Why don t people use actions?

Why don't people use actions?

In my travels I have discovered two main reasons why people don't use actions:

  1. They really don't understand what an action is or why they should use them.

  2. They tried it once and had a "bad action experience" (which often comes from trying something that's much too complicated for their first action).

Plus, there seem to be some common misconceptions about actions, so let's get those out of the way right now.

Myths Dispelled

There seem to be several factors keeping some people from using actions. Let's start off by dispelling some of the misconceptions about actions:

  1. You have to be a programmer to create actions.

    I suppose it couldn't hurt to have a programmer's mind, but it's really not necessary. You only need to understand a few simple "rules" and you are all set.

  2. Actions are only intended for large projects with many images.

    Although that is one of the best uses for actions, it's not the only one. You can create an action with only a few steps that you use for the next 20 minutes.

  3. Actions put a drain on RAM.

    Far from it! An action is simply a text file that contains a series of instructions. It is a very small file and the only way it can cause problems is if you record a series of very complex, RAM- intensive operations.

  4. There are lots of things that cannot be recorded.

    Yes, there are a number of operations that cannot be recorded, but in most cases, there are ways around almost everything.

  5. You have to re-create actions for other documents or if you move machines.

    When you create actions, they become a part of Photoshop itself, not individual documents. Actions are saved separately from your preferences, so even if you reset the Preferences file, your actions will not change. Also, you can save your actions so they become easily transferable to different machines. (Save actions from the Actions palette's flyout menu, creating an ATN file that can be loaded into the Actions palette later by choosing Load Actions from the flyout menu.)

Oh, and here's something I wish someone had told me when I first started using actions: Recording actions is not time-based. In other words, an action is not recording how long it takes you to do thingsjust what you're doing. This means that you can take your time as you go through the steps you want to record. Plus, if you make a mistake and record the "wrong" thing, you can always delete that step later.

Also, don't be surprised at the wording that appears in the Actions palette. Many times the step is named just as you'd expect (for example, you record making a copy of a layer and the step is called "Layer Via Copy"). However, you'll also see some names that might surprise you (for example, you add a layer mask and in the Actions palette that step shows up as "Make." If you expand that step by clicking on the right- facing arrow to the left of the word "Make," it will provide the details of what you've recorded.

The Basics

The Actions palette is the heart of, well, the action! This is where you create, edit, alter, and play actions. The diagram shows the key parts of the Actions palette.

Quick Tip

It's a good idea to create a set to store your actions, keeping them separate from the default actions that come with the program. That way it's much easier if you want to share your actions with someone else. Just save them in a different folder on your desktop that doesn't reside in the Photoshop CS2 application folder.


Once an action has been recorded, you can:

  • Change the order of steps by clicking-and-dragging them within the action.

  • Click on the triangle to expand (or contract) the action to show or hide all the steps.

  • Delete a step.

  • Insert a Stop.

  • Turn on or off modal controls.

  • Drag it into a set of actions.

  • Drag it onto the Create New Action icon to duplicate the action.

Built-In Actions

Our friends at Adobe start us off with some pretty cool actions. Take a look in the Actions palette and you'll see Default Actions (and/or Sample Actions). You can learn a lot about actions by expanding all the actions to see what commands are includedyou could even turn off steps or turn on modal controls to see what happens! To load other default actions, go to the Actions palette's flyout menu and choose Load Actions. You should be routed to the default actions' location: Photoshop CS2>Presets>Photoshop Actions. Note: Anytime you see something in parentheses in the name of the action, that is an indication that you must do something before you play the action. If, for example, the action is called Vignette (selection), that means you have to make a selection before playing the action. Similarly, (type) means you must start with a Type layer, (layer) means you need to have a layer, etc. (This is a pretty good idea when naming the actions you create; that way it's a reminder to youor to someone elsewhat is needed to make the action work.)

Rule No. 1

With few exceptions, you will need to have a document open in order to record an action. Since you actually have to run operations for them to be recorded, be prepared by working on a copy of your image (Image>Duplicate). One of the reasons for working on a copy is in the event your action contains the Save commandimagine recording an action that saved your document and then realizing you still want the original image! That's why it's a good idea to work on a copy. ( Hint: Alternatively, some people always start an action with the Image>Duplicate command, so they are working on a copy.)

