install .jsx script in Photoshop 2022 (23.3.2)

[RobM_LosAltos]

What is the correct way to install scripts in Photoshop 2022? I have a couple of .jsx scripts that I'd like use from File > Scripts > ... without having to Browse... for them.

In earlier versions on a Mac, you evidently installed them by copying them here (this path is for 2022, obviously):

/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Adobe Photoshop 2022/Presets

However, in 2022, the Presets folder contains only empty directories. Even Actions is empty, even though I installed a number of them using Load Actions... in the Actions panel in Ps. In 2022, there is no Presets/Scripts/ directory, and even if I make one and put the scripts there, Ps doesn't find them. 

The directory /Applications/Adobe Photoshop 2022/Presets/Scripts exists. If I copy the scripts there and restart Ps, it finds them. However, that directory is write-protected. I have to override the protections to install them there, not something I would expect Adobe would want me to make me do.

What is the right way to install them?

Thanks,

Rob

[Stephen_A_Marsh]

Scripts are installed in the /Presets/Scripts folder

Mac OS Example:

• /Applications⁩/Adobe Photoshop CC 2019⁩/Presets⁩/Scripts
• /Applications/Adobe Photoshop 2021/Presets/Scripts

(If this path does not match your version, it should be a simple enough process to find the correct folder using this guide)

Win OS Example:

• C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CC 2018\Presets\Scripts
• C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop 2021\Presets\Scripts

(If this path does not match your version, it should be a simple enough process to find the correct folder using this guide)

More here:

https://prepression.blogspot.com/2017/11/downloading-and-installing-adobe-scripts.html

[RobM_LosAltos]

Hi, Steven --

Yes, as I mentioned, that works. What I found unlikely is that Adobe wants
me to override the read-only protection on that directory to install
scripts. I expected to find some way to import the script that didn't
require superuser permissions.

You're saying that no such method exists for 2022, right?

Tx,

Rob

[Stephen_A_Marsh]

---

@RobM_LosAltos wrote:
You're saying that no such method exists for 2022, right?

---

No, I'm not saying that.

I wrote that blogpost in 2017, the last time it was updated I included version 2021, however it is just as valid for 2022.

The official info is here, last updated for CS5 >:

https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/using/scripting.html

[RobM_LosAltos]

Steven --

OK, so you recommend the same method that I used. It unfortunately requires
overriding permissions. That's not a fatal flaw, just a requirement I find
surprising, hence my Q.

Tx,

Rob

[Stephen_A_Marsh]

---

@RobM_LosAltos wrote:
Steven --

OK, so you recommend the same method that I used. It unfortunately requires
overriding permissions. That's not a fatal flaw, just a requirement I find
surprising, hence my Q.

Tx,

Rob

---

Edited:

Yes, agreed, I do recommend following Adobe's suggested location (saved in the Photoshop CS5/Presets/Scripts folder):

/Applications/Adobe Photoshop 2022/Presets/Scripts

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

[Lumigraphics]

There is no "fatal flaw." The permissions on /Applications require Administrator access. Its how things work.

[RobM_LosAltos]

Lumigraphics --

I never said "fatal flaw". However, with admin privileges, you can mess up most anything on your computer if you make a mistake, so it suprised me that Lr no longer supports the user-specific Presets folder that it used to.

Geek warning: stop here if you're just interested in easy script installation.

Yes, /Applications itself requires admin permissions:

% ls -ld /Applications/
drwxrwxr-x 59 root admin 1888 May 19 13:30 /Applications/

However, there's nothing to say that a subdirectory under it has to have admin permissions. For example, when TI installed some MCU software, they chose to install it so that I owned it:

% ls -ld /Applications/ti
drwxr-xr-x 5 rob admin 160 Feb 24 15:43 /Applications/ti

So while I can't write in /Applications without admin permissions, I can write in /Applications/ti with only my user permissions.

