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Step 5 - Playing an Action
Using the actions is easy. Simply select an action from your Actions panel then click the play button on the bottom. You’ll see the action play – let it run and you’re done! The action we used below was able to generate an exact copy of an Instagram look with just one click. Depending on the action you’re using, they sometimes have their own instructions.
Some actions like these skin retouching actions require you to paint over the skin after playing the action. With these actions, there are usually popups that give you further instructions.
Step 6 - Using Button Mode
You can switch your Actions panel to “Button Mode” which makes your actions clickable buttons. You can switch to this mode by clicking on the Actions panel menu and selecting “Button Mode”.
Additional Panel Options
There are a lot more features in the Actions panel that you can adjust. Have a look at the graphic we created below for all the details.
Final Words
Photoshop actions are great tools whether you're an absolute beginner or an experienced professional. I highly recommend you trying some actions out - there are actions that do everything for you! For starters, check out our Photoshop actions section. If you want more, DeviantART has the most but be careful because some actions will merge your layers and flood your history with unnecessary steps.
12 comments on “How to Use Photoshop Actions”
i prefere this app
A very smart approach to explain the things,like your step by step tutorial.
The information which is given in this tutorial that will helpful for the learner to understand each and every thing easily.
Hi,
When i'm using Action panel and I click on the play icon, the action doesn't play alone : I need to accept every adjustment that are made in the action..
Do you know how can I restore the original Action panel so the action can run alone without my agreement ?
Thanks !
i just learn some information about the use of photoshop.
learn he Photoshop action tools
thank you. I just download photoshop you help me
Do you know how I can load an action that is not a zxp file into extension manager? I want everything to go through extension manager.
You have to make the ZXP yourself with Adobe Exchange Packager that you can download at adobeexchange.com/producer after logging in. If you just want it to show up in your Actions panel menu, then you can copy it to your Photoshop/Presets/Actions folder but it won't show up in Adobe Extension Manager.
Hey Denny,
I've always been a PhotoShop newbie, but I think that my wife might finds this quite useful, so I'll be forwarding it to her. (mind you, she only started learning PhotoShop few weeks ago)
Thank you,
Shawn