Photoshop Actions are funny little creatures. You’d think that they would behave, providing predictable and repeatable results every time. Unfortunately, the truth is they often have a mind of their own and don’t always work the way you’d expect.
I’ve seen the same action run on the same photo – under the same conditions – and provide two distinctly different results. Go figure!
Actions are also not too smart. They can’t do conditional processing (until Photoshop CC) – which simply means that I have to make some assumptions as to the type of image file you’ll be using to create your calendars. This usually isn’t too much of a problem but not every file is a good candidate for a calendar.
Below are some tips for using the Actions provided in the Calendar Designer.
The actions expect high resolution files. Don’t try to use files that are too small. The best files are camera resolution RGB JPG files set at 300ppi.
If you’re new to actions you must follow this rule to the letter – “Don’t Touch”. When you look at the Actions Palette you’ll notice three columns, one with check marks, one with either blank boxes or black or red box icons and the third with the action sets and actions. DON’T CHANGE THE CHECKMARKS OR THE SMALL BOX ICONS. These are called modal controls and they change the way the action will behave. If you do mess with them the best advice I can give you is to delete the action set and then reload it.
Better yet, if you’re new to Actions, run the actions in Button Mode. This way you’ll avoid changing any of these important controls.