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default5lbku2zo4veg
Participating Frequently
March 1, 2022
Question

Help Needed Exporting Actions to Elements

  • March 1, 2022
  • 5 replies
  • 490 views

I subscribe to Photoshop and LR, but sometimes I like to do some quick editing in Elements 2020. I'd like to use a short type action I created in Photoshop in Elements, but I can't find it in order to copy it in the proper Elements folder. I've Googled for help, and the directory where it's supposed to be doesn't contain it, and a Windows file search of my whole system doesn't locate it either. It shows up without fail on the Actions list, so I'm wondering if it's encrypted somehow or stored in the cloud.

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5 replies

Jeff Arola
Community Expert
Jeff ArolaCommunity Expert
Community Expert
March 2, 2022

Did you save out the action set from within photoshop?

 

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    default5lbku2zo4vegAuthor
    Participating Frequently
    March 9, 2022

    I'm not sure I did it quite that way, but they do appear when I fire up Photoshop, which tells me they're SOMEwhere. I'll have a look at what you suggest and report back.

     

    Jeff Arola
    Community Expert
    Jeff ArolaCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    March 9, 2022

    If you record an action in photoshop and don't save it out to your drive, then the actions stay in the

     

    Actions Palette.psp

     

    in

     

    C:\Users\UserName\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop 2022\Adobe Photoshop 2022 Settings

    (substitute 2022 for your photoshop version if necessary)

    Jeff Arola
    Community Expert
    Jeff ArolaCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    March 2, 2022

    When you put your actions into

    C:\Users\User\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\Photoshop Elements\18.0\Presets\Actions

    (/Users/UserName/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Adobe Photoshop Elements 18/Presets/Actions

     on the mac side)

     

    The AppData is hidden on windows

    https://help.ableton.com/hc/en-us/articles/209070509-How-to-access-hidden-folders

     

    they can be loaded from the actions panel flyout menu

     

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    default5lbku2zo4vegAuthor
    Participating Frequently
    March 2, 2022

    Thanks for the info, Jeff. I'd done all of that following earlier advice, but I still can't locate the rascals.

    Glenn 8675309
    Glenn 8675309
    Legend
    March 2, 2022

    Basic PS actions are usually found here:

    C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop 2022\Presets\Actions

    To the best of my knowledge you can't create actions in PSE, you can delete them.  You can create actions in PS, and save them-- then load them into PSE or just put them here:

    C:\Users\User\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\Photoshop Elements\20.0\Presets\Actions

    What Greg said oabout actions is true: Unless PSE has the equivalent ability some PS actions will just "kinda sorta work" in PSE. 

    The file extension for actions is ATN- if you search for files with that extension, and don't find any:   You may have your computer set up to hide system files. 

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      default5lbku2zo4vegAuthor
      Participating Frequently
      March 2, 2022

      Thanks for the reply, Glenn.

      I'd unhid hidden folders following earlier advice and did the file search thing for what I titled my actions and then again using just "atn" on the terrabytes of this system's storage, and while many turned up, the ones I created weren't among them.

      I'm must be missing something.

      Greg_S.
      Community Expert
      Greg_S.Community Expert
      Community Expert
      March 1, 2022

      I don't use actions very often, but I see that one non-Elements action I probably downloaded as a freebie is stored in my Creative Cloud account.  Have you looked there?

       

      Also, note that any action you create in Photoshop or Lr must have an equivalent command available in Elements.  Otherwise, the action will not work properly.

       

      If you need more help from Photoshop CC experts, you should post in the Photoshop Ecosystem forum.

       

       

       

       

      D
      default5lbku2zo4vegAuthor
      Participating Frequently
      March 2, 2022

      Thanks for the reply, Greg.

      I thought that you had something there with the Cloud idea, but what I found was a couple hundred old RAWs I didn't even know about. (I've never intentionally stored anything in Adobe's Cloud.) I deleted them and looked around in the other directories there, but there was nothing else.

      I'm aware of the Action compatibility necessity. All I'm trying to do is create a little text that I can call up with an Action. No tricky commands required.

      This post started in the Ecosystem forum but the mod promptly moved it over here.

      Peru Bob
      Community Expert
      Peru BobCommunity Expert
      Community Expert
      March 1, 2022

      I've moved this from the Using the Community forum (which is the forum for issues using the forums) to the Photoshop Elements forum so that proper help can be offered.

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