We Photoshop Elements action junkies have tons of actions in our Effects palette. Scrolling down a long list to look for the action you need can be a drawn-out pain in the patootie, can’t it?
Would you like to organize your actions using folders accessible through the pick list, like this image?
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
If you look at the photo effects folder where we install actions in PSE, you’ll see that the actions that came with the software all have accompanying files whose names end in metadata.xml. This easy-to-make file is the key to categorizing actions by folder in your effects palette.
You can download the template for this metadata.xml file below. This file is configured to work for the Texas Chicks Sharpening Powerhouse action in PSE 7 and 8. (This is the action that makes many, if not most, types of sharpening accessible within two clicks. You’ll never have to look up or remember the different methods of sharpening to figure out which one will work best for your image again!)
You can also use this template with any other action in Photoshop Elements by modifying it like this:
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
To use this XML data, download the XML template here. Unzip it, close PSE, and copy and paste this file into the Photo Effects folder where you installed the Sharpening Powerhouse. Rebuild your mediadatabase.db3 file if necessary and restart Elements.
To use this XML template for any other action in Photoshop Elements, download it, unzip it and double click on the file to open it. It will usually open in Internet Explorer or your default browser. Highlight the text and copy it into Notepad.
After copying, the only things you’ll need to change in the file are the name of the action and the name of the folder or category you would like the action to be a part of.
Use the graphic above as a guide. Both the name and the category appear twice. In each case, the first occurrence is written without spaces and the second is spaced EXACTLY like the .ATN file is named.
In this case, the name of the action is Sharpening Powerhouse.ATN.
Save this file in the Photo Effects Folder where you installed your action. The file must be named action name.metadata.xml. For the Sharpening Powerhouse, name the XML file Sharpening Powerhouse.xml.
A note on saving in Notepad. Go to File/Save As.Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Make sure you select “All Files” in Save as type. In File name, type the full name, including the final .XML extension. The icon, when you view your file in the Explorer, should look something like an internet file. Otherwise, PSE won’t read the doc as an XML file and the categorization won’t work.
Another note: these XML files can be very cantankerous when it comes to spacing. One extra space, even at the beginning or end of a line, can blow the whole thing. So be careful with your spacebar!
And one more note: this template only works in PSE 7 and 8. PSE 6 is slightly different – you can find your existing action XML files and use them as a model. This tutorial is PC-centric. I don’t have the corresponding Mac info, but there shouldn’t be many differences.
Happy New Year to all of you! I hope your holiday season has been exactly what you wished!
Clik here to view.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
