Photoshop Actions
When Jay and I have a series of steps that need to be accomplished in Photoshop over and over again, we build an action. The image you see above has a simple frame around it. If you look at any of my photographs on social networking sites – like Google+ or Facebook – you’ll see the same frame again and again. A few years ago, I built a simple action that would create that frame automatically. So now, every time I finish processing an image, I just click a single button. The image is re-sized, converted to the sRGB profile, framed, labeled, and saved in my portfolio. It’s quick and easy. When I prepare an image for my website, I do the same thing. One click and it’s done. Actions are a perfect solution to handling any repetitive tasks in PS… and we get questions about them all the time.
A few weeks ago, we hosted a hangout on Google+. We invited G+ community members to join us for a brief tutorial and a discussion about Photoshop Actions. We stared off by walking through the steps required to build a very simple action in Photoshop – and then we talked about saving, loading, and running actions. Afterwards, we took questions from the group. By the time we finished, we’d talked a bit about editing actions, and the limitations of using actions in PS.
Of course, we understand that many people can’t join us when we host a hangout… so, we recorded it for you. We’re posting it here for those who are interested. We hope you enjoy it!
About Author Varina Patel
There is nothing more remarkable to me than the power of nature. It is both cataclysmic and subtle. Slow and continuous erosion by water and wind can create landscapes every bit as astonishing as those shaped by catastrophic events – and minuscule details can be as breathtaking as grand vistas that stretch from one horizon to the other. Nature is incredibly diverse. Burning desert sands and mossy riverbanks… Brilliant sunbeams and fading alpenglow… Silent snowfall and raging summer storms… Each offers a unique opportunity. I am irresistibly drawn to the challenge of finding my next photograph, and mastering the skills required to capture it effectively.
Thanks Varina and Jay for sharing this useful tutorial
Aniket, You are most welcome.
Thanks so much for this!
I’m inexperienced in PS and am having problems with actions sent to me by a friend. Now I understand the action tools better and can hopefully fix the issues. I have also been very interested in learning how to create a frame for my photos so this was very timely. I appreciate it.
I’m so glad it was useful to you, Pamela! Good luck with PS – there’s a lot to learn, but if you take it one step at a time, it’s well worth the effort!