Handy Actions 3 for Elements 5 & 6
Posted 1 year, 3 months ago by Graffi | | 1,362 views | Technorati
There’s not going to be an upgrade for versions prior to Elements 5 (sorry, Mac users - too many of the Handy Actions just don’t work in previous versions) - but current owners of Handy Actions 2.5 can download Handy Actions 3 now by logging in at the Graffishop, choosing the My Account link at the top, and locating the order with Handy Actions - the link will still say “Handy Actions 2-5.zip“, but it points to the new Handy Actions 3. This will download the Handy Actions 3 pack for Elements 5.
If you got Handy Actions 2.5 via the Bundle pack, it will upgraded later once all the effect packs are upgraded - then you can download them all at once.
There’s also special pricing for Handy Actions 3 - grab either version for $12.99 / ea, or get them both for just $3 more.
XP and Vista
Compatible!
Your Swiss
Army Knife
for
Photoshop
Elements!
The new upgrade for Handy Actions is here - and there’s three new versions to fit your needs and version!
Handy Actions 3 now boasts more than 60 actions that help increase your Elements productivity, help you create stylish images, and give you mucho Photoshop horsepower!
New and improved actions for Layer Masks, Color Channels, Guides, Crop tool presets, selections - plus the ability to tap into Lab mode (*Elements 5 only).
(If this is more power than you want or need, check out Handy Actions Lite for Elements 5 & 6. It has 8 commonly-used features like masks, guides, Channel Mixer & Curves.)
But there’s more - go ahead and grab the Add-O-Matic for 30% off when buying Handy Actions 3, and you can add additional actions to your Photoshop Elements 5 installation with just a drag and a click. More actions are constantly being added to the archive in Graffi’s blog - just download them, drag them into Add-O-Matic, and they’ll be right where you need them.
What’s new
in Handy
Actions 3?Now there are new versions of Handy Actions to fit your needs and your Elements version. They are all specially created for Elements, to help your Photoshop Elements productivity and fun.
Tutorials and Resources
Using Handy Actions:
There are new Layer Mask Actions (joining the original Layer Mask and Invert Mask actions are Hide All, Hide Selection and Reveal Selection), more Channel Actions (3 Swap Channel actions and six Color Channel Selection actions join the original Blue, Green, Red and RGB actions), a Rule of Thirds action to aid in composition, a new layout that groups these actions in intuitive categories (Layer mask actions are all together, as are Photo Effect, Selection, Channel and Guide actions) and an intelligent installer that takes the worry and frustration away - just click and go!
The new palette layout is over there to the left - give it a click to see how the new Handy Actions 3 pack displays - XP or Vista!
This new installer engine also reduces the clutter by automatically removing earlier versions of Handy Actions as it installs, so you don’t have to have multiple copies of the same actions and effects in your palette.
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Filed in: Actions, Elements, Handy Actions, Musings, News from around the graphics world, Photoshop |
Graffi,
Wow! I thought Handy Actions 2.5 was super but 3.0 is really really super. Having tools from other packages combined in 3.0 is very cool. The improvements to Layers Masks, Channel Actions , Selection Actions…. are very nice. Thank you for creating 3.0 as it makes life a lot fuller when using PSE 5. This is a five star package of actions.
John
Thanks, John!
Fun Foto FX is next, followed by B&W Lab. You’ll LOVE B&W Lab - !
I’ve done everything I can do to install “Handy Actions 3 for PSE6″ but nothing works. The link in this blog to “Troubleshooting the Installation” is 404.
Please, where is the “Effects filter” in the Effects palette that your PDF mentions?
Since your forum is pretty much deceased, I’m asking here.
Hi, steve -
In Elements 6, open the Effects palette (if it’s not visible, click Window>Effects)
Activate the Photo Effects section (it’s the third icon from the left at the top of the palette - the first is Filters; the second is Layer Styles).
Now you should be able to use the drop menu just to the right of the icons to see Handy Actions, and all of the corresponding actions and thumbs. Check the small screenshot image up above to see what it should look like in a standard PSE 6 installation -
Hope that helps
Hi,
OK, now I know where Handy Actions should be. It’s not there. I’ve reset preferences, held down Shift when I open PSE, restart PC, and it still isn’t there.
I deleted the Handy Actions file and zip and downloaded again, started all over, everything I can think of. The installer says that it worked, but, nope.
Steve
OK, let’s fix this sucker -
Run the installer once more, and keep an eye on the actions as they scroll past (it happens pretty quick - )
The first one to pop up will be “Channel Mixer 3″ - then it will scroll through all of them, and end up on “Channel Mixer 3″ again, for just a split second.
When it finishes, close the installer.
Your database isn’t rebuilding itself, or it’s being interrupted during the rebuild, so this will force it -
Navigate to
C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Adobe\Photoshop Elements\6.0
(this is a hidden folder - to view it, you may need to first click Start>Control Panel>Folder Option, and choose the “View” tab. Scroll down to section about viewing hidden files and folders, and toggle it ON).
locate the file “ThumbDatabase.db3″ in this folder - rename it “ThumbDatabase.db3.OLD”
Next, navigate to
C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Adobe\Photoshop Elements\6.0\Locale\en_US
and rename the database file there, from “MediaDatabase.db3″ to “MediaDatabase.db3.OLD”
Quit all other programs (email, web browser, etc.) and restart Elements.
Your entire database will be rebuilt, and this will take a bit of time (around 15 ~ 20 minutes or so, maybe a bit more depending on computer speed, other utilities running, etc.)
When it finishes, restart elements again, and all your menus should appear as they look in the screenshot above -
Let me know if that solves it - and the most important step is to allow the database ample time to rebuild. Turn it on, and go away & do something else for 15 - 30 minutes, then restart PSE -
Thanks, Graffi
That did it. Everything is just right now. Thanks for your patience and quick replies to help me.
Steve