PS should learn from repetitive actions

Forum|Forum|1 year ago
October 28, 2024
2 replies
183 views

Say I'm processing a series of files, making similar but not identical changes to each file. I'll probably have a source directory and a destination directory that's common throughout the sequence of operations. These directories might be on different drives and with differing levels of hierarchy. This necessitates a relentless repetitious sequence of mouse clicks as I change from input file locations\ to output file location.

It'd be useful if PS could learn what I was doing and helped me out here. Perhaps before I started, I could identify the two locations and PS could remember and use them automatically until I told it to stop.

D Fosse

Community Expert

I'm just going to throw something out here, which may or may not be applicable or relevant. Take it for what it's worth.

I used to save my output files all over the place, until one day I had an epiphany: all these files were leaving my computer and leaving the house. So all I really needed was an "outbox" on my desktop.

And mainly - there is never any reason to keep these files. They are quickly recreated with actions from the master files. All the actions end with "close no save", sending the original right back to where it came from, unchanged.

Now all my output actions go to this folder, with a few subfolders for file formats and output sizes. And the master file archive is tidy and uncluttered.

jane-e

Community Expert

@petermclennan

You might be able to write one or more Actions to repeat your steps.

I'm on macOS. When I have to save a dozen or more files to the same folder, I drag that folder to the top of my Sidebar. (You could do this with multiple folders and drives.) When finished, I remove them from the Sidebar.

https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/customize-the-finder-sidebar-on-mac-mchl83c9e8b8/mac

Windows OS has Quick Access that works the same way.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/pin-remove-and-customize-in-quick-access-7344ff13-bdf4-9f40-7f76-0b1092d2495b

Jane