Automate with Actions
Photoshop CS, CS2, CS3


Photoshop Actions can be used to provide shortcuts for commonly used processes that are done on a frequent basis.  Many people frequently do the same steps every time they start to edit an image.  A keyboard shortcut can be created to reduce these beginning steps to a single keystroke.  The following examples will use the F5 function key to setup an image for initial editing.  While the concept of Actions has been constant since Photoshop 7, these examples will use smart layers from CS3.  The steps can be duplicated in CS & CS2 by skipping smart layers.

Run an Existing Action

  1. Open the Action window.  Click on "Window" then click on "Actions"
  2. Open your file.
  3. Click on triangle to the left of "Default Actions" to bring down the list of all existing actions. 
  4. Click on "Sepia Toning (layer)"  (not in CS2)
  5. At the bottom of the Action window click on "play selection" (the triangle symbol third from the left.)
  6. The "Sepia Toning" action will play.
  7. Note that in the "History" window all of the steps performed are listed.

Shadows & Highlights Setup

The active layer must not be an adjustment layer.  It must be one that actually contains pixels.  One possibility would be the background layer.
  1. Open the Action window.  Click on "Window" then click on "Actions"
  2. Create a new action set if needed:  There exists an Action Set named "Default Actions" that comes with Photoshop. 
    1. Click on "create new set" at the bottom of the Action window (the folder symbol third from the right.)
    2. Type a name for your new set -- Custom for this example.
    3. Click "OK"
  3. Create a new shadows & highlights action
    1. At the bottom of the Action window click on "create new action" (second symbol from the right.)
    2. Make the action name "S&H".
    3. Make sure the set is "Custom"
    4. Set the function key to F5 and check on shift.  The action "S&H" will play whenever shift-F5 is pressed.
    5. Click on Record.  All keystrokes will now be recorded into the new action "S&H".
  4. While recording do the following:
    1. Click on "Layer" then "Duplicate Layer".  Name the new layer "Shadow/Highlite"
    2. Click on "Filter" then "Convert for Smart Filters"  (skip this step if not in CS3)
    3. Click on "Image" then "Adjustments" then "Shadow/Highlights..."
      1. For Showdows set Amount to 20, Tonal Width to 50, and Radius to 70
      2. For Highlights set Amount to 20, Tonal Width to 50 and Radius to 70.
      3. For Adjustments set Color Correction to +20 and Midtone Contrast to 25.
      4. Click OK
  5. End recording by clicking at the bottom of the Action window "stop playing/recording" (the first symbol on the left.)  You will now be able to activate the action by pressing shift-F5

Adjustment Layer Setup

This action will create a set of adjustment layers.  For most you will not do any adjustments but will make the adjustments later.  But for some you may wish to include some default adjustments.  This would include giving the saturation a little boost and setting some points on the curve layer.
  1. Create a new adjustment layers action
    1. At the bottom of the Action window click on "create new action" (second symbol from the right.)
    2. Make the action name "Make Adjustment Layers".
    3. Make sure the set is "Custom"
    4. Set the function key to F5 and check on Control.  The action "Make Adjustment Layers" will play whenever ctl-F5 is pressed.
    5. Click on Record.  All keystrokes will now be recorded into the new action "Make Adjustment Layers".
  2. While recording do the following
    1. Click on "Layer" then "New Adjustment Layer" then on "Levels"
      1. Click OK to accept the default name.
      2. Click OK to accept the levels adjustments.  (You can change these later -- no adjustment is best)
    2. Click on "Layer" then "New Adjustment Layer" then on "Curves"
      1. Click OK to accept the default name.
      2. In the curve click on the quarter points to set the shadows, midtone, and highlights points.
      3. Click OK to accept the curves adjustments.  The points you set will be part of the action.
    3. Click on "Layer" then "New Adjustment Layer" then on "Hue/Saturation"
      1. Click OK to accept the default name.
      2. Set Hue to 6 and Saturation to 15 (or whatever values you wish to become your default.)
      3. Click OK to accept the Hue/Saturation adjustments.
    4. Click on "Layer" then "New Adjustment Layer" then on "Color Balance"
      1. Click OK to accept the default name.
      2. Click OK to accept the Color Balance adjustments.  (You can change these later -- no adjustment is best)
    5. Click on "Layer" then "New Adjustment Layer" then on "Brightness/Contrase"
      1. Click OK to accept the default name.
      2. Click OK to accept the brightness & contrast adjustments.  (You can change these later -- no adjustment is best)
    6. End recording by clicking at the bottom of the Action window "stop playing/recording" (the first symbol on the left.).  You will now be able to activate the action by pressing ctl-F5

