What is the benefit of adjustment presets?

[Bazsl]

Other than time to create and time to execute, do adjustment presets offer any advantage over actions? I am trying to understand where they might fit in my workflow. Thanks.

[jane-e]

Hi @Bazsl 

Asking if Adjustment Presets offers an advantage over Actions is like asking if ice cream offers an advantage over an oak tree. They are two different things altogether and neither offers an advantage over the other. Use both.

Adjustment Presets are non-destructive. Before they were introduced, we only had the commands in Image menu > Adjustments, which are destructive.

https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/using/adjusting-color-tone-cs6.html

Actions are a series of steps that you can record and play back on another file or group of files.

https://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop/actions.html#

This doesn't seem to be a question for the Beta forum, so I'll move this to the Photoshop forum for you.

Jane

[Conrad C]

Adjustment Presets are non-destructive. Before they were introduced, we only had the commands in Image menu > Adjustments, which are destructive.

By @jane-e

I think it’s a little more detailed, if we are talking specifically about the new adjustments presets. Because the adjustment layers, and the presets specific to each adjustment, have been around for years, and are both non-destructive. The top of the picture below shows applying a preset for an adjustment.

The new adjustments presets are a whole other level, because an adjustment preset can be a combination of adjustment layers, each with specific settings. That might be why they made sure to give it a plural name (adjustments preset, not adjustment preset). The bottom of the picture below shows applying a adjustments preset. Notice that the Blue Mood adjustments preset adds a layer group including multiple layers of multiple adjustment types. Some of the other presets also employ layer blending modes.

If all you want to do is add multiple adjustment layers with specific settings, there isnt’t that much difference between doing it as an action or an adjustments preset. Either way can give you a new layer group with multiple adjustment layers that you can continue to edit. (Of course, actions aren’t limited to adjustments, an action can run almost any feature in Photoshop.)

A possible difference is sharing among computers and other users. It’s easy to export actions and send them to other computers or users. I haven’t played with adjustments presets in depth, but so far I am not sure if there is a way yet to create your own adjustments presets and export them. For now, it looks like the main benefit of adjustments presets is that they are examples for beginners to quickly apply common looks, and also observe how they can be set up with combinations of adjustment layers.

One major difference is previewing. If you hover the mouse pointer over an adjustments preset, the document appearance temporarily changes to preview how it will look if you apply that preset (this looks modeled after the hover-previewable presets in Lightroom). Of course, visual previewing isn’t possible with actions.

[Trevor.Dennis]

Hi @Bazsl 

Asking if Adjustment Presets offers an advantage over Actions is like asking if ice cream offers an advantage over an oak tree.

Jane

By @jane-e

OK, I know this one...  It's much harder to eat an oak tree.  What did I win?

[jane-e]

OK, I know this one...  It's much harder to eat an oak tree.  What did I win?

By @Trevor.Dennis

A handful of acorns, Trevor!

Jane

[Trevor.Dennis]

When you look at apps like Topaz, On1 and other image optimize apps, I suspect most people scroll through the presets rather than attempt a full manual set up from scratch.  So there is probably value in the presets if you look at Adjustments as a means to obtaing a particular effect rather than correcting problems with your images.  The problem is that not one single poster of the dozens who have complained about the new Adjustments panel, like how it changes the workspace.  I have a feeling this is killing the presets from the getgo because we are so annoyed by how they compromised the Adjustments panel, we ar refusing to try them.

I'm more than happy to have the presets as an option, but only if we can either turn them off, or place them below the adjustment icons.

[Conrad C]

I'm more than happy to have the presets as an option, but only if we can either turn them off, or place them below the adjustment icons.

By @Trevor.Dennis

Does it help to switch it to Classic View in the Adjustments panel menu?