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Photoshop is a powerful tool that can help you create great work. Designers usually use this tool to create custom graphics, web layouts, sometimes even to sketch prototype ideas for clients. One of the best aspects of Photoshop is its action feature. If you are looking for ways to automate those complex tasks that you use on a regular basis, then make sure to add Photoshop to your web design tool kit.
So what exactly are Photoshop actions? They are a series of actions or steps that are carried out by the program that is recorded and saved as a single action. It can also be interpreted as a programming code that can run against your existing artboard. These actions help transform your work into a unique design at the simple click of a button and save you a lot of time and effort.
This could include some of the tasks that you use on a regular basis – like creating a document, resizing an image, applying a filter, sketching out a wireframe which can be recorded and played back at any given time. These actions can be easily exported and imported making it easy for people to share files with each other. Once you have built up a library of time-saving actions, they can be played back at the touch of a button.
Make your way through this article to find out more about the different Photoshop actions and how to use them in your existing projects. These actions are incredibly useful for web designers and implementing them can speed up your workflow and the overall design process.
1. 1170 Grid System PS Action
This action by Pixel Industry helps you create 1200 px wide canvases with a 12-column grid layout. It can be downloaded for free and can speed up your web design process.
2. Bootstrap Grid system Photoshop Action
This tool lets you create artboards that are 1600 px wide with a bootstrap grid system for responsive layout design. It can be downloaded for free and is ideal for web designers working on responsive web design projects.
3. Long shadow generator
Looking to apply long shadows to your icon designs? This tool will help you create just that. It is available to download from Web3Canvas and can instantaneously transform your designs and add the depth you are looking to create. This package includes 4 actions that help you create 45- 120-degree shadows and comes in handy for web design projects.
4. IOS 7 Blur
This tool lets you create transparent screens with a click of a button. With this tool, you can build designs that blur screen effect on IOS 7 screens.
5. Isometric 3D perspective action
This action lets you apply 3D perspective to your images. You can easily access three different types of 3D depths and angles. Just hit play and you’ll see how your designs get transformed into stylized imagery.
6. WP Filterize
This action lets you create unique filters to your images. With the help of this action, you are able to create a perfectly composed image for a blog post, or an article The package comes with the following features – One click Image Filtering, 50 instant photo filters, Instagram-like, Integration in WordPress Post Editor, filtered image preview, infinite possibilities to combine filters, and friendly Support
7. 188 PS Action ultimate bundle
This bundle contains a variety of amazing Photoshop actions that allows you to create custom graphics and other website content. This package includes Light Actions, B&W action set, Vintage Bundle, 28 Season Actions, HDR, Free Facebook Timeline Covers and many other interesting effects that can take your websites from standard to amazing. It is not free but you can get it for a discounted price of $34
How to create your own Photoshop action?
If you are a regular Photoshop user, you probably work with a bunch of set tasks that you repeat on a daily basis. Instead of having to redo them every day, you can easily create a custom Photoshop action that will help you save a lot of time and effort. If you crop/resize images on a daily basis, you can now easily record and automate this action by simply clicking on the window button and choosing actions panel. Now name the action and click on the record button, and walk through the steps you would like to automate.
Once you are done, hit the stop button next to the record button in the actions panel.
How to use premade Photoshop actions
Photoshop actions can also be imported and exported out of Photoshop. The individual Photoshop action files can be downloaded as zip folder files and can easily be installed imported into Photoshop. Once you have extracted the contents from the file, you have a few ways to import it into Photoshop. You can either click on the action file or copy the actions into the Photoshop action folder on your desktop or drag and drop action files into the action panel within Photoshop. Once you have imported the files you need, you can hit play and watch your designs get transformed into interesting visuals. These actions are also highly customizable and can be edited at any given time.
Final thoughts
We hope that these tips and tricks come in handy when you are working on your next web design project. Creating your own Photoshop action and using them can speed up your overall design process and lets you skip the boring tasks you find yourself working on every day. Trying out other peoples actions can help you tap into interesting techniques, beautiful effects and learn more about post-processing styles.