Automatic High Pass Sharpening

To use this action make sure your active layer is the top layer.  You might get some strange results otherwise.
  1. Create a new adjustment layers action
    1. At the bottom of the Action window click on "create new action" (second symbol from the right.)
    2. Make the action name "HiPass Sharpen".
    3. Make sure the set is "Custom"
    4. Set the function key to F6 and leave Shift and Control both unchecked.  The action "Make Adjustment Layers" will play whenever F6 is pressed.
    5. Click on Record.  All keystrokes will now be recorded into the new action "HiPass Sharpen".
  2. While recording do the following
    1. Do a "Stamp Visible" by pressing Shift-Control-Alt E.  This is the same as Merge Visible except that it will put the results in its own layer above the current active layer and leave all the existing layers in place.
    2. Double click on the name of the new layer and rename it "High Pass"
    3. Click on "Filter" then "Convert for Smart Filters"  (skip this step if not in CS3)
    4. For course sharpening lick on "Filter" then on "Other" then on "High Pass".  Set Pixels to 5.0 and click OK.
    5. For fine sharpening lick on "Filter" then on "Other" then on "High Pass".  Set Pixels to 1.0 and click OK.
    6. Set the mode of the High Pass layer to "hard light"
    7. Set the opacity of the High Pass layer to 50%.
  3. End recording by clicking at the bottom of the Action window "stop playing/recording" (the first symbol on the left.).  You will now be able to activate the action by pressing F6.

Putting it all together

After you have created all the above actions you may put them all together to form a single image setup action.  Start with an open file whose only layer is the background layer.
  1. Create a new image setup action
    1. At the bottom of the Action window click on "create new action" (second symbol from the right.)
    2. Make the action name "Image Setup".
    3. Make sure the set is "Custom"
    4. Set the function key to F5 and leave Shift and Control both unchecked.  The action "Image Setup" will play whenever F5 is pressed.
    5. Click on Record.  All keystrokes will now be recorded into the new action "HiPass Sharpen".
  2. While recording do the following
    1. Press Shift-F5 to run the Shadows/HiLight action.
    2. Press Control-F5 to run the Make Adjustment Layers action.
    3. Press F6 to run the HiPass Sharpen action
  3. End recording by clicking at the bottom of the Action window "stop playing/recording" (the first symbol on the left.).  You will now be able to activate the action by pressing F5.

Batch Processing with Actions

First we will develop an action  then apply that action repeatedly to a group of images.  This can be very useful from time to time.  For this example start with a 16 bit image that contains layers for development of the action.  The resulting images can be anything.
  1. Set up a new action (placing it in the action set "Custom".  Name it Test Action.  Leave the Funtion Key set to "None".
  2. Create a folder "Batch" on your computer.
  3. While recording do the following
    1. Layer -- Flatten Image
    2. Image -- Mode -- 8 bits/channel
    3. Image -- Mode -- Grayscale
    4. Image -- Image Size
      1. Check Resample Image
      2. Check Constrain Proportions
      3. Select Bicubic Sharper
      4. Set Height to 500 pixels
      5. Click OK
    5. File -- Save As
      1. Browse to the "Batch" folder
      2. Select file type as JPG
      3. When asked select quality as low (three).
      4. Click OK
    6. Close file.
  4. End recording by clicking at the bottom of the Action window "stop playing/recording" (the first symbol on the left.).
  5. Now bring up Bridge to start your batch processing
    1. With Bridge browse to a folder in which you wish to save as a B&W jpeg.
    2. Select several images for batch processing.
    3. Within Bridge go to Tools -- Photoshop -- Batch
    4. Select the action set (Custom) and the action (Test Action)
    5. Click on OK.  The action will now be performed on each of the selected images.
    6. Note:  This works in Photoshop CS2 but not in the CS3 Beta