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Yuri Kacharava
Yuri Kacharava
Known Participant
March 16, 2021
Question

Copy saved selection with Action to another PSD with unspecified name

  • March 16, 2021
  • 4 replies
  • 1880 views

Hi!

 

As far as I can see the Action always records the name of the PSD file which accepts a layer/channel/path from the donor PSD.

 

Is there a way to record an action which would copy a layer/channel/path from the active PSD multiple times to inactive one? Regardless their names.

 

No problem if only donor and recepient PSDs are opened in Photoshop in order for this Action to run correctly.

 

I need to copy 5 saved selections from one PSD file to several dosens of other PSDs so an action would help me greatly.

 

Thanks in advance!

This topic has been closed for replies.

4 replies

Kukurykus
Kukurykus
Legend
June 3, 2021

For documents with same dimension on first Select / Save Selection, then on other Select / Load Selection.

Bojan Živković11378569
Community Expert
Bojan Živković11378569Community Expert
Community Expert
March 17, 2021

I just tested what @JJMack is sugesting and it worked with 3 open documents. You have things to consider and to test but it seems doable using Ctrl/Cmd + Tab to select next document while recording action.

Yuri Kacharava
Yuri KacharavaAuthor
Known Participant
March 23, 2021

I was thinking about recording something like (select/copy/ctrl+tab/paste/ctrl+tab)×n with just source and target PSDs open. But I'm not sure it doesn't depend on the current selection settings. That's why I prefer to copy the complete layer/channel.

JJMack
Community Expert
JJMackCommunity Expert
Community Expert
March 23, 2021

It depends one what you want in the other document.  A selection with a copy merge will contains  pixels from several layers.  Copying a layer may copy more pixels then you want.  If you want the selection copy the selection  and past it. If you want the layer duplicate the layer into the other Document. A layer may have a mask and layer style. You record and edit the action make it work the want you want. The document can have different size canvases and print resolutions. The Duplicated layer, the pasted pixels may not even fit one the second document canvas. Photoshop is a Pixels editor a layer can have any aspect ratio, be any size and positioned anywhere relative to the documents canvas.

JJMack
R
r-bin
Legend
March 17, 2021

To indicate the target document (s) not using their names, only a script is suitable.

    JJMack
    Community Expert
    JJMackCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    March 17, 2021

    If you know the open document order like the action opens the additional  documents the action can easily switch between documents to copy and paste between documents. Names are not required you address Document  relatively with next and previous document steps. Actions are easy toe record and edit. Scripting requires r-bin scripting Photoshop knowledge.

    JJMack
    JJMack
    Community Expert
    JJMackCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    March 16, 2021

    Paste will always be into the current active document.  So if all document are open in photoshop and you know the order of the document  that are open in Photoshop open document ring. Using previous and next document steps you can make the document the want to paste into active, target the layer you want to paste the new layer above and paste.

     

    For a saved selection you would use select load save selection "Name" Copy switch active document target the channels palette use the add new channel button icon to create a new alpha channel and paste the copied selection into your new alpha channel

    JJMack
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