What is the difference between:/Applications/Adobe Photoshop CC 2017/Presets… and:~/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Adobe Photoshop CC 2017/PresetsAlso, if you were to add customizations to Photoshop, are there any folders outside of Presets that you have to edit?I'm just trying to track down all of the directories/files that Photoshop allows end users to customize/add-to.For example, here are some common directories that I might add files to:/Applications/Adobe Photoshop CC 2017/Presets/Actions/Applications/Adobe Photoshop CC 2017/Presets/Brushes/Applications/Adobe Photoshop CC 2017/Presets/Color Swatches/Applications/Adobe Photoshop CC 2017/Presets/Gradients/Applications/Adobe Photoshop CC 2017/Presets/Patterns/Applications/Adobe Photoshop CC 2017/Presets/Scripts/Applications/Adobe Photoshop CC 2017/Presets/StylesThough, should I be using the /Applications path or the ~/Library path?Also, are there other locations that you might need to customize?I'm just trying to document these locations for a simple CLI I'm building to help me manage my customizations.Thanks!

mickyhulse

Known Participant

Question

Preset directories: Which to use and where are they all located?

Forum|Forum|8 years ago
June 26, 2017
3 replies
10354 views

What is the difference between:

/Applications/Adobe Photoshop CC 2017/Presets

… and:

~/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Adobe Photoshop CC 2017/Presets

Also, if you were to add customizations to Photoshop, are there any folders outside of Presets that you have to edit?

I'm just trying to track down all of the directories/files that Photoshop allows end users to customize/add-to.

For example, here are some common directories that I might add files to:

/Applications/Adobe Photoshop CC 2017/Presets/Actions
/Applications/Adobe Photoshop CC 2017/Presets/Brushes
/Applications/Adobe Photoshop CC 2017/Presets/Color Swatches
/Applications/Adobe Photoshop CC 2017/Presets/Gradients
/Applications/Adobe Photoshop CC 2017/Presets/Patterns
/Applications/Adobe Photoshop CC 2017/Presets/Scripts
/Applications/Adobe Photoshop CC 2017/Presets/Styles

Though, should I be using the /Applications path or the ~/Library path?

Also, are there other locations that you might need to customize?

I'm just trying to document these locations for a simple CLI I'm building to help me manage my customizations.

Thanks!

This topic has been closed for replies.

Stephen Marsh

Community Expert

It can be hard to separate the why from the where… case in point, take a look here with regarding locations for actions and migration:

Prepression: Photoshop – Custom Action File Backup & Migration

Knowing why dictates where!

mickyhulseAuthor

Known Participant

Stephen_A_Marsh wrote
Prepression: Photoshop – Custom Action File Backup & Migration

Awesome and interesting. That post helped! Thanks Stephen!

Stephen Marsh

Community Expert

Regarding actions, I don’t think that one can safely make assumptions, there are pros/cons for using both of these locations:

/Applications/Adobe Photoshop ???/Presets/Actions

vs.

/Users/username/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Adobe Photoshop ???/Presets/Actions

mickyhulseAuthor

Known Participant

So, just found this article:

That seems to suggest that I use the more inaccessible ~/Library/... location.

Looking at the two directories in detail:

I see now that the one on the right (my user's directory) has a bunch of empty directories. I think this is what you were saying JJMack, the "user" preset's directory is the one that I should customize as it does not have all of the "default" presets.

Ok, I think that helps to clear up the question of where do I put things.

Looking at Illustrator, I don't think it's as clear cut.

mickyhulseAuthor

Known Participant

Related question, but where do custom "Document Types" go? I don't see a preset child directory for that.

mickyhulseAuthor

Known Participant

Noticing that the "Scripts" folder is not located in the user's directory, but instead in the Application's folder:

/Applications/Adobe Photoshop CC 2017/Presets/Scripts

This is a case in point as to why I asked this question … It has always seemed like Adobe apps make you install custom stuff in not the most logical of locations … Spread out over the OS. I guess if it's just the scripts folder that is a "one off", then that's fine. I'm just really wanting a a list of what's where (I don't really care about the why).

JJMack

Community Expert

It look like you use a Mac so I do not know where they are on Mac. For each version of Photoshop you have installed there are two presets folder one where you your Photoshop Application is installed in Photoshop in its install tree. The second is where Macox keeps users ID Application data Each User the uses a version of Photoshop will have a Adobe Photoshop version ApplicationData tree fot the user. In the tree you will find the User Photoshop preferences and a Presets folder fot their presets.

On Windows it the same story. However you can save and load your stuff from any location. So I do not use all of the preset folders Adobe set up for my user ID one for every version of Photoshop installed. Instead I choose my own folders for my add-ons and use them in all installed version of Photoshop installed. It easier to maintain them that way for I always have several version of Photoshop installed.

JJMack

mickyhulseAuthor

Known Participant

Thanks JJMack, I really appreciate the reply/help!

It look like you use a Mac so I do not know where they are on Mac. For each version of Photoshop you have installed there are two presets folder one where you your Photoshop Application is installed in Photoshop in its install tree. The second is where Macox keeps users ID Application data Each User the uses a version of Photoshop will have a Adobe Photoshop version ApplicationData tree fot the user. In the tree you will find the User Photoshop preferences and a Presets folder fot their presets.

Yup, Mac guy here.

So, it sounds like /Applications/Adobe Photoshop CC 2017/Presets is the best place to put my customizations?

Is everything that I need to customize found within the presets directory?

For Illustrator, it varies a little bit:

/Applications/Adobe Illustrator CC YYYY/Presets.localized/...
/Applications/Adobe Illustrator CC YYYY/Cool Extras.localized/...
/Applications/Adobe Illustrator CC YYYY/Support Files/...

But appears to be contained within the Application directory?

On Windows it the same story. However you can save and load your stuff from any location. So I do not use all of the preset folders Adobe set up for my user ID one for every version of Photoshop installed. Instead I choose my own folders for my add-ons and use them in all installed version of Photoshop installed. It easier to maintain them that way for I always have several version of Photoshop installed.

God, I wish I could do that on a Mac!

I need to test and see if Adobe apps on a Mac will follow symlinks. I think the last time I checked they don't. It would be soooooo helpful to have all of these presets, for each version of an Adobe app, located in one centralized and easy to access location … This is the problem I'm trying to solve. I really hate digging around to find all these directories each time I have a new script or swatch file. And then having to mirror that on my other computers. Optimally, I'd love to have all of these preset directories in my Dropbox, and then use that as a centralized/synchronized location for all my computers.

Anyway, thanks for the help JJ!

A

anetaw16980026

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Frajer

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