ACTION GUIDE

Installation and Troubleshooting Guide

PHOTOSHOP FOR MAC OR PC

P HOTOSHOP

ACTIONS AND TEXTURES

P A I N T T H E M O O N P H O T O S H O P A C T I O N
S ALL RIGHTS RESERVED PAINTTHEMOON.COM

WHATS INSIDE
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Click to jump to the page you need and check out the helpful
resources and links page for video tutorials, Paint the Moon
communities, training resources and more.

I NSTALLATIO N STEP S - D ETA I LE D

I N STALLATION SC REEN SHOT S
P LAY YOUR AC TIO NS IN P HO T O S HO P
C O NTAC T ANNIE
S HO O T! ?! GO T TROUB LE? { FI N D Y O U R A N S W E R }
LAYER MASK TIP S AND TROU BLE S HO O T I N G
TWEAK AND C USTOM IZ E YOU R A CT I O N S
TIP S AND TRIC KS FOR USING Y O U R A CT I O N S

H E LP FU L R E S OU R C E S , LI N KS AND I NF ORM AT I ON
W H AT AR E AC T I O N S ? W H O I S PAI NT T HE MOON?

PAINT THE MOON PHOTOSHOP ACTIONS ALL RIGHTS RESERVED PAINTTHEMOON.COM

page 3

INSTALLATION STEPS
1.

Download your actions.You will be directed to a page where you can click on the words "Click here" to
immediately download your products after the payment goes through. You will also receive an e-mail at your
payment address with the link in it.

2.

Locate the downloaded file and open the folder. If it is not unzipped (if it still has the .zip extension at the
end), unzip it. Most machines have pre-installed software that allows you to double click it to unzip. Ifyou
find do not have unzipping software, you can download free software to do this on-line. A popular, highly
rated FREE one arefor the Mac isYemuZip. A popular, highly rated application for PC users is 7zip.

3.

Follow instructions located on page four to install the actions. This can be done by double clicking on the atn
file, dragging the atn file onto an open Photoshop window or by selecting Load Actions (see page four to
follow screen shot) from the actions panel fly out menu (this method is most reliable).

FIRST TIME ACTION USER?

Click to see some tips, tricks and a short video showing how to install
and some tips for getting the most out of your actions

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page 4

EASY INSTALLATION

three ways to install ...

each one incredibly quick and easy

T h e e a s i e s t w a y t o i n s t a l l a c t i o n s i n P h o t o s h o p i s t o d r a g a n d d ro p t h e a c t i o n s fi l e o n a n o p e n e d
p h o t o s h o p w i n d o w. O R yo u c a n j u s t d o u b l e c l i c k t h e . a t n fi l e a n d i t s h o u l d a u t o m a t i c a l l y o p e n
P h o t o s h o p a n d i n s t a l l t h e a c t i o n fo r yo u . T h i s s h o u l d w o r k b o t h o n M a c a n d o n W i n d o w s .
T h e m e t h o d b e l o w i s a l s o e a s y, a n d i s t h e m o s t re l i a b l e w a y t o i n s t a l l a c t i o n s i n t o P h o t o s h o p .

Open Photoshop.
Go to your Actions panel.
If you dont see it, go to Window > Actions.
Click on the little arrow in the top right
corner of the panel. From the fly out menu
select Load Actions and then navigate to
where you saved your actions. All done!

Ta ke p re c a u t i o n s . . . P h o t o s h o p s t o re s a c t i o n s i n t h e d e f a u l t P h o t o s h o p p re fe re n c e s fi l e . T h i s fi l e m a y g e t c o r r u p t a n d
n e e d t o b e d e l e t e d o r i s re p l a c e d a u t o m a t i c a l l y by P h o t o s h o p . T h i s i s t h e re a s o n u s e r s s o m e t i m e s fi n d t h a t a l l t h e i r
a c t i o n s d i s a p p e a r (u s u a l l y a f t e r a P h o t o s h o p c r a s h) . I a l w a y s re c o m m e n d b a c k i n g u p yo u r a c t i o n fi l e s t o a C D o r
e x t e r n a l h a rd d r i ve fo r s a fe ke e p i n g .

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page 5

PLAY YOUR ACTIONS

1. SELECT DESIRED ACTION
Once your actions are loaded, open your image, select which
action you want to play (see how the BASE: Light and Airy
action is highlighted?) and simply click the Play button.
Sit back and watch the magic happen!

Note that some sets will have the actions in categories to make
your workflow easier. The lines that have the bullet point across
are meant as dividers and the little vvvv is denoting that
category is below that particular category title.

Be sure to take a look at the video tutorial

for organizing your actions into favorites folders too!

