CREATE A CUSTOM ACTION to increase your efficiency

Actions help you perform repeated steps quickly. An action is a series of commands that you can apply to an image with one click of the mouse. Unlike a keyboard shortcut, which can only invoke a command, an action can open a command, apply changes to an image, step through another command, apply it, and even save a file in a particular way. Photoshop includes many predesigned actions, and you can also create your own for steps that you do over and over and add them to the Actions panel. 

Using the Actions panel, you record a sequence of steps and save your new action. When you need to apply the same steps to a different image, even to an entire folder of files, you play the action, and Photoshop automatically applies the steps. You can record any number of steps and even create complex actions that include steps requiring specific information in dialog boxes. Actions become particularly useful when you do repetitive projects with many steps.

 

 

Note: The steps in this task create a simple action for setting up a new 7-×-5-inch document at 300 pixels/inch for a greeting card.

1 Click Window.

2 Click Actions.

A The Actions panel appears.

3 Click the Create New Action button.

B Alternatively, you can click the panel menu button and select New Action.

The New Action dialog box appears.

4 Type the name of your action.

C You can click the Function Key drop-down menu and select a function key for a keyboard shortcut.

D You can click the Color dropdown menu and select a color for the action.

5 Click Record.

 

 

E The Record button in the Actions panel turns red.

Perform the steps that you want to record as an action:

6 Press Ô+N (Ctrl+N) to open a new file.

The New dialog box appears.

7 Type 7 in the Width field and 5 in the Height field.

8 Type 300 in the Resolution field.

9 Click the Advanced disclosure triangle.

The window expands with more options.

10 Click the Color Profile drop-down menu and click Adobe RGB 1998.

11 Click OK.

F A new untitled document appears.

12 Click the Stop Recording button.

G Your custom action to create a 7 × 5 greeting card is now recorded and listed in the Actions panel.

13 Test your action by clicking the Action name in the Actions panel and clicking the Play button.

TIPS

More Options! 

You can apply an action to a folder of files by clicking File Automate Batch and selecting the action and a source folder. Or you can apply an action to a group of images from Bridge by clicking Tools Photoshop Batch. 

Try This! 

Assign colors to your actions and turn them into buttons. With an action highlighted, click the panel menu button on the actions panel and click Action Options. Click the Color drop-down menu in the Action Options dialog box, select a color, and click OK. Then click the panel menu button again and select Button Mode. Your actions appear with color-coded labels. 

Did You Know? 

Photoshop actions are saved in a folder called Actions inside the Presets folder of the Photoshop application folder.