My First Action

Here's our first example of a simple action. We want to create roughened text and then experiment with different fonts, but that would mean almost starting over each time you want to try a different font. Instead, why not record an action that will run all the steps for you once you've chosen a new font? You must start by creating a Type layer using the Type tool (T). With that Type layer in place, we'll record the action.

Step One.
Click on the Create New Action icon at the bottom of the Actions palette. Name your action in the resulting dialog and allocate a keyboard shortcut if you wish. Then click the Record button. Hint: You may want to add "(type)" to your action's name to remind yourself that you need to have a Type layer before you play the action.

Step Two.
Hold down Command (PC: Control) and click on the Type layer's thumbnail in the Layers palette to select the text.


Step Three.
From the Select menu choose Modify> Contract. Enter a value of 13 pixels and click OK.

Step Four.
Click on the Add Layer Mask icon in the Layers palette.

Step Five.
With the layer mask still selected, apply a filter such as Filter>Brush Strokes>Spatter. Adjust the settings and click OK.

Step Six.
Click on the Stop Recording button in the Actions palette.

Now it's easy to experiment with different fonts: drag the layer mask to the Trash icon, change the typeface, click on your new action in the Actions palette, and then click the Play button in the palette (or press the keyboard shortcut you assigned) to run the action. Each time you want to try a different font, repeat these last few steps to try the action on different typefaces .

This is a great example of how an action can save you from repetitive operations, even if you only use it for a short period of time. Remember, actions aren't reserved only for multiple files or for operations that you do each and every day.

An Action with Interaction

Now we'll create an action that has a number of steps, several of which can be made interactive with the use of modal controls. This action will allow us to make a slightly smaller image with the look of textured paper for any image.

Step One.
Open an image you'll use to record the action.

DAVE CROSS

Step Two.
Click on the Create New Action icon at the bottom of the Actions palette. Name your action in the resulting dialog (and choose a keyboard shortcut if you wish). Then click the Record button.

Step Three.
From the Image menu choose Image Size. Because we are creating an action to use with images of any size, we cannot make the image smaller by entering a specific value. Instead, change the Document Size values to Percent and enter a percentage in the Width and Height fields (in this case 80%, which will make the image 20% smaller). Click OK.

Step Four.
In the Layers palette, click on the Create a New Layer icon. Then, from the Edit menu choose Fill. In the dialog, change the Contents to Use: 50% Gray and click OK.

Step Five.
From the Filter menu choose Texture>Texturizer, and in the resulting dialog choose settings to create the look you want and click OK.

Step Six.
In the Layers palette, change the blend mode of the top layer from Normal to Overlay.

Step Seven.
Click on the Stop Recording button in the Actions palette. Your action should include the commands shown here.

Let's make this action interactive by allowing us to adjust the Texturizer filter when we run the filter.To do this, simply click in the empty square to the left of the Texturizer step in the Actions palette to turn on the modal control. Now when you play the action, it will open the Texturizer filter to allow experimentation. As soon as you click OK to the filter, the rest of the action will play without stopping.

Insert Stop

One of the more useful functions within actions is called Insert Stop. This puts a pause in the action with a message that you can create. This message often contains instructions for another user (or as a reminder for yourself). You can insert a Stop as you are recording or add it after the fact (often easier than while you are recording). Let's add a Stop to the textured action we just created.

Step One.
Make sure you can see all the steps in the Actions palette by clicking on the triangle to the left of the action's name, and then click on the step before Texturizer (Stops are added after the step you select within the action).

Step Two.
From the Actions palette's flyout menu, choose Insert Stop.

Step Three.
In the resulting dialog, type the message you want and turn on the Allow Continue checkbox.

Step Four.
Check the Actions palette and you'll see your newly added Stopand you'll see that the Stop has a modal control so you can turn it off. Now when you play the action, the message dialog will appear.

