Actions repeating in multiple places

[lewisgodwincox]

Hello!

I'm not very familiar with actions so it may be a simple solution but i havent turned anything up from searching the forum.

I am placing a lot and i mean a lot of dots on a canvas for a project. its easy but time consuming. As far as i am aware actions will just repeat in the same place i recorded them. What i want really is to record an action and for it to repeat one inch to the right. then repeat again but even further to the left and so on until it is complete. Is this possible and if so what do i need to do?

Cheers everyone!

[Bojan Živković]

You can record step(s) in action to duplicate layer then to move it to the right or left. Can you post screenshot of actual result which you want to achieve? It is not very clear to me what exactly you want.

[lewisgodwincox]

This is what ive created manually, but i want to use actions to place each dot one by one. so if i record an action of me doing the first column can i use that action to do the rest?

[Bojan Živković]

Yes you can. It is best to record two actions: one to create first column of dots and to group them in layer group. Second action should duplicate layer group several times and to move it for certain amount of space.

Are you aware of step and repeat in Photoshop, by the way? Watch video below

[JJMack]

The problem is they would need to record  and action for each size document the need to be able to record the correct number of step and repeat steps. Action have a hard time when it come to dealing with sizes.  A select all and patten fill would probably be best for them. The can create a dot pattern and play around with the brick fill script settings for scaling and spacing. Use an Adobe provided script.

[Bojan Živković]

We still do not know if OP needs to work with different document dimensions and what kind/type of layers he need. It is not mentioned anywhere, it is just our guess. There are lots of options if he is creating seamless tiling pattern all the time without any further requirement but we do not know that.

[lewisgodwincox]

The document size will stay the same. Because I can work that out before hand. as an end result I basically want to use record the the action producing the dots one by one rather than an entire column at a time

[Bojan Živković]

It is doable using action especially if you are going to work with the same document dimensions, same shape dimensions and same pattern in essence . You can record action to create pattern using pixel based layer or shape layer and to have all dots on separate layers grouped into groups by row or column if you need that grouping. So create first layer then duplicate it then distribute. If you are creating pattern with the same spacing then simply duplicate steps. When you finish first row select all layers (you ca also group them) and duplicate + Move them to the bottom for certain amount of space. Select again group or all layers which were previously duplicated (second row) then duplicate them and move them for certain amount of space (you can duplicate already recorded step to move selected layers or group. Continue till you create pattern which you need.

[JJMack]

If you want to automate something like that you would need to write a Photoshop Script. Actions and not use logic without using some Photoshop scripting.

[lewisgodwincox]

unfortunately i have no knowledge on scripting so that wouldnt get me very far, id have to learn it from scratch.

[JJMack]

If you want to do something like the you can select the Canvas a fill it with a pattern. It may be cliped on the right and bottom if the pattern is not a multiple of the width and height some scaling of patterns is possible though.