#action tutorial

Okay, so an action is the name for a set of recorded steps that’s saved onto your PS. Then when you click it, it goes through all the steps for you so can you can sit and chill while PS does all the work ;)

Making any action will most likely take a couple of tries to get it right because when we are recording, it’s a pain to correct any mistakes. I can’t stress this enough but please practise your action before you start recording, it helps so much. Anyways, let’s start the steps.

1. Load your captures into PS. Then click where arrow one is pointing and hopefully the box that arrow 2 is pointing at will show up. This is where our action is saved. As you can see, I’ve got 3 actions for frames saved. (lol why do I even still have the 1.5 saved? I never use it sigh.)

2. Set up your folder (optional). I like keeping things organised so yay folders! Just click the little folder icon, name it whatever you want to and press okay.

3. Start your recording. Click the button that looks like an add symbol which opens this dialogue box. I wouldn’t bother naming it just yet so just press record. Everything you do from now on will be recorded in the action so press carefully (which is why we practise beforehand).

You should now have the little record button highlighted which means it’s recording yayayayay!!!!

4. Go through the steps you want in your action. Each time you click on something, it will come up in the actions box so you can keep tabs on what you’re doing.

When you’ve finished all the steps of your action, just click the stop symbol and you’re done! Your action will stay there now every time you use PS. You can double click it to name it.

5. Use your action. When you next need to use your action, just click on the action, then the play symbol and it should do all the steps for you :)

1. choosing an image.

first of all, choose an image to make the icon. any size is fine, but i prefer to keep mine at 500x500 pixels.

2. using preset actions​.

so, for the next step, we're going to apply actions to your image. "uh, what exactly are actions?" glad you asked! to sum it up, actions are basically a sequence of premade edits that can be applied to any picture, at any time. it kinda works like a filter. for soft icons, i use sharpness and grain actions. you can find the actions option on these tabs:

(window > actions)

(to load a downloaded action, just click on that icon in the corner that is next to the two arrows facing right, then choose "load actions" and open your file).

these are the actions that i use: sharpness and grain.

to apply an action, click on the button that i highlighted. (i usually apply the sharpness action twice when i'm making icons). important: the only layers that should be visible in this step are the ones that you want to apply the actions in, otherwise, the effect will be applied to all of the layers.

okay, your image should look like this now: 

this is completely optional, if you want to reduce the grain, just follow these steps: 

lower the opacity until you're satisfied with it.

select the two layers and merge them down.

3. adding a psd.

adding a psd is a pretty simple task, but a lot of people seem find it difficult. in this case, a psd works like a filter to your image. the first thing you'll need to do is to find a psd that matches with the aesthetics of your image, then you have to download it and open it in photoshop.

now you're gonna drag it to the layers panel. (just click on the psd with the left click of your mouse and drag it). it'll look like this:

the psd is on that little "box" thing highlighted in blue. now drag it to the layer that you want to use it.

and that's the final result:

well, the tutorial ends here! i hope it was useful and i'm sorry if anything was confusing (if you still have questions, hit me up!) it was my first time making a tutorial!

· FAQ ·

Q: where can i find the actions that you used in this tutorial?

A: you can find them in the section "using preset actions". just click on the words "sharpness" and "grain" that are highlighted. (oh, the actions aren't mine btw, all of the credits go to the creator)

Q: where can i find that psd?

A: here~

i use photoshop cs6 extended but i’m pretty sure it’s the same route in every version, so here we go:1) open your gif, and then click window>actions in order to make the actions window visible. (also a side note: make sure to crop your gif before using your action. )

2) click the little arrow/lines thingy on the top right.

3) click “new set”

4) name it whatever you want and then click “ok”

5) go back to the arrow/lines thingy on the top right, and now click “new action”

6) name it whatever you want. i’ll teach you how to make a resizing action first so i named it “resize.” after naming your action, click “record”

7) while it’s recording, do not touch anything on the actions window and resize your gif.

8) after resizing your gif, do not do anything else and click the square (the very first symbol in the bottom) to stop playing/recording. and done! your resizing action is ready, all you need to do is to click the play button (the third symbol) in order to use it.

9) now, in order to make an action to save and close your gifs; you don’t have to create a new set, just do the 5th and 6th routes again. i named my action “save” this time. after doing those, go to file>save for web.

10) save your gif to the folder of your choice, but DON’T CHANGE IT’S NAME. this is also why all of your gifs must have a different name, because if they’re the same name your action will replace them without asking you. (and also why this action doesn’t usually work when you’re making gifs from scratch, since they usually have the same name)

11) and then close your gif, click “no” when it asks you if you want to save the changes.

12) and then stop recording the action like i taught u in 8, i hope this helps!

step 1. first of course you download an action (here’s mine) and put it somewhere you remember. i have special folders for psds and actions which makes it much easier to find stuff like this. step 2. open photoshop and open your screenshot. for my action use open and don’t use open as or open as a smart objects otherwise it won’t work. make sure you have the actions window (window>actions).

step 3. i tend to crop my picture first before i sharpen so i don’t know how the sharpening looks if you crop after the sharpening. i crop my pictures to 1000x563. step 4. i double click on my layer and you get this little pop-up, just press ok.

step 5. then you go to your actions window and click the horizontal lines to load actions and click the one you want to load.

step 6. click on the arrow next to the action and it opens up. with my action you select ‘sharpening’ and click on the play button at the bottom of the window. make sure you have your layer selected (it should be with only one layer)!

step 7. and that should be it! now you can put a psd on it or make your own colouring! if you guys have more questions or if you didn’t understand a thing, you can always ask me!

1. ensure you have the action window open. go to window > actions. it will then have a tick next to it and should appear on your screen.

2. assuming you have your gif completely done and your psd added, select ALL of the layers of your gif. THIS DOES NOT INCLUDE THE PSD, ONLY THE IMAGE LAYERS.

3. press the convert to video timeline button.

the button looks like this:

4. this step will only work if you have converted to a video timeline and have all your image files selected. go to filter > convert for smart filters. it will tell you that the layer will be converted into a smart object, press ok.

there should now just be one layer which is a compilation of all your files.

reminder: if you are using a psd, your psdshould be on top and not included in this one layer. example:

5. with this layer selected, open the ‘gif action by morgrana‘ folder in the actions window and select the ‘gif action’ part. then press the play selection button at the bottom of your actions window.

6. your layers should now look like this:

GIF WITHOUT ACTION:

GIF WITH ACTION:

also remember to use the updated tumblr dimensions:

http://nonchan1023.tumblr.com/post/101345832703/new-photoset-dimensions

so, first you download it. remember in which folder you save it! next, go to photoshop. if you don't have your actions menu open/visible, you can do that by going to window > action. once there, all you have to do is click on the 'hamburger' menu > load actions... > and select the file you just downloaded.