Using and creating custom Actions in Photoshop

Perhaps you’ve heard the term, but are unsure what Actions are or how to use them in Photoshop. So, let’s go back to some bare-bones basics and look at using Actions and how they can speed up your workflow and make life easier.

What are Actions?

Actions are a set of tasks or commands that are grouped together to perform complex or monotonous tasks at the touch of a button.

You can set them to do a variety of tasks that would require several minutes (or longer) to accomplish yourself. Anything can be set as an Action, from resizing images to frequency separation. Skin smoothing, blemish removal, recoloring eyes, lips and hair.

It doesn’t stop at portraits, either. Want to create smoke, or snow in your landscape? You can use an Action to do that. Think of them as a macro or a shortcut. You can make them yourself and there are often loads of them available online.

How to use them

Firstly, you may need to set them up if you have never used them before. Press either Alt + F9 (Option + F9 on Macs)or go to Window > Actions. It should then appear in your panels.

Once you have your Actions panel open, you may see some preconfigured Adobe Actions present. Open an image and try an Action or two to see what they do.

At the bottom of the Actions panel, there are some buttons. In order, Stop, Record, Play, Group, New and Delete. Press Play to run an action. Wait for it to finish before doing anything further.

Usually, they will add layers to your layer stack and you can adjust them individually. You should also see what each section of the Action created, whether it’s a layer or adjustment like Exposure. It will usually also have the layer masks applied, but not always.

How to make your own Actions

You can make simple Actions through to extremely complex ones. Simple is easy and can be very handy. Complex Actions, to be honest, can be an art form in themselves. I would personally watch a few tutorials before starting anything too complex. But there are loads of things you can do yourself.

If you click on the Hamburger menu (four lines at the top) of the Actions panel it will give you more menu options for arranging your Actions, creating (or recording), loading new ones, deleting or switching to Button Mode.

Some people find Button Mode easier, but I do not. It is simply a different way to view your Action sets.

Below, I put together a quick little video tutorial on making a Black & White with Contrast Action. Follow along and make your own.

Where to get more Actions

I have a few favorites that I have created myself, which you can find on my website. There is a cute freebie for creating a vintage look polaroid, as well as my own personal Portrait Actions.

As for commercially made Action sets, I personally adore The Color Lab. Graphic River have some amazing ones too. But I am sure if you look around you can find loads of different options. Don’t forget about making your own, too.