Copying Steps within a Photoshop Action

You can copy specific steps from one action to another in Photoshop. By copying a step that performs a specific adjustment, you can create complex Actions that greatly reduce editing time and yet simplify your workflow, ensuring consistency across different projects. Specific adjustments include sharpening, resizing, or saving to a specific file type (say JPEG, size 10) and colour space, or naming a file and saving it to your desktop, but they’re not restricted to that, of course.  I have set up actions for different things, such as borders and frames, and by adding additional steps this way, you can fine-tune them endlessly.

Here’s how to do it:

Steps to Copy Action Steps

1. Open the Actions Panel:
   Go to Window > Actions or press Alt + F9 (Windows) / Option + F9 (Mac) to open the Actions panel.
2. Locate the Action:
   Find the action that contains the steps you want to copy.
3. Select the Step:
   Click on the specific step within the action that you want to copy. This can be a command, adjustment, or effect.
4. Duplicate the Step:
   Click on the small menu icon (the three horizontal lines, sometimes called the hamburger) in the Actions panel.
   Select Duplicate to create a copy of the selected step. Alternatively, you can right-click the step and choose Duplicate.
5. Move the Duplicated Step:
   You can now drag the duplicated step to the desired action or position it within the same action where you want it to be.
6. Rename (if needed):
   If you wish to rename the copied step, double-click on its name in the Actions panel.

Tips

Organise Steps: Ensure you keep your steps organised for easier navigation when recording or editing actions.

Testing: Always test the modified or created actions to ensure everything works as expected.