2. CLICK PLAY

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page 6

Hi. Im Annie.

SO NICE TO MEET YOU!

I w ant to tha nk y ou for your suppor t and business. I tr uly ho pe y ou ar e t h r i l l e d wi t h y o ur P ai n t t h e Moo n pr oduc t s .
Yo u r sa tisfa c tion is my num ber one pr ior ity, and I take pr ide i n pr o vi di n g e xc e l l e n t c us t o m e r s e r vi c e . I f y ou fi n d, af t e r
l o o k ing ov er the insta llation guide, tr oubleshooting guide an d t ut o r i al vi de os avai l abl e , t h at y o u ar e s t i l l i n n e e d o f
a s s i sta nc e, p lea se feel fr ee to e- m ail m e at annabelle@pain t t h e m o o n .n e t an d I m m o r e t h an h appy t o h e l p.
I w i l l need to ha v e the follow ing infor m ation in or der to get y o u t ake n c ar e of as qui c kl y as po s s i bl e :
P a int the Moon p rod uct you ar e using
Y o ur c omp uter s op er ating system
Y o ur v ersion of Photoshop
Wha t exa c tly the issue you ar e ex per iencing is, or w her e in t h e i n s t al l at i on pr oc e s s y o u ar e r un n i n g i n t o a h i c c up. Th e
mo re deta iled informa tion I r eceive in the beginning, the m o r e t h o r oug h l y an d qui c ke r I c an g e t y o u t ake n c ar e of an d
s t arted using a nd enj oying your new actions to their fullest pot e n t i al .
T h ank y ou!

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page 7

SHOOT! GOT TROUBLE?

T R O U B L E S H O O T I N G

P S

First, make sure you are running Photoshop versions CS2 or up.

I ran the action and it doesn't appear that anything has changed?
Most likely you are using an action that has a layer mask that requires you to paint where you want the effects visible. Please see Layer
Mask Basics for help (page 10), as well as the video tutorial on Layer Masks to understand how they work better. You'll need to use your
white brush with the layer mask selected (the black box on the right of the layer) - paint where you want the effect to appear.

The effect is too strong for my image or its too bright!

Adjust the layer opacity on the actions layers, turn lightening and brightening or darkening layers on or off ... tweak the action until you
get the right look for your image.

I keep getting a message saying "The object "layer "Background" is not available."
On ourFAQ page I address the issue that the actions may not work with non-English versions of Photoshop. However, there is a
fix that will most likely take care of most of the issues that can occur. The problem is the actions are looking for the layer named
"Background" but in your non-English version of PS it is named something different (whatever your word is for Background).
You just need to rename this layer to Background (to do this double click on it, then type in Background in the box that comes
up and then hit Okay). If you do this before each action most should work just fine for you.

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page 8

T R O U B L E S H O O T I N G

P S

Everything is acting all wonky on me!

I frequently get emails from customers who tell me that Photoshopseems to be acting up and giving them strange errors or just doing
oddball things. Sometimes this will look like an action isnt working properly. The random things that can go wrong and errors that pop up
with a corrupt preferences file are extensive but include freezes and crashes, tools acting weird or missing from toolbox, menu
commands all of a sudden not available, unusual errors or results while running actions, crashing upon start up and more. I have found
that almost 95% of the time when customers are running actions and experience strange problems or error messages, the issue is easily
fixed by deleting the preferences file. Its super easy and usually clears up the problem immediately. Be sure not to let go of the keys
until you see the message about deleting the settings or preference file ... just click yes and then you may let go of the keys. Here is how
to do it:
To dump your corrupt preferences file and give Photoshop a fresh start:
For a Mac, when you restart Photoshop make sure you hit the Command, Option and Shift keys at the same time. When it asks if you
want to delete the settings file, click yes. It will go ahead and delete the settings and then automatically restart. Getting the timing right
can be a bit sensitive, so be sure to hold down those keys immediately after launching the Editor, but before the program actually opens
completely.
For a PC, when you restart Photoshop make sure you hit the Control, Alt and Shift keys at the same time. When it asks if you want to
delete the settings file, click yes. It will go ahead and delete the settings and then automatically restart. Getting the timing right can be a
bit sensitive, so be sure to hold down those keys immediately after launching the Editor, but before the program actually opens completely.
Note: If it doesnt work the first try, hold the keys this way Hold down the Ctrl + Alt keys, then restart PS, and immediately press the
Shift key. In that order. For Mac, Hold down the Command and Option keys, then restart PS, and immediately press the Shift key. In that
order.
Then restart PS. Try again and hopefully Photoshop will begin to play nice. :)
This will not delete your actions in your action panel, however, I always strongly advise Photoshop users to have their actions backed up
in a safe place because problems can come up that will cause the actions to be zapped, and there are no hard copies of your action files
on your drive that Photoshop has saved - you have to do this yourself. The easiest way to do this is simply make a backup copy of your
atn files once you download them.

