I’ve been aware of Photoshop’s ability to perform actions for quite some time, but it’s not something I learned in school and it’s something I think anyone that uses Photoshop should know.
Actions give you the ability to record a set of tasks, then execute them on multiple files. The advantage, besides having to ‘click’ a lot less, is that these actions get played out very quickly and save a ton of time. Some senanarios where you might use this:
· You have many pictures that need to be cropped to the same size and saved for web optimization.
· You want to apply the same set of filters, with specific percentages, to a number of files.
· You frequently save psds, then flatten the file and save as a pdf. (You flatten the file before saving as a pdf, because it will reduce the size of the pdf).
· You want to paste a logo in the same spot on many documents, then save them.
To do this, go to [Window] in your Photoshop menu. Choose Actions. Here is a screenshot of my actions window:
I wanted to show you the entire window, but pay attention only to the row of icons at the very bottom. From left to right:
The square is to stop recording an action.
The circle is to start recording. You only use this if you are editing an action that you have already created.
The right-pointing arrow is ‘play’ – to execute your pre-recorded action. You will have fun clicking this button a whole lot, repeatedly.
The folder is to create a ’set’ of actions.
The white square with the page flip is to create a new action.
The trash is self explanitory. 
To create an action, get to the point where you’d like to begin recording and choose the ‘New Action’ icon. If you forget which this is, mousing over the icons will reveal their purpose. Name your action something unique that will help you identify what it’s doing. Click ‘Record’. Now execute everything that you’d like to be recorded, and click the stop icon. Now you have your recorded action. In the next file where you want to run this action, get to the point where you’d like to ‘play’ these actions, and hit the play button. That’s it!
Extras: You can even share actions with different people and machines. They are stored on your hard drive in the Photoshop folder: [My Computer > HD > Applications > Adobe Photoshop > Presets > Actions]. But please keep in mind, just creating an action will not store it in this folder. You actually have to create a set for it (remember the folder icon above), and then choose ‘Save Actions‘ from the pop-out menu of the Actions window (upper right corner). Then you can put the new .atn file into any Actions preset folder, restart the program, and the action will be there.
Do you already use actions? What do you use them for? Also, comment with any questions, and I will try to answer them!