There's one other very important use for the Insert Stop command. There are some operations that cannot be recorded (in "actionspeak," these are considered not " actionable "). Examples include drawing paths and brush strokes made with the painting tools, retouching tools, zooming tools, etc. If you want to create an action that includes these operations, use the Insert Stop command, but do not check the Allow Continue button. This will cause the action to pause, allowing the user to perform the operation such as painting. Then when the operation is complete, the user clicks the Play button to continue the action. Here's an example of what the Stop might look like when played .

Notice how the user is prompted to continue the action by clicking the Play button ( otherwise the action would not continue).

Conditional Mode Change

Often we create actions that we want to be able to use with any image. Depending on what is included in the action, this could present a problem. If for example, your action contains the Texturizer filter, this command would not work on a CMYK image (many filters require RGB mode). You could include a command in your action to change the document to RGB mode, but this would be pointless for those documents that are already in RGB mode. One way around that is to record a Conditional Mode Change as one of the first commands in your action. This command is found under File>Automate. By including this command in your action, all documents' color modes are checked, and if necessary, changed to RGB mode (RGB images would ignore this command)or whatever color mode you want to use.

Editing Actions

There are number of ways you can edit an action:

  • To remove a step (or an action) : click-and-drag it to the Trash icon at the bottom of the Actions palette, or Option-click (PC: Alt-click) on the Trash icon.

  • To change the settings for a step : double-click on that step to edit the settings in the dialog.

  • To change the order of steps : click-and-drag the step up or down within the action.

  • To duplicate a step : Option-drag (PC: Alt-drag) it to the position where you want the copy to appear.

  • To add a new step to an action : click on the step in the action that you want your new step to follow after. Then click the Start Recording button, add the new operation, and click the Stop Recording button.

Playback Options

Once you've recorded an action (or loaded an action from some other source), you'll need to play it. Here are some of the options for playing actions:

  • To play only a single step of an action : click on the step, then Command-click (PC: Control-click) the Play button in the bottom of the Actions palette (or simply press Command/Control as you double-click on the step).

  • To play an action from a specific step onwards : click on that step, then click the Play button.

  • To play an entire set of actions : click on the first action in the set, hold down Shift and click on the last action in the set, and then click the Play button. ( Note: Depending on the order of the actions in the set, some functions may not work or may not display the way you expect.)

  • To play some actions in a set : click on the first action in the set, hold down Command (PC: Control) and click on every action in the set that you'd like to play, and then click the Play button. ( Note: Depending on the order of the actions in the set, some functions may not work or may not display the way you expect.)

  • To change the way the action is played : choose Playback Options from the Actions palette's flyout menu while you have your action selected.

Batch Processing

One of the greatest strengths of actions is when you apply an action to a folder full of images using the Batch command. From the File menu, choose Automate>Batch (or select images in Adobe Bridge and use the Tools menu to choose Photoshop>Batch). In the dialog, choose the set and the action, and indicate the folder to which you want the action applied. It is also advisable to create an "After" folder to use as your destinationotherwise, the results of the action will overwrite the original documents.

Destination Choices

None

As the action finishes, the altered files remain open, awaiting your decision as to whether to save or not. This can be useful in cases where you want to see the results of the action before deciding whether you want to keep the changes to individual images.

Save and Close

Depending on the file format, this option can overwrite the originals , so use this one with caution, particularly if your action reduces resolution or image size, flattens layers, or does any other potentially " damaging " operations. If your action includes a Save As step, you'll want to check Override Action "Save As" Commands. Otherwise, you'll get a warning dialog that probably will just confuse you. So, imagine that this option says: "Ignore the location for the saved file and just use the format I recorded." That's what this checkbox basically does: If you recorded a Save As command, Batch will use the format you recorded (JPEG, TIFF, etc.), but will ignore the fact that the action uses a specific location for saving the file, instead using the folder you have indicated in the Batch dialog. (If you leave the option unchecked, your Batch process will pause and ask you to confirm the Save As command for each image.) Again this option is, of course, the most "permanent" because you may well be writing over your original files (unless your originals are JPEGs and you're saving as PSDs, for example). Use it with caution, thinking about the implications of what may happen to your originals.

