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**Reimar** · 10-27-2003, 03:08 PM

Maybe this isn't the right forum for my question. Any suggestions on where else to go?
Thanks
pbase.com/reimar

**cricket** · 10-31-2003, 11:19 AM

me too

I am having the same problem though it looks like you have gotten farther than I have. I have created an action in PS7 that I want to have run in elements but I am stymied!

Cricket

**DannyRaphael** · 10-31-2003, 12:42 PM

Cricket:

Did have a chance to read through the instructions on installing the add-on that were part of the download package? I've heard they have a lot of (gory) detail, but haven't seen them myself.

--------------

Reimar:

This is the right forum to post your question. Richard normally checks for questions on a regular basis. I understand he's working on multiple projects at this time, so be patient. He'll see it and respond soon, I'm sure.

There are three actions in Feivel's action set:
1. Read me
2. feivels gothic glow
3. C.O.I (Center of Interest)

1 - repeats the content of Readme.txt in the package, so it's of no value being an action.

3 - would take a lot of surgery to make Elements compatible, so I decided to pass on trying to convert that one. The results in 3 can be achieved by running 2, copying an original copy of the image on top of the one rendered by 2 and utilizing the HPE method for Layer Masks to selectively blend the two layers.

2 - I modified this action to make it Elements compatible, which is not the same as I know how to install it under Element. (I don't have Elements, but I know how to create Elements-compatible actions.). Once installed per Richard's specifications, it will run.

If you'd like a copy of this action, send me e-mail via my profile and I'll reply with the Elements-friendly action attached.

~Danny~

**Richard_Lynch** · 10-31-2003, 01:49 PM

Information for installing actions is in the advanced.rtf file included with the install. In there are some details about adding actions. The short of it is:

1. have the action name and action file name handy.

2. Locate the index.html file you want to change (this may be an exising action set or a new one created from the template).

3. Open the HTML in a text editor and scroll down till you see this:

<tr bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
<td> No Set Installed,
see instructions</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td>
</tr>

4. Replace the "No Set Installed,
see instructions" with something to name your set (e.g., My Set). This will be the display name under the tab.

5. Change the first instance of:

<tr>
<td></td>
</tr>

to:

<tr>
<td>
<a href="playaction(actionfile.atn,actionname)">
</a>
     <a href="previews/1.html">$</a></td>
</tr>

So...if my action file is named: "thisaction.atn" and the action is "whatitdoes", you get this:

<tr>
<td>
<a href="playaction(thisaction.atn,whatitdoes)">
The Thing I Want The Action Named
</a>
     <a href="previews/1.html">$</a></td>
</tr>

Regretfully you currently have to fuss with the HTML to install...I am going to look into a better way to get that done. I was hoping that action writers and developers were going to help out, but that hasn't happened. One of the few people I tried to help in development torpedoed my efforts by releasing her own interface to compete...That wasn't a big help. I've been continuing to learn new tricks, and I might have a few better solutions yet...but the weight falls on me--I guess because free isn't a very attractive incentive for people with development skills! Perhaps, as someone said, it may be time to charge a few bucks so I can justify putting in the time.

Please let me know if this helps or not.

Feedback of any sort, appreciated.

**cricket** · 10-31-2003, 04:29 PM

baffled!

This is completely baffling to me.

I have an action that I created in Photoshop 7. I can duplicate it and save it to another folder on my desk top. I have tried browsing to the file and can not manage to look inside the folder that I have saved the action to.

HTML: I can open Dreamweaver and navigate to the desktop to find my action folder. When I try to open it with Dreamweaver I get the message "failure to open document". So I have no chance of changing anything about the action.

The action created in PS is not a text file. Is that the problem? How can I change it so that it is a text file?

*sigh* I feel like such a dolt!

Cricket

**Reimar** · 10-31-2003, 06:21 PM

Gothic Glow Action

I put Danny's action in index 6 of action 6 of "other" under the welcome menu of Photoshop elements 2 (even though I have version 1; I guess loading HP III did this):

<tr>
<td>
<a href="playaction(feivel_gothic_glow_pse.atn,general_interest_glow)">
Gothic Glow
</a>
<a href="previews/1.html">$</a></td>
</tr>

But this appeared to have no effect. Re-loading photoshop E1 and clicking action set 6 still shows not sets loaded. I got the name of the action from the notepad. Maybe the name is wrong?

Reimar

Richard Lynch wrote:

So...if my action file is named: "thisaction.atn" and the action is "whatitdoes", you get this:

<tr>
<td>
<a href="playaction(thisaction.atn,whatitdoes)">
The Thing I Want The Action Named
</a>
     <a href="previews/1.html">$</a></td>
</tr>

**Richard_Lynch** · 11-01-2003, 05:51 AM

Do you even see the words Gothic Glow in the tab where you expect them to be? Have you placed the actions file in the Presets/Photoshop Actions folder?

let me know.

