Dmaireroa Creative Studio

Basic Photoshop Actions

Photoshop Actions are series of tasks to play back on a single file. Actions has a record and stop button to give you control over your task recording. The advantage of using Photoshop Actions is to record your every step in Photoshop and re-use by a single click of a button without taking minutes or hours of your time to redo the process again if necessary. Photoshop Actions comes with an edit, stop and play button. You can also combine other techniques; batch-process, filters, color tone, manipulation and add as many Actions as you want to one set folder.

We are going to use Photoshop Actions to an image of your choice, change the image size and adding a gradient map.

Requirements:

• > Photoshop Software
• > Photoshop Actions
• > Gradient Map

1. Start first by opening your image to the canvas.

2. Open up the Actions panel if not already open. Go to Windows > Actions or Click on Alt + F9

3. Create a new Set folder and give a relevant name to your Photoshop Action e.g. Image Size.

4. Create a new Action and give it a name e.g. 500 x 500.

5. Look for ‘Image Size’ on the set option; click the record button, and now you’re ready to start your first Action.

6. Make sure you double check if your recording is turned on.

7. With your image already opened, Go to Windows > Image > Image Size. Uncheck Constraints Proportions, and type in 500 x 500 to give you the exact image size.

8. Now we are going to add a gradient map. Set your foreground and background to any color. Mine is set to default; black and white.

9. Add your gradient map as shown in the example. Go to Windows > Image > Adjustments > Gradient maps… then go ahead and click OK.

10. Stop the recording by clicking on the stop button.

11. Now you can try it out on a different image. Highlight your Actions name by clicking on ‘500 x 500’, and press the play button to repeat everything that was recorded earlier on.

You have created a Photoshop Actions, so use your imagination, create your own and explore it with other techniques. Keep in mine, Photoshop Actions can be used to record any series of tasks, whether it be ‘Image Size’, color tones, filters, etc.

Stay in tune for our next tutorial ‘Advance Photoshop Actions’

All the best and good luck!

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