What is a photoshop action?
Photoshop actions are code bits you run from within the program itself, containing a series of tasks you can apply as many times as you want on different images. They’re usually presented as one file (ATN extension) or batch of files and include menu commands, tool actions, filters and effects you can apply on any photo automatically by simply pressing the “Play” button.
Where do I save the actions File?
The actions which are available on my site are compressed in zip format. You will need a typical decompressing utility to unzip the files. Save the ATN file anywhere on your computer (it is a good habit to keep all of them in your folder Photoshop\Presets\Photoshop Actions)
What is the action panel?
The actions panel is a special Photoshop ‘window’ that allows you to run / record actions. If the actions panel is not visible select Window > Actions from the main menu to access it.
How do I load and run actions?
Once you have the Action Panel open:
- Click the options button in the upper-right panel corner (arrow 1) to open the actions flyout menu.
- Select “Load Actions”. and navigate to the folder where you saved the actions and load the action file.
- The actions set appears as a folder in the actions panel. Click the little triangle on the left of the folder icon to expand the actions of this set. A set may contain one or more actions that produce different effects.
- Finally click an action you would like to play and then click the “Play” button.
NOTE: If you click on the actions set instead of an action within the set, the Play button will appear grayed out!
Another approach is to double click the .ATN file, while Photoshop is running. The actions will be loaded automatically in the actions panel.
