If you’re new to timesaving Photoshop Actions this quick tutorial is just what you need to get up to speed. In less than four minutes you’ll learn what Actions do, how they work, and an easy way to use them for a faster, more efficient photo-editing workflow.
Adobe provides this definition: “Photoshop actions are a series of recorded tasks or commands that you can play back and record on single or multiple files.” In other words, they’re similar to macros or shortcuts in that they enable you to automate frequently used edits.
Today’s instructor Nino Batista is an eclectic pro, specializing in standard portraiture, boudoir, glamour, and commercial photography. He’s also a very adept instructor who regularly posts helpful tutorials for photographers of all skill levels. By the conclusion of the episode below, Photoshop Actions will be a regularly used component of your Photoshop bag of tricks.
Batista covers all the “super basics” so you can start using Actions today. You’ll begin by clicking on the Window tab atop the Photoshop screen and choosing the Actions option from the dropdown menu. The first time you option the Actions panel you’ll find yourself in the Normal mode. Here you can choose one of the built-in Actions and use the buttons underneath to proceed. There are Play and Stops buttons and others that enable to make your own Actions as well.
The lesson begins with the built-in options, and Batista chooses the Gradient Map as an example. He demonstrates how to activate Button Mode, in which all of your actions become single-click buttons that you can use without delay. Batista explains that “most of the time, when you’re not making an Action or using a complicated one, Button Mode is where you want to be.”
After this quick overview Batista demonstrates two common ways to install Actions. He explains the method he prefers and why it works more consistently that the other. You’ll see where to find Actions you’ve saved to the computer, and how to easily recognize them by the “.atn” suffix.
These can be Actions you’ve purchased, created yourself, or others you downloaded for free. They typically appear at the bottom of the Actions list, below the built-in options, but you’ll see how to rearrange everything to suite your needs. Now you’re ready to go.
There are a wide variety of imaging-editing lessons on Batista’s instructional YouTube channel, so be sure to take a look.
And check out the tutorial we posted recently, explaining why another image-editing expert says, “Photoshop’s new Gradient tool changes everything.”
It’s so exciting to get a new camera that many photographers can’t resist pulling it out of the box, setting the manual aside, leaving the default settings as they are, and heading out for a day of shooting. If that sounds familiar pay close attention to the video below, in which an accomplished explains what to do first so the new camera performs as intended.
Florida-based pro Booray Perry makes his living shooting portraits, weddings and a variety of events, and his tutorials are popular with Shutterbug readers for their straightforward style targeted mostly at beginners. Today’s episode is for novices and pros alike, as he demonstrates “the 10 things I do whenever I get a new camera.”
Much of what you’ll learn involves configuring the camera to suit your specific needs. That way you’ll avoid the common set-it-and-for-get-it mentality and neglect to customize the default settings later. You’ll also be able to download Perry’s popular eBook on this topic so that you can refer back to it in written form whenever you want.
Perry doesn’t spend much time with simple stuff like setting the time and date, rather focusing on other important options that affect the type of photography you do most. His advice applies to whatever camera you own, but you may have to dig through the menus a bit to find what you’re looking for because every brand is set up a bit differently.
Perry walks you through the various image-quality options available. These are important depending upon how you intend to edit, display, share, or print your work. Perry says “the two big options” are Raw vs. Jpeg, and you’ll learn the strengths and weaknesses of both. You can also set the camera to capture images in both file formats at once. Another consideration is choosing the right file size; in other works, how big you want the images to be.
Perry continues with a discussion of the various metering modes from which to choose, and again, the choice you make has to with the subject matter at hand as well as the conditions you confront. This area is a good example how some brands use different nomenclature to describe the same thing. Fujifilm for example, refers to metering modes as “Photometry.”
Among the other key variables are the variety of focusing modes offered by modern cameras, and when one works better than the others. In this regard Perry also explains how and why to move focus points for optimum results in different situations. You’ll also see why Perry insists that you turn off the setting that enables the camera to shoot when there’s no memory card installed—calling this tip “huge.”
Be sure to download’s Perry’s free eBook after watching the video. And pay a visit to his popular YouTube channel when you have time.
We also encourage you to watch the tutorial we posted from another accomplished pro, explaining how to break three common “rules of photography” when you run out of fresh ideas and need a jolt of inspiration.
Think of Generative Expand as Cropping in reverse gear. It’s mind-blowing. Instead of making the image smaller and deleting pixels, the new feature allows you to expand image content beyond its original borders by using the Adobe Firefly-powered Generative Fill function to create additional content that never existed but blends naturally with the original image. The new content can be an extension of the original data or based on the Command Prompt you type.
Generative Expand joins the popular Delete and Fill Selection and the Generative Fill features in Adobe Photoshop (beta) that’s available with all Creative Cloud subscriptions, including trial versions. Start a free trial of Photoshop or update your Photoshop (beta) app to try these exciting new editing tools. You can watch a short video about Generative Expand here.
900 Million Images and Counting
Are these AI features popular? Since these gems were introduced in May of this year, Photoshop (beta) users have generated more than 900 million images. Adobe also announced that these Firefly-powered capabilities now support text prompts in more than 100 languages.
More Features Under Development
Adobe directly stated that here are more generative AI developments coming this fall. We’ll try them and report our findings as the new features are added to Photoshop (beta). For access to the updated language prompts and Generative Expand, download a free trial of Photoshop or update your Photoshop (beta) app today.
Conclusion?
Generative Expand is EASILY the most compelling feature I’ve ever encountered in an image editing app. Ever.
Over the past few months, AI has enhanced the world of image editing more than at any other time in history, but reaction from academics, scientists and imaging professionals has been divisive. Some say that the evolution is irrefutably positive. Others warn of the dangers of AI and its threat to creativity—and perhaps even humanity.
Three things are clear. AI-driven apps will continue to grow in power and worldwide acceptance.
Second, AI-powered image editing apps like Photoshop and Photoshop (beta) are enormously entertaining and boost user productivity; Adobe is clearly the leader in this arena.
Third, it’s much too early to conclude whether AI is our salvation or our damnation.
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