That said, do I think TI made a great choice? No. It's best if only developers modifiy their own packages in /Applications, for maximal flexibility. Installing scripts outside of /Applications is better, and Lr used to support it.

End geek warning

[Lumigraphics]

Its a really bad idea to mess with permissions in /Applications.

Copying a script into a folder is not likely to cause problems.

And yes, the recommended way is to put things in the user's home folder. Adobe doesn't follow the rules very well. They can't even support basics like Finder labels and share sheets.

[Kukurykus]

Alternatively you may create shortcut to non protected folder: How can I change the photoshop plugin path ?

[RobM_LosAltos]

Kukurykus --

I like the idea of using a symbolic link to an unprotected place. In Mac
OS, it doesn't look like an alias and a symlink are the same thing, but I
can experiment to see what works. A symlink is pretty much a sure thing,
unless the code goes to the trouble to figure out it isn't actually a
directory. For now, I gave up and installed the scripts directly
in /Applications/Adobe Photoshop 2022/Presets/Scripts, as I described in my
original post.

Steven --

I had a typo in the path that used to work for old enough Photoshop:

~/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Adobe Photoshop 2022/Presets

a.k.a.

/Users//Library/Application Support/Adobe/Adobe Photoshop
2022/Presets

That's where I found the empty Presets folders, apparently created by the
Ps 2022 installer, but that don't work, at least for scripts.

Rob

[willcampbell7 · Accepted solution]

My favorite way is to make an Action. No need to touch any local folders because I keep all my scripts on a server to share among users, even share between macOS and Windows. Watch this tutorial video. Method #3 is using an Action.

https://youtu.be/b_kCiXFTNGk

Or read about how it works here:

https://www.marspremedia.com/software/how-to-adobe-cc

[Kukurykus]

The problem with 3rd method is you must create one action per script, while an alias you use for folder with all scripts (located outside of Presets/Scripts location), unless user will change his mind shortly 🙂

[RobM_LosAltos]

Thanks for the ideas, folks!

Re using an action as a wrapper to run a script, it’s a plus for me that
the particular script I want will appear in the actions panel, instead of
in the File menu. The script acts on loaded layers (from files in
Lightroom loaded as Ps layers), so it feels like other actions.

The minus, having to write an action for each script, isn’t important to me
unless I get interested in a lot of scripts. But dropping new scripts into
a symlinked folder certainly makes installing and uninstalling easy! You
don’t have to remember to delete the wrapper action to uninstall.

R

[willcampbell7]

You'll have to explain how that works in Photoshop Yes an Action runs one script, that's the idea. I have a dozen or so scripts I use most often, each an Action created years ago and still working. I can't see a way to record an Action and "open" an alias. Which I assume if it did work, would open the folder? I'm not quite sure where you're going with this. It's just not clear. What you describe is precisely how I do it in InDesign. Instead of actual scripts in the Scripts Panel folder, I have an alias on macOS (shortcut on Windows) to a folder of scripts on a server. Then all the scripts in the folder appear in the Script Panel. Works great, and that is covered in the video How To Install InDesign. There is one other option for launching scripts in AI and PS. The Plugin "JSX Launcher." This can be found in the Creative Cloud Marketplace (Creative Cloud Desktop app). I use this plugin in Illustrator, but not so much Photoshop. The Actions I need are made, and it's easy to make new ones. So I've become comfortable with Actions for launching scripts in Photoshop. Works great for me. The best thing would be if Adobe added to AI and PS a Scripts Panel like InDesign has.

[Kukurykus]

On macOS it may be problem to run scripts by shortcuts to File / Scripts, but on Windows it works great. I keep scripts on server as well, so in Ps 'folder' I put only shortcut to location.

[RobM_LosAltos]

Folks --

Since I only have one script so far, I created an action as a wrapper to
execute it as follows.

1 I created a place to store the script under my home directory. I chose to
approximate the folder structure that Ps creates in a new subfolder under
Library, one that no application is every likely to use:

[image: image.png]

This folder structure is just my personal preference -- you could put
scripts anywhere.