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page 9

T R O U B L E S H O O T I N G

P S

Im getting odd errors like Invert not available or Clipping mask not available.

Go to your Adjustments panel (if you cant see it, go to

Windows > Adjustment and make sure its checked). In
the top right corner, click on the three little lines next
to the arrow for the fly out menu to appear. You just
need to make sure two things are set correctly:
Make sure the Add Mask by Default is CHECKED
Make sure that Clip to Layer is UNCHECKED
Run the actions again and you should have no issues.
If you are still having problems, see the section about
deleting the preference file when PS goes wonky.

Note: your workspace may look slightly different depending on

the version of Photoshop you are running (this is CC).

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page 10

T R O U B L E S H O O T I N G

L A Y E R

M A S K S

I N

P S

I'm painting on my layer mask but nothing is changing!

See next page for things to look for when your layer masks dont appear to be working correctly.
Layer masks are a perfect way to achieve targeted results when running actions. They allow you to have the actions effect appear on part of the photo, but not
the entire image. Using them is also essential for most of the actions in the Miracle Makeover action set ... such as the Sparkle Eyes actions, which requires you to
paint on the layer masks to make the effect appear where you need it. Here I will teach you the very basics on layer masking.
First you need to know that white reveals and black conceals. This is your layer mask - the black or white box next to your layer thumbnails:
If the eyeball to the left is on, it means this layer is visible. If the layer mask is white (as it is here), it means the layer effects are visible. To mask (or hide) any specific
areas of this layer or group, simply paint on the layer mask (make sure it is selected as it is
here) with a black brush. The opposite is also true. If you have a black layer mask, it means
everything on that layer is masked (or hidden) and to reveal anything you need to paint with
a white brush. This is important to remember when using actions such as the Makeover
series - because when the action finishes running you wont see any difference until you
start painting (i.e., revealing) on your layer masks.
You can always switch back and forth between a black and white brush if you paint too much
and need to correct it. You can also use a lower opacity or harder/softer brush to really
control the effect to the greatest possibility. Most of the time youll want to use a soft
A b l a c k l a y er m as k m ea ns ev er yth in g is h idden u n til
y o u pa int wit h a whit e b rus h

airbrush at 0% hardness for best results (unless needing a hard edge for detail work).

Remember:
Black Conceals - White Reveals

A w h it e l ay er m as k m ea ns ev er yth in g is visible u n less

y o u pa int wit h a b l ac k b rus h to h ide par t of th e eff ect

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page 11

T R O U B L E S H O O T I N G

Painting basics for layer masks.

L A Y E R

M A S K S

I N

P S

If you cant see your anything happening when

painting, check these settings:

Blend mode:
Normal

Opacity:
100%

Flow:
100%

Make sure you have the layer mask selected before painting:

Select your top brush tool

Layer mask selected and
ready to paint on.

Layer mask not selected NOT ready to paint on.

Click small boxes for default black

and white colors, click the little
arrows to swap foreground and
background. To quickly go back to
default black & white hit D
The top color is your brush color.
Black conceals, white reveals.
To quickly switch colors, hit X

Make sure you have selected

the default brush on top

Ive checked all the above and everything is set correctly!

Try resetting your preferences - instrutions for doing this are on page eight.

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page 12

CUSTOMIZE YOUR LOOK

Three Ways To Tweak Your Actions To Get an Individualized, Custom Look

Adjust layer opacity and use layer masks to adjust the effects of actions. For
information on using your layer masks and painting on layer masks see the pages
on layer masks.
Almost all of the actions by Paint the Moon, except those with just one or two
layers, will be grouped into a folder so you can adjust the opacity on the entire
group of layers created by the action at once - giving you the ability to
customize your look from subtle to dramatic.

OPACITY
OF L AYERS

Ad jus t up o r d own
t o va r y int e n si ty of
t ha t l aye r s e ffe ct

LAYER GROUP

Ad j u s t the o p acity
(or u s e the l ayer mas k )
on a ll t he actio ns
l ayer s at o nce

L AYER MASK

W hite Reveals

Black Conce a ls

(rea d mo re abo u t
layer m as k s i n t h e
layer mas k bas i c s)

VISIBILITY
(EY EBA LL)

Tu rns Laye r
On and Off

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THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW

Tips and tricks to get the most out of your actions.

Fix color casts and exposure issues first.

