How to Install Your Photoshop Actions

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Photoshop actions are one of the most valuable tools that a photographer or a graphic designer can have. The incredible tools help save both time and effort in your endeavor to have quality pictures through a single-click transformation.

For those people who have never used Photoshop, it is essential to understand that installing Photoshop actions confers upon a user, similar expertise to that of the person who created it initially. This gives you the freedom to try out different looks on a picture at the click of a button.

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It is essential first to understand what are photoshop actions before explaining how they are installed. Photoshop actions are pre-recorded steps usually in ATN file format. The steps can be reapplied to recreate the final result without a user having to reinvent the wheel by repeating each step.

The actions can thus, be thought of like shortcuts to creating photographs with rich features. There are two methods in which Photoshop actions can be installed.

Method 1

This is the easiest method since it takes less than a minute to complete and has few steps.

Step One

You first need to locate the Action Panel on your computer system. Go to your Windows top menu bar and click on Actions. This will lead you to an ATN file extension. If the names are not showing, this means that your panel icons have been reduced. You need to click on the “play button,” triangular in shape by the side of the Action Panel.

Step Two

After you have opened the Action Panel, click on the small icon in its right-hand corner. The icon is displayed in an upside-down triangle. Click on load actions on the drop-down menu. Finally, navigate to where you had saved your actions to install them to ATN file by double-clicking on it and opening Adobe Photoshop.

Step Three

Photoshop actions will now be displayed in the Actions Panel and will be ready for use. Open the folder and click “Play” to apply the effects to your design once the new actions have been installed.

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You access the Action panel by going to Photoshop’s top bar, click Windows and then Actions. Should you be unable to see it, return to Window and then scroll down to Actions. You might have somehow closed the panel, but it was not deleted.

Method 2

Method 2 is a bit lengthy and can at times look complicated compared to method 1 and can be used where it is not possible to use the latter.

Step One

Open Adobe Photoshop and move to the drop-down menu in the Actions Panel.

Step Two

Click “Load Actions” in the highlighted link.

Step Three

After you click on load actions, your folders will open. Move to the downloaded folder which contains the particular Photoshop actions you wish to use.

Step Four

Select the file and double-click on it to open.

Step Five

After you click open, your selected Photoshop action will reflect on the Actions Panel, and you can start using them right away.

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