2 In Ps, I recorded an action to invoke the script in this location, using
File > Scripts > Browse... to navigate to the script. Here's the resulting
action in the actions panel:

[image: image.png]

3 To run the script, I just select the action and run it

If you have a lot of scripts or a changing library of scripts, you'd be
better of using one of the other methods, but the action wrapper does just
what I need. Thanks, willcambell7!

R

[Kukurykus]

Images are not displayed.

[RobM_LosAltos]

I don't know how to include images, or if it's even possible. They were
inline when I sent the email to post. 😞

Rob

[Kukurykus]

I guessed you replied by Email (I personally never do) if you mean that? Just come to forum, edit your post (if you're allowed) and attach / insert them, otherwise put them in new post.

[RobM_LosAltos]

Let me try again, using the web I/F to attach images. Repeating what I said above:

Since I only have one script so far, I created an action as a wrapper to
execute it as follows.

1 I created a place to store the script under my home directory. I chose to
approximate the folder structure that Ps creates in a new subfolder under
Library, one that no application is every likely to use. See attached scripts folder.png.

This folder structure is just my personal preference -- you could put scripts anywhere.

2 In Ps, I recorded an action to invoke the script in this location, using
File > Scripts > Browse... to navigate to the script. actions panel.png shows

the resulting action in the actions panel. You can see the path to the script.

3 To run the script, I just select the action and run it

If you have a lot of scripts or a changing library of scripts, you'd be
better of using one of the other methods, but the action wrapper does just
what I need. Thanks, willcambell7!

[willcampbell7]

That is exactly method #3 from my how-to video. Only difference for me is I have my scripts on a server so I can run the same scripts Windows and macOS, or on my laptop. The scripts can be anywhere in the file system that suits you. Other than that, you are doing it just the same as I do -- make an Action and record opening the script with File --> Scripts --> Browse. Works great for me. You can also assign function keys.

[Lumigraphics]

The problem with doing this is support. YOU may understand what you are doing but someone else will see this, think "Oh yes I have to do that" and then nobody will be able to help them when they have problems. Sticking to the default/supported methods is much safer and less likely to result in headaches down the road.

FWIW I'm a former Mac Genius with years of IT support experience. I've seen this plenty of times.

[RobM_LosAltos]

L --

I searched helpx.adobe.com and couldn't find any Adobe instructions about
a supported method to install scripts in Ps 2022. After a bit of snooping,
I found the Scripts/ directory inside /Applications/... myself. It contains
a lot of scripts that are installed as part of Ps. Installing your own
script there certainly does work -- it appears in File > Scripts >... as
expected.

But does Adobe *recommend* putting other scripts there? The next
installation may simply provide a fresh version of .../Scripts/, since it
contains so many Adobe-supplied scripts.

>From a support viewpoint, it seems far safer to use willcampbell7's wrapper
method. It will work as long as an action can use File > Scripts >
Browse... to load an external script and the script itself continues to
work. Adobe already retains actions over releases.

R

[willcampbell7]

Any script for Photoshop works from File > Scripts > Browse... Always has and certainly always will. Actions can record these steps so also Actions will always support this method. It's fine to add scripts to the Application Scripts folder. Just have to authenticate, for obvious reasons. But even if I did put scripts there, I'd still record an Action to save the step of File > Scripts > ScriptName. So how to lauch a script ends up the same either way.

InDesign handles it best. The "Scripts Panel" has an Application and User category. All it takes to run a script is double-click the script name in the list. The User category is a folder inside the user account, under user/library on macOS, and under %appdata%\roaming on Windows. As all user files should be. This is also where I store script preferences, for the same reason as this subject -- otherwise the script might need Admin privileges, which scripts don't have. User data belongs in the user folder, not the Applications or Program Files folders. Photoshop and Illustrator really need to implement the same method of launching scripts that InDesign uses. No authentication needed when scripts are in the User category.