How Photoshop Actions Have Changed the Way I Use Photoshop

by Magoz

This post originally appeared on my Blog.
You can find more illustrations, animations, and articles on my Website.
Follow me on Instagram and Twitter.

Photoshop is an incredible tool that comes with hundreds of functions.

We adapt Photoshop to our needs and normally end up using just a few of the available functions.

But, how many times a day do we use each tool? How many times a day do we repeat the same sequence of commands?

Wouldn’t it be great to improve and automate the way we use our tools?

Photoshop has a powerful built-in automation feature called Actions.

Photoshop Actions allow us to record a sequence of actions and then run that sequence whenever we want with just one click from the Actions panel. Even better, we can assign a keyboard shortcut, making the process even faster.

Why Photoshop Actions Are Useful

• Merging several steps into one saves time.
• You can create complex workflows concatenating actions.
• You don’t need to remember the details and steps for achieving a particular result. Record an action and the process will always be available with a click.
• You can bulk edit images using the powerful File > Automate > Batch.

Some of the Photoshop Actions I Use

I want to share some of the actions I use every day. You can download and adapt them to your own needs.

To import them, first activate the Actions Panel (Window > Actions) and then import my actions using the options of the Actions > Load.

I use Photoshop CC, but the actions might work as well in older versions.

1. Export all the required image versions for my website

My website needs 4 different sizes of every image I upload. I coded it in that way to work well with Retina Displays and also to help the website load fast.

This action exports the four image sizes I need to the desktop.

The sizes and formats are very specific to my website, but you can adapt them to your needs.

The sequence:

1. Flatten image.
2. Convert to RGB.
3. Change image size to 1220px wide.
4. Export a PNG to the desktop and name it magoz-@2x.png.
5. Go back to the step number 2.
6. Change image size to 610px wide.
7. Export a PNG to the desktop and name it magoz.png.
8. Go back to the step number 2.
9. Change image size to 760px wide.
10. Export a PNG to the desktop and name it magoz-thumbnail-@2x.png.
11. Go back to the step number 2.
12. Change image size to 380px wide.
13. Export a PNG to the desktop and name it magoz-thumbnail.png.
14. Close the file without saving the changes.

Download Action

2. Delete empty and hidden layers

I end up having lots of layers, and most of them are hidden or empty. This action cleans the .psd file.

The sequence:

1. Delete hidden layers.
2. Delete empty layers.

Download Action

3. Change the color of the layer contents

As I work with few colors and every layer contains only one shape and one color, this action is extremely useful for me.

The sequence:

1. Select all the contents of the current layer.
2. Create a new layer.
3. Fill the selection on the new layer using the foreground color.

Download Action

4. Fill a selection while avoiding the annoying pixel border

When I draw, I don’t manually fill all the shapes. I usually only draw the outlines of shapes. Then I select the inside using the magic wand and fill it. But, this approach has a problem: you must expand the selection before filling it to avoid a small area that is not filled.

The sequence:

1. Expand the selection.
2. Fill using the foreground color.

Download Action

5. Duplicate and flip a layer

I use the flipping function a lot, and this small action saves me a couple of clicks every time.

The sequence:

1. Duplicate the current layer.
2. Flip the new layer.

Download Action

6. Create a new layer with a copy of all the layers merged

This action is fundamental when I’m choosing or tweaking the colors of a new illustration. I usually copy the image and play with some adjustments like Hue Saturation to experiment with the colors. This action creates a new layer on top of the document with the full image and also opens the Hue/Saturation dialogue.

The sequence:

1. Select all layers.
2. Duplicate layers.
3. Merge all duplicate layers into one.
4. Open the Hue/Saturation dialogue.

Download Action

More Actions and Ideas

I also use Photoshop Actions for other scenarios. Here are some ideas:

• When I need to export more than 5 images in a particular format (for contests, print or media, for example), it’s quick to set up a new action and execute it using File > Automate > Batch. You can define the source folder and the destination folder. It works like magic.
• I have an action to export an image in 2000px PNG RGB. I always send the sketches with those specs.
• Every action I use has an assigned keyboard shortcut, which makes the whole process even faster.

I’m always looking for ways of improving the way I interact with technology. Using Photoshop Actions in conjunction with keyboard shortcuts makes frequent and complex actions a snap, and has revolutionized the way I use Photoshop.

Do you use Photoshop Actions? I would love to hear your ideas and thoughts and, if possible, share the ones you use in the comments.

Let’s optimize our workflows together!

This post originally appeared on my Blog.
You can find more illustrations, animations, and articles on my Website.
Follow me on Instagram and Twitter.