Folder

With this option you can keep the originals intact and move the results of your Batch action to another folder. There are a couple of advantages to this choice, with the most obvious being the preservation of the original files. The other advantage of this option is the ability to rename the files while the action is applied. You can choose from a series of naming options, including a file name, serial number, dates, and more. If you are picking up where you left off from a previous Batch process, you can enter any starting serial number you want. Note: An example in the dialog shows what your new file names will look like, with .gif as the extension, regardless of the file format you are using. In other words, ".gif" is just to indicate the style of the file name; it will actually be created using the file format you've recorded in your action. For many people, this is the "safest" choice because you can keep the originals, saving the new images that result from your action into an alternate folder.

Errors

The bottom option in the Batch dialog is how errors are handled. Your choices are Stop For Errors, which will stop the Batch process from continuing; or Log Errors To File, which will allow the Batch to continue, but will provide details in a text file with any errors it encountered . In general, you probably want to choose Log Errors to File, so that one problem won't stop the entire Batch process from completing.

Droplets

A droplet is really a Batch action taken a step further. When you create a droplet for an action, you can drag-and-drop a document or folder of files onto the droplet icon to start the Batch processing. Often droplets are saved on the desktop for quick access. (If it isn't already running, Photoshop will launch when you drag a file or folder onto a droplet.) To create a droplet, use File>Automate>Create Droplet. Choose settings as you would for Batch, except there is no Source folder, because you drag-and-drop files and folders onto the icon to use the droplet.

Common Challenges

Here are a few common challenges you may encounter with actions:

  1. Error message about layer names.

    You run an action but get a message that refers to a specific layer not being available. This happens when you record an action and include a step where you click on a layer to activate it. When you do that, the action records "click on the layer called 'X.'" Now anytime you play that action, it's looking for that specific layer named "X." To avoid this, you can either use keyboard shortcuts to activate the layer (see below), or don't include selecting the layer as part of the actioninstead activate the layer before playing the action.

    • To activate next layer up : press Option (PC: Alt) and the Right Bracket key (])

    • To activate next layer down : press Option (PC: Alt) and the Left Bracket key ([)

    • To activate topmost layer : press Option (PC: Alt) and the Period key (.)

    • To activate bottom-most layer : press Option (PC: Alt) and the Comma key (,)

  2. Error messages about commands.

    When an error message indicates that a command is not available, this usually is due to the document being in the "wrong" mode for the operation(that was required for some operation in the action). For example, some filters do not work in Grayscale mode, so this message would appear. (See "Conditional Mode Change" in this chapter for the solution.)

  3. Selecting an area on different- sized images.

    If you record an action with a specific selection size, that size might not be applicable to other documents. For example, to create a border effect in an action, we need to make a selection that leaves a slight border, but that selection will vary with each image. One way to achieve this would be to record Select>All, and then Select>Transform Selection. With the Transform handles visible, hold Option (PC: Alt) to adjust the selection from the center (leaving the center anchor point in the same position). Press Enter and continue with your action. After the action is finished, turn on the modal control beside the Transform Selection step. Then when you play the action, it will pause to let you adjust the selectionpress Enter to finalize the selection and finish the action.

  4. Avoiding speci.c measurements.

    When you record an action that includes ImageSize or Canvas Size (both found under the Image menu), and you then play the action, Photoshop will prompt you for a speci.c measurement. This can cause problems if you have a variety of di.erent- sized images, so use a percentage rather than a speci.c measurement (see "An Action with Interaction" in this chapter for an example of this).

    Okay, that should get you started in the wonderful world of actions. Remember, the whole idea here is to cut down on problems by having Photoshop do the work for you, using actions that you create. For more examples of actions, be sure to check out the many Photoshop action sites out there, especially Adobe Studio Exchange (http://studio.adobe.com/us), which is packed with free actions for download.



Photoshop CS2 Help Desk Book
The Photoshop CS2 Help Desk Book
ISBN: 0321337042
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2006
Pages: 225
Authors: Dave Cross

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