I have been searching all over for instructions on how to create those complex actions that are for sale everywhere but all I can find is how to batch process files, etc. I have investigated each step in the actions I have and cannot figure out how they are created. Is there a tutorial or whole book dedicated to creating them or are they created in other software and saved as .atn files. Many that I've seen start with a blank file and have amazing results.

Thank you in advance!

Actions are created AFAIK, but doing everything step-by-step while recording it, but don't quote me on that. I make small ones for repetition like making bump maps and stuff.

Attached Link: http://www.amazon.com/Wards-Photoshop-Productivity-Toolkit-Time-Saving/dp/0782143342/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1277024677&sr=1-1

Take a look at the book in the link. It's dated 2004, but still valid AFAIK. It has a CD with a lot of actions on it, but the book goes into quite a lot of detail about what actions can do, how they're made, and so on. The 'Look Inside' feature of Amazon gives you the first chapter too look at.

 I'll check it out, Thanks!

Attached Link: Holiday Scrapping

Hi I create action for scrapbooking. Basically you have to record your steps when you create a graphics. For example I made a chess piece graphic and recorded all my steps to create the final graphic...then you just save it. There are some tools that do not work with actions like the burn and dodge tools, outside plugins and filters, pen tools. i made my graphics by manipulating the basic shapes. Hope this helps a little

I have a couple on my blog...let me know if this is what you are inquiring about

http://holidayscrapping.blogspot.com/search/label/Actions

Actions are created, yes. It's not like a filter with a preset.

Experiment and CAREFULLY plan out exactly what you want your action to be in advance - it will help to write your procedures down in detail.

In the Actions Tab, you will see a little "double box" - click that FIRST to start to create a new Action.

Name it, and give it a Function Key so you can quickly access it later on (ex.: Shift + F3) - repeatability is what these are for.

Then click the Record Button to START recording your actions.

Go through the process of whatever you want it to do - ex.: Duplicate Layer, Change Layer Mode, Desaturate, Lower the Opacity, etc.

When you are done, click the STOP Button. Now you're finished, and every time you click (for example) Shift+F3 it will do exactly what you just saved as a set of steps.

Repeatability.

Hope this helps-

-Lew
 

 Thank you for all the responses!

The types of actions I'm talking about are like curled paper or bow actions. Many of them seem to be glorified layer styles but when you start with a blank page and... voila, a satin bow appears, how does that happen when you can't record brush strokes or vector shapes with the pen tool. Can you "embed" patterns or shapes or something? For instance if you have the bow outline and shading completed, can you "define as pattern" and then during the action, set the pattern, apply color and that's all there is? (assuming the pattern gets packaged neatly in the .atn file) 

I'm just curious... I'm the kind of person that likes to know how it all works... especially the things I can't figure out on my own!

I'll check out that book, Steve.  If anyone knows about actions, it's sure to be the guy from actionfx.com!

Ok...I understand what you mean. We sell them in the scrapbooking stores all the time. The way they are created is by manipulating shapes (rectangle) with the warp tools to the shape of a bow or another easy example is a flower by manipulating a circle with the warp tool. You can use the blending mode for your shawdowing, bevels and coloring after you are satisfied with your graphic you merge them visable...you should be recording all these steps through your actions tool.

What I do, is take a look at a picture of what I am trying to create and determine the shapes and the shadings that I can manipulate into making that graphic.

You can also use the filters that comes with the program...but sometimes you cannot run the action in other programs that do not have those filters installed. ...although there is another outside filter that makes ribbons and curls. 

Here is a link to the outside filter curl program (it does have a free version) and a tut to achieve the same results using the warp tool. You can also make a action by just recording the steps of the tutorial. Hopes this helps you to understand how these are made.

http://www.avbros.com/pagecurl/

http://pstutorialsblog.com/83/page-curl-effect-tutorial/

You can record anything - pick a certain color (let's say a version of Tan) and Fill the blank canvas, create another layer that is Soft Light Mode, hit the letter "d" and fill it with White, run Filter>Render>Clouds, then STOP.

With this action, regardless of how large or small your canvas, it's now going to look like Parchment Paper, and you have a repeatable Action to do it, with 2 editable Layers so you can modify it later.

It doesn't have to stop there - you can create (as you were talking about) another Layer that is a percentage smaller, up in the corner, and using gradients make it look like a page curl - get it?

You can create a single action that will take you through a HUGE amount of steps just to get a raggedy parchment that has tears and page curls. It doesn't just have to be huge changes to an already on display image.

Have fun with it - and the nice thing is that it's something you can delete if you realize you can do it better and record a new one. You can also give the actions to friends, or sell them - this is how you buy them, as already saved bits of Photoshop info in a single file, that you simply put into your Actions Directory.

Some people just make them more elaborate than others (which is why they're for sale).

-Lew

For a free example of a fairly complex action try my retouching eye action to make most of an eye in photoshop. You can then go through the steps of it in yor history pallet and see how it was done and get a feel for what you can do.

I hope this helps.

Regards

The photo retoucher