Always get your color right using the color correcting actions first, then fix exposure issues (too dark or light) next ... leaving room for a
little more lightening depending on which action you will be running. If you are using one of the all in one workflow actions, there will be
lightening and darkening layers to work with, as well as basic warming and cooling layers and other adjustments al built in. If you run a
skin smoothing or artistic action on an image with obvious color issues (too cyan, red, magenta, green, yellow or blue), it can tend to
exaggerate the color problems. So, fix color and exposure problems first, then move on to the rest of your edits. Remember that the
artistic actions play with the color in each individual image, shifting the colors and these actions may look different on different images
depending on what colors are prominent in your photo.

Make sure you understand your layer masks.

Also remember when working with layer masks that white reveals what is underneath a mask on the layer and black conceals the effects.
If there is a black box on a layer, you will need to paint on that layer mask to make the effect visible where you want it. See the layer
mask basics in the Install Guides for more help, as well as our video tutorials on layers and layer masks. You can also adjust the opacity
and the softness or hardness of your brush while painting on layer masks - this can help achieve a more natural look as you paint and
build up the effect gradually (I especially recommend doing this on skin smoothing and darkening/lightening layers).

Play with layer opacity.

Dont forget to adjust your opacity on your layers - either by selecting the Adjust All layer or by selecting individual layers as desired if
your set does not have the Adjust All bottom layers. This is a must to get the best results much of the time since every image is unique.
When an action is first finished running, many times the opacity of the action layers or group will be at 100% opacity ... and you may
think, "Whoa - not what I was going for," at first glance. However, I most likely it will need just to a 5 second tweak to the action (see
section on customizing actions) to get just the right look depending on the photo.

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page 22

RESOURCES, HELPFUL LINKS & INSPIRATION

Paint the Moon Store
Shop hundreds of actions and textures to save you time and make your images look their very best.
Love editing - love your photos - come on, get happy!

Paint the Moon Facebook Community

Share, be inspired, ask questions, learn! Our active Facebook wall is a wonderful place to visit! Come share your images edited with
your Paint the Moon products, get feedback and find the latest updates on new releases, daily new inspiration photos with recipes,
free product samples, giveaways, tutorials and so much more!

Paint the Moon Blog

Tutorials on processing, using actions and photography tips - plus step by step recipes and many more free resources.

Paint the Moon YouTube Channel

A wellspring of resources at your fingertips ... video tutorials covering installation methods, action basics, getting the most from your
actions, general Photoshop/Elements tips and editing, texture use and much more!

Paint the Moon Instagram

A more personal photo journey viewed through Annies iPhone.

Paint the Moon on Twitter

For those who Tweet ... so do we!

Paint the Moon on Google+

Thank you

FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

Paint the Moon has a home on Google+ as well.

Paint the Moon on Pinterest

Follow Annie on Pinterest for inspiration ... photography tips, camera gear, styling and beyond.

TIPS AND BASICS PLUS INSTALL VIDEO TUTORIAL FOR PHOTOSHOP

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SAVE TIME
create art

Paint the Moon Photoshop actions transform your

photos into art - saving time and making magic.

W H A T A R E P H O T O S H O P A C T I O N S ?
Most simply stated, Photoshop actions help you make your photos more awsome and do it much faster. The boring
explanation is that they are a recording of all the commands and steps used to create an effect in Photoshop or
Elements. They can be replayed at the click of a button, saving you hours of time in editing as well as creating complex
effects with ease. When using actions extensive Photoshop processing knowledge is no longer required to get
professional, beautiful results and do it quickly so you can get back to doing what you love - taking photos.

A C T I O N S C A N S AV E Y O U T I M E A N D TA K E A G O O D (O R E V E N A H O - H U M )
IMAGE AND TURN IT INTO A WOW IMAGE IN SECONDS.

Paint the Moon offers Photoshop and Elements actions to help bring new life to your images and take

hours off of your editing time. Offering professional editing tools that help you do everything including professional
retouching, essential workflow edits, and beautiful and unique artistic processing ... all at the click of a button. Paint the
Moon actions work like magic to make processing amazingly quick and are a breeze to use. Paint the Moon actions are
also highly tweakable to customize the results for just the right look to fit your image and your style. Many of them are
batchable so you can process entire sessions with little interaction and breeze through hundreds of images easily. They
help turn your photos into works of ART, unlocking your images potential!
We also offer fine art and vintage textures to add a unique and high end look to your images.
To help guide you through all steps of the editing process, Paint the Moon also has a wide variety of video tutorials
available with new ones added regularly. Want to take them for a spin before making a purchase? We have beautiful free
actions and textures to try before you buy! Be sure to also stop by our Facebook page for Exclusive free downloads and a
supportive, inspiring and warm community of fellow photographers (likepaintthemoon.com).

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