**Reimar** · 11-01-2003, 07:15 PM

Yes the action is in the adobe/PSE/presets/actions folder. I see the usual "no sets loaded" in Elements under recipes for set 6 where I changed the code.
The action is in the PSE1 folder. The recipes sub-folder here has the four index files for the main set of HP tools.
I also have Lui (Ling Nero) stuff loaded, which of coarse confuses me also.
The code for sets 1-7 are in the separate HP III package that is in a folder called PSE 2 even though I only have version 1. I guess that's normal. Is there a problem with the code in one folder accessing the action in another branch? I couldn't find a "no sets loaded" line in any of the code in the four index files for sets 1-4 in the PSE1 folder.
So what I did was change the code in PSE2/welcome/other/action6/index.
Oh, I just noticed this folder also has a preset/actions folder. I just copied the action there too, but this had no effect. The recipes subfolder of PSE2 only has an index4 file.

OK, my head is spinning. I think I'll stop now.

**Richard_Lynch** · 11-01-2003, 07:36 PM

sounds to me like you are doing too much copying and moving. Computers are pretty dumb when you come right down to it. You have a link from one place to the other, and if you move it, it doesn't work. don't haphazardly move things around or you'll end up re-installing.

I can't tell from your description exactly what is going on. You entered the code and put the action in the right folder...but when you look under the tab the action name isn't there? if that is the case, you aren't looking under the right tab. You said something about versions that i am also not clear on...you are running elements 2 or 1? Why do you think this is having an effect on the result? it shouldn't.

Lets try again. Right under the Other folder there is an index file. try altering that file (don't MOVE it) and let me know the results. After changing the link with the code you showed earlier, it should display when you click OTHER on the WELCOME screeen. if not, I'll have to see the file.

OK?

**Reimar** · 11-01-2003, 08:19 PM

I have PSE1.
I don't have PSE2.
I loaded your CD, the HP III update (and Ling's stuff).
I have a PSE1 folder with the CD files and Ling's stuff.
Under "Recipes" the HP folder has several HTML documents up to Index 4.
There is no "Other" folder in the PSE1 folder.
It seems to me when I downloaded HPIII, I got a separate folder called PSE2 (even though I do not have this version).
In the PSE2 folder there I find the "Other" folder:
PSE2/html palettes/welcome/other/ and then 1-7 actions and an index file.
I think you asked me to edit this index file as before. I did. After reloading PSE1, there is no indication of a Gothic Glow under the "Other" tab. This is where I often go to set a layer mask. Nor is the new action to be seen under sets 2-6 (set 1 has the frame effects). I can get at this "Other" folder either from the welcome menu or the recipes tab under Other. No sign of gothic glow.
What do you mean by "I'll have to see the file"?

**Richard_Lynch** · 11-02-2003, 05:47 AM

Cricket?

Missed your call for help.

1. You should not be editing the Action file using a text editor, unless you are really really certain of what you are doing. For the most part you will keep the action you saved from PS7 as it is...you should change the name of the file and action in PS7.

2. What are you trying to accomplish by 'opening' the action? The action file is something that will be referenced by Elements and run behind the scenes...there is no need to open it to execute.

3. Have you read the advanced.rtf file that was installed with the free tools? This discusses a lot of the technical stuff you need to know.

Let me know.

**Richard_Lynch** · 11-02-2003, 05:56 AM

Reimar,

The only other 'tab' is on the hidden power tools from the book in the Recipes palette. is that the index you are trying to edit? You might want to take a look there to see if the change occurred in the Recipes rather than the Welcome menu. I think what is happening is you are making the change in one palette and looking in the other for it. This may be why you are not finding the code you are looking for.

As to the file, if you forward to me or post, I can tell rigt away which file it is, rather than trying to have you describe it -- which is far more difficult.

**Reimar** · 11-02-2003, 08:44 AM

After many hours, I got Gothic Glow in PSE.
In the end I'm not sure which edit did it since I edited more than three "action 6" index files, but here is how I get to it:
Recipes - snap actions comes up, but the Hidden Power link doesn't work. I Select a Recipe/Hidden Power/Hidden Power/Other/Actions/Other/Set 6 and there is my Gothic Glow. That's a whole lot of clicking to unearth a very buried action.

The action states "the command Channel Mixer is not available". I'm not very impressed with the effect of the action. Maybe it doesn't fully work in Elements.

Needless to say, between these updates, trying to load actions by changing folder names and Ling's interface, my files are a mess. But to avoid making things worse, I'm not going to try to clean things up. That would likely make things worse.

I have concluded that I don't like actions much apart from disecting them and finding out how they get the final effect. I'd rather do it myself in the end.

Thanks for your help Richard.

**Richard_Lynch** · 11-02-2003, 09:36 AM

well, sorry to hear that...

As I have stated elsewhere, it is exactly this added complexity of files and interfaces that should not be a problem, but ends up being. It is caused by using more than one interface for the same thing...not your fault, the creator of that other design.

Why wouldn't you just use the Welcome interface to access? That is the way this was designed. It would be

Welcome/Other>action.

A lot easier than trying to navigate the other way.

Channel mixer will work in an action depending on how the action was recorded.

I won't push, but do hate to see your effort come to a sour end...

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