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Creating A Simple Action


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So we were in a chat today and Launa was asking me how I created an action to resize my LOs for the web. So we decided I would write up a real quick tutorial. Hopefully I'll word it in a way that isn't too confusing. I'm sure it'll work in CS2 as well but since I have CS3 that's all I know to use. Here it goes.

  1. Have a LO and your Actions palette open.
  2. If you don't have one already create a new Set. (On the bottom of your actions palette there are 6 icons. To create a new set click on the one that looks like a folder - 3rd from right.) I named mine "Shari's Actions."
  3. Now you can create a new action. Click on the "Create New Action" icon (2nd from right.) A dialog box will come up.
  4. Name your action, choose the set to where you want it saved, assign a shortcut if you want, assign a color if you want. Click "Record".
  5. At this point the action is recording all of your keystrokes/mouse clicks. The following are the keystrokes I used to create my "Save For Web" action: Image>Image Size, Enter 72 in Resolution box FIRST then 600 in the top Width box, click OK.
  6. Now click on the square "stop" button on your action palette (bottom left icon.)
  7. Viola - your done.

For mine, I assigned the shortcut Ctrl+F2 so that's all I have to press when I'm ready to resize my LO for posting on the web. You can make an action to save it as a jpg too if you want.

 

Keep in mind that I taught myself this little trick through a little bit of playing around. There might be a better way. If so ... I'm open to learn. Until then, this ought to get you started on creating simple little actions for often used series of keystrokes. It'll save you lots of time ... which is something we can all use more of, right?! :D

 

Happy Action Building!! :fruit:

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Awesome Shari! Thanks so much! And I think I might have been spelling your name wrong all day in the chat, if I did I'm sorry! :sorry: I'm not all there sometimes! LOL!! This seems simple enough, it'll be my project for tomorrow, and boy, what a timesaver! I guess you wont lose your Meta data this way either! (just a guess though!) :worthy::thanks:

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That's awesome that you figured that out Shari! I also have a save action that I created for myself. I made mine so that it creates my printable JPG and my web JPG at the same time. Basically, it copies my layered PSD twice, then flattens one as is, resizes the other to 72 dpi and 600x600, then flattens that one. It's pure heaven. :)

 

How great of you to share that knowledge with others.

 

:cheeringdog::cheeringdog::cheeringdog:

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I am messing around with this, not the best time to be doing it at 12:45am!! I want to build an action to save my PSD as a jpg ( I have that part down) then save it for web...I still have to type in my save as name, but it is alot faster than how I used to do it before!

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I wonder if you did a 'search' for file types .atn if it would help you find the folder where you actions are stored??

 

Mine, for PSE, are in a folder like this:

 

"C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Adobe\Photoshop Elements\6.0\Photo Creations\photo effects"

 

Thanks Shari!

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Once you record an action, it is not actually "saved" yet. You have to go into that actions palette select the Actions Set you wish to save (you have to save whole sets even if it is just one action) and then click on the arrow at the top to get the fly out menu to open. Choose save actions. It will then prompt you to browse for the location you wish to save it to and for a file name. So name it whatever you like, then you can go out into that file and you will see the little blue icon with the .ATN extension.

 

Now the only thing about sharing actions with PSE users is that the PSE user (or the sharer) will need to make a little icon for PSE to pick up the action. These are 64x64, and depending on what version of the program you have will be named either for the action, ie: actionname.psd (PSE3-4), or thumbs.psd (PSE5). I can't remember off the top of my head about PSE 6 . LOL. That is why it takes so long to get these actions converted over to PSE! LOL.

 

But, a resize and saving action really shouldn't have any problems running PSE so you shouldn't run into errors that way.

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I wonder if you did a 'search' for file types .atn if it would help you find the folder where you actions are stored??

 

Mine, for PSE, are in a folder like this:

 

"C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Adobe\Photoshop Elements\6.0\Photo Creations\photo effects"

 

Thanks Shari!

 

I'm at work right now, but I don't mind sharing my action at all. I have my action set saved and know where it is. I'll have to give Melissa's directions a try for saving it for PSE. Then I can send it to you, Christy. Just PM me with an email address and I'll be happy to send it off later tonight. :)

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  • 1 month later...

This sounds very interesting and useful. The only problem is that I have PSE6 and don't have a clue how to even record an action. I'm a prettyo new user, but I don't mind digging around and making mistakes, I just don't have a lot of time to check out everything it will do! If someone could send me in the right direction, I would be most grateful!

Thanks!

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Oh, that's a bummer. Think I could talk Christy into sending me the same one??? :) Some day, I may never find a 'Big Daddy' to marry, but I will HAVE the Big Daddy from Adobe!

 

 

This sounds very interesting and useful. The only problem is that I have PSE6 and don't have a clue how to even record an action. I'm a prettyo new user, but I don't mind digging around and making mistakes, I just don't have a lot of time to check out everything it will do! If someone could send me in the right direction, I would be most grateful!

Thanks!

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I don't have the action to share (I believe this was posted at a very crazy time in Jo's life and I had since forgotten about it!!) I actually have upgraded to CS3 now!! yeah!! I played some with writing my own action, but it was acting funny the other day, so I am not quite ready to share!! If/when I fix the bugs, I will be more than happy to share!!

 

HTH!!

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