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Agata2922245304nv
New Participant
May 4, 2023
Answered

Save as actions use the same file name

  • May 4, 2023
  • 5 replies
  • 10201 views

Hi,

Please help me! I use save actions for files for 4 years now without issues and lately I installed newest Photoshop. First 2 actions were fine but then a problem occured. When I create "Save as" action with high resolution and PSB formats, Photoshop saves filename of currently saved image in action script. And then, this action always overwrites next files on that one file. I tried many times to find solution and repeat recording actions again and it seems that this is random - sometimes it doesn't add filename at the end of action script, but more often it does. And I never know. And then I loose my work. I need your help please.

    Correct answer LexieLuna

    I was having the same issue and it was driving me crazy having to go into the finder folder and change the name in between each set of actions (which needed to be repeated multiple times). I couldn't make it not record the file name - tried recording several times with all the fixes I could find. My fix in the end, was to was to switch from a save as action to a save a copy action. This fixes the issue for me since all my base files have a different name and the save a copy function adds the word copy to the end of the file name so it wouldn't overwrite the original if you are saving in the same location as the original.

    5 replies

    paulaa73368584
    paulaa73368584
    New Participant
    February 18, 2025

    It is ridiculous that Adobe hasn't come up with a script to fix this. Seems obvious, why are we using workarounds to such a basic function?

      A
      Adam346960488u33
      New Participant
      September 25, 2025

      Really old thread but I did get it to "work" today for me by doing the following.

      I created a generic folder on my drive. (actually a folder inside a folder)

      I then created my save action and saved it to that folder, which as everyone has been finding out, saves that file name and folder location into the action. 

      Afterwards I then deleted both folders. 

      This causes a "file or folder not found" in the action on a restart forcing the name dialog box to open up with the current file's name highlighted.  Even creating the action with Save A Copy, it doesn't add the copy but that is a small issue for me since I would rather add "copy" to the text then have it default  saving every image with the same name and place.

      L
      LexieLunaCorrect answer
      New Participant
      May 25, 2024

      I was having the same issue and it was driving me crazy having to go into the finder folder and change the name in between each set of actions (which needed to be repeated multiple times). I couldn't make it not record the file name - tried recording several times with all the fixes I could find. My fix in the end, was to was to switch from a save as action to a save a copy action. This fixes the issue for me since all my base files have a different name and the save a copy function adds the word copy to the end of the file name so it wouldn't overwrite the original if you are saving in the same location as the original.

        J
        Jen5FFC
        Participating Frequently
        June 12, 2024

        Thank you for this. All of the sudden I noticed my actions were not working properly. I didn't change anything in over a year other than update PS. The unhighlighted name was being autoreplaced with the destination folder name... The save as a copy trick worked. Thank you for figuring this out and sharing it!

        Bojan Živković11378569
        Bojan Živković11378569
        Community Expert
        May 5, 2023

        "And I never know. And then I loose my work. I need your help please."

         

        You can know easily whether action saved hard coded name what will overwrite existing files with the same name. Expand Save step and take a look what is there, if you see filename at the end (it will contain and extension like .jpg, .png) thats what you want to avoid and you must re-record Save step.

          A
          Agata2922245304nvAuthor
          New Participant
          May 6, 2023

          Bojan - exactly, thank you, but still I cannot find info about how to make it disappear.

            Stephen Marsh
            Stephen Marsh
            Community Expert
            May 8, 2023

            We have had at least one other user with the same problem, they even provided a video and I couldn't work out why the filename was recorded, they didn't touch or change the filename, which is the common problem.

             

            Have you tried resetting your preferences?

              D Fosse
              D Fosse
              Community Expert
              May 5, 2023

              The important thing is to avoid recording the file name in the action.

               

              If the file name is highlighted in the Save dialog, it is recorded. If the file name is not highlighted, it is not recorded.

               

              A simple trick to "un-highlight" the file name, is to click a different destination, then back to the destination folder you want. In my own experience, this always works (at least on Windows).

                A
                Agata2922245304nvAuthor
                New Participant
                May 6, 2023

                Thank you, I will check this option for sure!

                iDAC
                iDAC
                Participating Frequently
                May 5, 2023

                Heyo Agata2922245304nv!
                It sounds like the issue might be with the naming convention used in your "Save As" action. When recording your action, make sure that you are specifying a unique filename for each image that you save. You can do this by either manually typing in a new name for each file, or by using the "Insert Menu Item" option in the Actions panel to insert a "Set Filename" command.

                 

                If you are already doing this and are still experiencing issues, try checking the options in the "Save As" dialog box to make sure that you have the correct settings selected for your file format and resolution. Also, make sure that you have enough free disk space available to save your files.

                 

                If you continue to experience problems with your "Save As" action, you may want to try resetting your Photoshop preferences. To do this, hold down the Alt, Shift, and Control keys (Windows) or Option, Shift, and Command keys (Mac) while starting Photoshop. A dialog box will appear asking if you want to delete the Photoshop settings file. Click "Yes" to reset your preferences.

                 

                If I misunderstood the question or you’re still running into issues, drop some more info on the situation and we’ll figure this out!

                 

                Highest regards,

                 

                -iDAC

                A
                Agata2922245304nvAuthor
                New Participant
                May 6, 2023

                Hi IDAC, could you please let me know where can I find the option "Insert Menu Item" you've mentioned and which Actions panel you mean? 

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