/Contrast. Adjust the sliders in the Properties panel as needed. Moving the Brightness slider to the right brightens the image, and moving it to the left darkens it. Adjust the Contrast slider to increase or decrease image contrast.
  • Levels: Go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Levels. Use the sliders to set the shadow and highlight values by dragging the black and white Input Levels sliders to the edge of the first group of pixels on either end of the histogram. Drag the gray Input Levels (middle) slider to adjust the brightness of the middle tones.
  • Curves: Go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Curves. You can use the Curves adjustment layer to fine-tune tonal values and colors. Adjust the curve by adding points and dragging them to lighten or darken specific areas. You can also select individual color channels (Red, Green, Blue) to adjust color balance.
• Color adjustments (e.g., Color Balance, Hue/Saturation, Vibrance):
  • Color Balance: Go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Color Balance. Use the sliders to shift the color balance towards cyan/red, magenta/green, or yellow/blue.
  • Hue/Saturation: Go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Hue/Saturation. Use the Hue, Saturation, and Lightness sliders to modify the overall colors or specific color ranges.
  • Vibrance: Go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Vibrance. The Vibrance slider affects the intensity of colors, primarily muted colors, while the Saturation slider increases the color intensity of all colors.

• When you are satisfied with your adjustments, click the Stop Recording button (the square icon) in the Actions panel. Your action is now created.

• Make sure all the images you want to process are in a single folder.
• Go to File > Automate > Batch.
• In the Batch dialog box, choose the action you just created from the list of available actions.
• Set the Source to "Folder" and select the folder containing your images.
• Set the Destination to "Folder" and choose where you want the edited images to be saved.
• Click OK to begin processing your images.

• Non-Destructive Editing: Always utilize adjustment layers, smart objects, and layer masks to preserve your original image data and allow for easy modifications.
• Layer Organization: Keep your adjustment layers organized and labeled within your action for clarity and easier editing.
• Smart Objects: Consider converting layers to Smart Objects before applying filters or transformations to maintain image quality.
• Save Regularly: Save your action (by quitting Photoshop) according to one Adobe Community discussion.
• Test Your Actions: Always test your actions on different images to ensure they produce the desired results and make adjustments as needed.