Recording and Applying Adjustments with ACDSee Actions

ACDSee Actions allow you to record all of your Edit mode adjustments and then apply them to other images by "playing" them back. You can use this method to batch edit multiple photos with any adjustment available in Edit mode. In addition, after applying a recording with adjustment layers, you can open the image in Edit mode and continue tweaking and adjusting the adjustment layers in the Layered Editor, allowing for non-destructive image editing.

You can also apply pre-loaded default actions for quick adjustments. Actions can be organized into existing categories, or you can create your own.

For quick access in Edit mode, you can use the Record, Stop, and Play buttons at the top of the Tools panel. Or you can use the Toggle Actions Browser button to open the ACDSee Actions window. You can also move the ACDSee Actions bar to anywhere on your screen.

To Record Your Adjustments:

  1. In Edit mode, on the right side of the Toolbar, press the Record button. The Recording Action pane will appear and list your adjustment steps as you make them.
  2. Make any adjustments you desire in Edit mode.
  3. Press the Stop button in the Toolbar to stop the recording at any time. If you pressed the Stop button by accident, press Cancel to continue recording.
  4. In the Save Action dialog box, enter a name for your recording.
  5. Select a category for your action from the drop-down menu, or enter a name to create a new category.
  6. Press Save. Your recording will now be available in the Actions Browser under the category you chose (or created).

To Preview a Recording:

  1. In Manage mode, do one of the following:
    • Click Actions | Actions Browser...
    • Click Tools | Browse Actions...
    • Click Tools | ACDSee Actions | Actions Browser...
    • Right-click the images and choose ACDSee Actions | Actions Browser... from the context menu.
    • Right-click the images and choose Browse Actions... from the context menu.

      • If you select multiple images, only the first image will be previewed. However, if you play a recording, it will apply to all selected images.

    In View mode, do one of the following:

    • Press the Open Actions Browser pane button.
    • Click Tools | Browse Actions...
    • Click Tools | ACDSee Actions | Actions Browser...

    In Edit mode, do one of the following:

    • Click Panes | Actions Browser.
    • Click Tools | Browse Actions...
    • Click Tools | ACDSee Actions | Actions Browser...
    • Press the Toggle Actions Browser button in the Toolbar.
  2. In the Actions Browser, choose a category from the drop-down menu.
  3. Select the thumbnail of the recording you wish to preview from the left column of the Actions Browser.
  4. Do one of the following:
    • View a preview of how your current image would appear with your recording applied in the Preview column.
    • Toggle the Preview button in the top right corner to view the adjustment steps of the selected action.

    Preview Image

    Preview Steps

To Delete a Recording:

Deleting a recording is permanent and cannot be undone. Your deleted recording will not appear in your system's Recycle Bin.

  1. Select the recording in the left column of the Actions Browser.
  2. Do one of the following:
    • Right-click and choose Delete.
    • Press the Delete button.

To Rename a Recording:

  1. Select the recording in the left column of the Actions Browser.
  2. Do one of the following:
    • Right-click and choose Rename.
    • Press the Rename button.
  3. Enter a new name in the Name field.
  4. Press OK.

Applying Recordings

You can apply your recordings to other images, allowing you to batch edit using any Edit mode adjustments you have recorded. You can also apply any of the pre-loaded default actions, which are organized into categories in the Actions Browser.

When applied to images that are a different size than the one used in the recording, actions that involve drawings, geometry, or the layering of images will be scaled to the target image proportionally using a percentage of the width and height independently. However, crop size is absolute, (based on the number of pixels). Crop position is relative, also based on the number of pixels.

For best results with tools from the Geometry group, apply your recordings to similarly sized images.

To Apply a Recording in Manage Mode:

Recordings are applied in the same order they were recorded in.

  1. Select the images in the File List pane.
  2. Do one of the following:
    • Choose Tools | ACDSee Actions | <your desired category> | <your desired action> | Play.
    • Choose Tools | Browse Actions... In the Actions Browser, select your desired category from the drop-down menu. Select the recording from the left column. Press the Play button.
    • Right-click the images and choose ACDSee Actions | <your desired recording> | Play.
    • Right-click the images and choose Browse Actions... In the Actions Browser, select your desired category from the drop-down menu. Select the recording from the left column. Press the Play button.
    • Choose Actions | Actions Browser... In the Actions Browser, select your desired category from the drop-down menu. Select the recording from the left column. Press the Play button.
    • Choose Actions| <your desired category> | <your desired action> | Play.

