improving workflow in Photoshop

[jeanie]

Hello all

I have been following B Beckhams tutorials on improving workflow on digital images in Photoshop with the use of Actions. He suggests using an action to resize images and perhaps put this on to a function key, say F2. One of his suggestions is to clear photoshop's preset actions before you start 'to clear the decks' as it where. Easy to bring them back he said. My 1st question is How do you do that? Mine have now disappeared from Photoshop's files. I went to program files- Adobe- Photoshop 7- presets- photoshop actions. Now there's nothing there.

My second question is 'If I set a different function keys to do different functions like this ie F2 to resize and save, F3 to put a stroke around the image, then each time the image is saved again I will lose quality. I t seems like I must plan everything I need to do to an image from the beginning or save as a photoshop file to begin with until I'm sure I've finished.

I'm still here and regularly read the forum even those I don't always comment. It's often quite interesting to see what others are struggling with. So thanks to all,

Hope you can help

Jeanie

[Ken Cox]

What does Barry say ??????????????????

ken

[ContaxMan]

I'm a little confused as to how you lost the default actions. I often use actions in PS 7 & have never had this problem. On my machine, the default actions are to be found in the "Required" folder.

Clicking the right arrow on the Action tab brings up the option to reset actions. When I do this, the original action set is restored.

As for function keys, I leave them well alone - it's too easy to hit one by mistake!

[Guest Techman1]

Jeanie,

In Photoshop you can create your own actions by recording the steps that you are taking on one file. You can either have "one" action that performs all the steps necessary to prepare a file or you can have "several" actions that can be manually selected or they can be grouped into one action after they have been created. You can run each action manually or automatically through the "Batch" process or by creating a "Droplet" that is a program that does basically what Batch does but uses specific parameters each time (like source location, destination location, etc.).

If you plan on saving the file multiple times (although you don't have to), you should save it as either a Photoshop (.psd) file or as a TIFF (.tif) file. That way you don't lose any quality as a result of multiple saves.

There are multiple locations with information on how to create an Action. You may just want to do a search through Google and see what you come up with if required.

Regarding your default actions being removed, I believe if you pressed the "Clear All Actions" button under the Actions tab that it does just that, it clears them. I haven't tried this to verify because I certainly have too many Actions that I don't want to have to reload them unless I absolutely have to. So I'm not sure how to help you get them back if it actually removed them from your system (which I don't think it does - but again, I haven't tried and don't know for sure). As ContaxMan states, my default actions are also in the "Required" subdirectory under my Photoshop directory in Programs. That is:

\Programs\Adobe\Photoshop\Required

The name is: DefaultActions.atn

I hope this helps a little. Good luck!

Fred

[Guest Techman1]

All,

Sorry on my Droplet sample, I should not have entered the "Source Location" as a parameter. Typically when a Droplet is created, it allows you to drop your source files onto the Droplet and then it does the Photoshop work for you on these files.

I hope I haven't confused anyone.

Good luck again.

Fred

[jeanie]

Well thank you everyone!

That was my problem quickly sorted.I didn't look closely at the other options in the drop down of the Actions palette. Yes there was the restore actions. They are all nicely back!

I have watched Barry's tutorials with actions and he does seem to speed up his work flow with them. It just needs a little thought when you are beginning. To think about the order of doing things to your images. Whether this be what kind of frame?, and this maybe depending on the background colour, as well as the resizing and alterations to colour and adjustments and filters. That's why I said it must take alot of planning to know what your going to do to each image before you Save. Yes saving as a Photoshop file is an option.

I suppose its practice,practice, practice till one finds ones own way of working.

Thanks again

jeanie.