Problems with actions in Photoshop 7

[creehl]

[FONT=Arial]When I attempt to play a downloaded action in Photoshop 7, I get messages that the commands are not currently available. Help!]

[v.bampton]

I'm not using PS7, but the most likely problem is you don't have an image open. If that's not the problem, try making sure your image is in RGB mode. And if that doesn't fix it... try giving us an idea of what action you're supposed to be running, and we'll go from there!

Victoria

[DannyRaphael]

Originally Posted by creehl

When I attempt to play a downloaded action in Photoshop 7, I get messages that the commands are not currently available. Help!]

Other possibilities...
* Verify subject image is 8-bit (some commands only work on 8-bit format)
* If the target image has multiple layers, make a copy and flatten the copy. Then apply the action to the flattened version.

If none of the suggestions in these last two posts help, .zip the .atn file you downloaded from wherever and upload it in a following post. Someone will be able to dissect it in about 5 minutes. It's probably something small.

~Danny~

[creehl]

When I made my previous post about problems with actions in Photoshop 7, I was getting messages like "the command (name of command) is not currently available". The action would go no further. Then all of a sudden a day later the actions I had downloaded (frames for photos) began to work properly. I have no idea what caused the error messages. It is important for me to find out because now the messages are appearing again.

[Flora]

Hi creehl,

Welcome to RP!

I've merged your two Threads since the topic was the same ....

Victoria and Danny have covered everything you can generally cover without having tried the action .... and since for a while it worked, I'm convinced that your problems is one of those listed ....

So, to recap, before you run the action on any/new picture check the following:

1) Mode > (RGB and 8 Bits/Channel must be checked (see attachment) ... in any other Mode not all PS Filters and Adjustments work and since your action is for 'frames for photos' it surely uses one or more Filters!

2) Layers1 > generally speaking, make sure you are working on a 'flattened' Layer ....

3) Layers2 > some Frames, though, work only on a 'selection' ... in this case, duplicate your Background Layer, make the selection of you choice on the duplicate, and, with the 'marching ants' still active (visible), try to run the action again ....

If this still doesn't help, compress the action to a .zip file and post it here, as Danny said, "Someone will be able to dissect it in about 5 minutes" and tell you exactly why it's not working ...

Hope this helps ....

[TylerRB]

Another problem could be that your action is trying to "call" another action that you don't have. If it is part of a set of actions make sure you have all actions loaded. Or it may be trying to call a Commercial plug-in, that once again, maybe you don't have.

T

[creehl]

Thanks to Victoria, Danny and Flora. Sure enough - my photos are a mixture of 8 and 16 bit images. Of course, the 8 bit images worked while the 16 bit images did not. Converting to 8 bits solved the problem. Thanks again.

Chris