To Apply a Recording in View Mode:

Do one of the following:

  • Choose Tools | ACDSee Action | <your desired category> | <your desired action> | Play.
  • Choose Tools | Browse Actions. In the Actions Browser, select your desired category from the drop-down menu. Select the recording from the left column. Press the Play button.
  • Press the Open the Action Browser Pane button. In the Actions Browser, select your desired category from the drop-down menu. Select the recording from the left column. Press the Play button.
  • Right-click the images and choose ACDSee Actions | <your desired recording> | Play.
  • Right-click the images and choose Browse Actions...In the Actions Browser, select your desired category from the drop-down menu. Select the recording from the left column. Press the Play button.

To Apply a Recording in Edit Mode:

  1. Open your image in Edit mode.
  2. Do one of the following:
    • Choose Panes | Actions Browser. In the Actions Browser, select your desired category from the drop-down menu. Select the recording from the left column. Press the Play button.
    • Choose Tools | ACDSee Actions | <your desired category> | <your desired action> | Play.
    • Choose Tools | ACDSee Actions | Actions Browser... In the Actions Browser, select your desired category from the drop-down menu. Select the recording from the left column. Press the Play button.
    • Choose Tools | Browse Actions. In the Actions Browser, select your desired category from the drop-down menu. Select the recording from the left column. Press the Play button.
    • Press the Toggle Actions Browser button. In the Actions Browser, select your desired category from the drop-down menu. Select the recording from the left column. Press the Play button.

You can apply a recording to a singular image layer by selecting the layer in the Layered Editor and pressing the Play button in the Actions Browser.

To Set the Output Options for a Recording:

You can configure the options that will determine how files are outputted when recordings are applied to them. Each output option you configure is specific to the selected (right-clicked) recording. Output options only affect recordings that are applied to images in modes other than Edit mode.

Configured output options will not travel with shared recordings.

  1. Select the recording in the left column in the Actions Browser.
  2. Do one of the following:
    • Right-click and choose Options.
    • Click the Options button.
  3. Configure the options as described below.
  4. Press OK.

Output Options

Action Results

Overwrite the selected file, create copy in case of non-encodable files

When a recording is applied, the file is overwritten with the edited version. If the file cannot be overwritten, such as in the case of a RAW file, a copy will be saved.

Rename modified images and place in source folder

Select this option if you want to save the edited images with a new name, in the same folder as the original images.

Place the modified images in the following folder

Select this option if you want to save the edited images to a specific folder. Browse to the folder.

Overwrite existing

Use this option to determine what ACDSee Free should do if the destination folder contains an image with the same file name as one of the edited images:

  • Ask: prompts you to choose different options (skip, rename, overwrite) depending on the image.
  • Skip: skips processing that image, and begins processing the next image.
  • Replace: replaces the image in the destination folder with the edited image.
  • Rename: renames the edited file.

Preserve last-modified dates

Select this option if the original image has a last-modified date, and you want the edited image to have the same last-modified date.

Preserve metadata

Select this option if the original image contains metadata, and you want the edited image to contain the same metadata and color profile.

Preserve database information

Select this option if you want to preserve ACDSee Metadata from the original image.

File Output

File format

Select the file format in which you would like to save the outputted images.

Pixel format

Use this option to determine number of bits per pixel (BPP) in the output images, and whether the images will be color or grayscale. Select Automatic if you want the output images to have the same pixel format (or the closest possible match) as the original images. You can use this option to convert the images from color to grayscale, or to convert the images to a pixel format that is compatible with other software or processes.

Color space

Check the color space checkbox to choose a color space option from the drop-down list.

 

If you begin recording after adjustment layers are added, the recording can only be applied to a target image that has the same adjustment layers already added to it.

If you record adding a layer to a single layered image, and then try to apply this recording to a multi-layered target image, the layer will be added on top of all of the other layers.

If you record adjusting specific adjustment layers of a multi-layered image, the recording can only be applied to a target image with the same adjustment layer. For example, if your recording contains a sharpening adjustment layer as its third layer and you adjust it, your target image must also have a sharpening adjustment layer as its third layer.

If you record making global adjustments to a single layered image, then add layers, and then apply the recording to a multi-layered target image, the target image will be flattened. The global adjustments will be applied to the whole image, and then the layers will be added on top of that.

See also: