How I Saved 5 Hours Last Month with This Simple Photoshop Trick
As photographers, we spend countless hours editing, retouching, and fine-tuning our images in Photoshop. While I love the creative process, I’ve always found the repetitive tasks—like adding mats, resizing images, or aligning layers—to be a massive time sink. But last month, I discovered a simple Photoshop trick that saved me over 5 hours of editing time: Photoshop Actions.
What Are Photoshop Actions?
Photoshop Actions are essentially a recorded series of tasks that you can apply to any photo with just one click. Instead of manually repeating steps like applying filters, resizing, or creating adjustment layers, you can automate the process. Think of them as custom shortcuts that handle all the repetitive work for you.
How I Used Photoshop Actions to Save Time
One task I always dreaded was adding black mats to images. Every time, I’d click through the same menus, adjust the same settings, and waste precious minutes. So, I decided to create an Action that does it all for me—one click, and it’s done.
Here’s what I automated:
- Adding black mats with specific dimensions
- Aligning images perfectly (no more digging through menus!)
- Batch resizing and exporting images for web
- Quick adjustments like sharpening, contrast tweaks, and vignettes
By automating these simple, repetitive tasks, I found myself flying through edits that used to take forever. Over the course of a month, that added up to over 5 hours saved.
Want to Learn How? I’ve Got You Covered
I recently launched a new series on YouTube called “Photoshop Quickies,” where I share fast, powerful tips to help photographers work smarter in Photoshop.
Watch the latest episode here: Automate Photoshop Like a Pro – One-Click Actions Explained
In this quick 2-minute tutorial, I show you exactly how to:
- Create your own Photoshop Actions
- Assign them to custom keyboard shortcuts
- Automate repetitive edits to save time
This Is Just the Beginning
“Photoshop Quickies” is an ongoing series, and I’d love your feedback. What’s the most time-consuming task in your Photoshop workflow? Drop a comment on the video and let me know—your suggestion might be the next Quickie!
🔔 Subscribe to the series here: https://www.youtube.com/@Dave_Koch
Let’s save time, edit smarter, and focus on what we love—creating amazing images.
