Can you give me some examples of layouts that have the look you're interested in achieving? That would be helpful.
I use some basic actions that I made myself to boost brightness and sharpen (usually my actions are just: levels, high pass filter, curve, and a transparent color overlay of some sort). I also have a B&W action called "Gorman Holbert BW Conversion"... it's awesome, can't remember if I bought it or got it for free. I also grabbed some free ones online... CoffeShop, MCP, and a few free ones by My 4 Hens. If you google 'free photo actions' you can find some good stuff.
