Photoshop Actions and Lightroom Presets By Peter Holt 14-Dec-2015

Topics Covered What is an Action or Preset? Advantages of using them Where to find them Loading and running an Action Creating an Action Loading a running a Lightroom preset Creating a Preset

What is an Action or Preset? Are a series of recorded steps by the designer to help a photographer achieve a look without having to manually apply each process. Allow photographers, at the click of a button, to enhance and enrich their photos in a fast and efficient way. Are shortcuts for photographers.  They speed up editing by automating processes.

Advantages of using them Speeds up workflow Saves time Provides the user with expertise of the action maker Achieves more consistent results by using the same actions on images Get a variety of looks by trying new actions Makes editing more fun They work cross platform, on both PC and Mac Customizable – tweak-able Easy to record your own steps By looking inside an action or preset, you can often learn how to do things yourself.

Where can I find Actions or Presets? Just do a search on the web for: Free Photoshop Actions Free Lightroom Presets

How to Load a Photoshop Action Download Action Open Photoshop Open Action (Windows Action Alt+F9) Click Menu and select “Load Action” Select downloaded Action and click “Load” Action will now appear in Action list

How do I use an Action Open image in Photoshop Select the Action you wish to run Click “Play Selection” at the bottom Action now runs and image has been updated.

Quick look at what the Action did? Select History on Action Window You can now see the steps the Action took to change the image.

How to Create an Action Action Windows select New Action in Menu Give Action a Name Select the Set for the Action to be saved in Click Record When finished click Stop To run the Action follow How Do I Use an Action above.

Lightroom Presets Download and Unzip Preset Open Lightroom Select Develop and Presets Right click to add new folder if you wish Right click new folder and select Import Navigate to downloaded preset and Open Preset is now in new folder and image has been updated.

Create a Lightroom Preset Open an image in Lightroom Check History is Blank Make advisements to the image. Click the + to the right side of Presets Give the new Preset a name Select all the settings you have updated Click Create The New Preset has been created

The End Q & A