Best Time Saving Practices When Using Photoshop Actions For Real Estate Photography
If you aren’t already using Actions in Adobe Photoshop to streamline your workflow, now is the time to start. It’s no surprise that Photoshop offers such a helpful tool, we named Photoshop the Best Editing Program for Real Estate Photographers after all.
In this article I’ll discuss the best time saving practices when using Photoshop Actions for real estate photography.
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What Are Actions In Adobe Photoshop?
Actions in Adobe Photoshop are essentially a series of recorded commands or steps that can be played back on a single image or a batch of images.
These steps can include anything from simple adjustments like resizing or changing the mode of an image to more complex sequences involving filters, color adjustments, and layer manipulations.
Once recorded, an Action can be activated with just a few clicks, performing tasks that might otherwise take minutes or even hours in mere seconds.
If you want to learn how to create Action in Adobe Photoshop, give our article How to Create Action in Photoshop a read.
How Actions Save Time For Real Estate Photographers
1. Automating Repetitive Tasks:
Real estate photographers often need to perform repetitive tasks such as resizing, cropping, or applying a standard set of adjustments to images. Actions automate these tasks, allowing for more time to be spent on creative aspects of photography or editing.
For me personally, I use a Save action for nearly every simple image I capture. Rather than going through all the menu functions need to resize and then save an image to the correct folder, I created an Action which saves me 20 to 30 seconds every time I click it.
2. Consistency Across Work:
Maintaining a consistent look across a series of images can be crucial, especially for branding or style purposes. Actions ensure that the same processing steps are applied to each image, maintaining uniformity and cohesiveness across the work.
This is great for real estate photography since many MLS’s have size and resolution requirements. All you need to do is record an Action once which resizes the image to the perfect resolution for your clients needs, then you’ll have consistency every single time.
3. Batch Processing:
Actions are not limited to single images. They can be applied to a batch of images, processing hundreds of photos at once. This is especially useful for real estate photographers or anyone dealing with large volumes of images who need to deliver consistent results quickly.
Much like how I described the usage above, you can quickly imagine how much time batch resizing and batch saving will end up saving you over the course of days, weeks, and months.
4. Complex Effect Creation:
Some photographic effects require a series of complex steps. Creating these effects from scratch every time can be time-consuming and prone to inconsistency. Actions allow photographers to create complex effects once, save them, and then apply them to any image in the future with just a click.
Although this might not be utilized for real estate photography that often, you can easily automate something like a watermark effect which you can then apply to any images you would want your watermark on.
5. Learning and Sharing:
Actions can be shared among the Photoshop community, allowing photographers to use actions created by others. This not only saves time but also helps in learning new techniques and applying professional-grade effects that might be too complex to create from scratch.
This can be extremely helpful, especially in the beginning of your journey with Photoshop Actions. Using a perfectly recorded Action by another real estate photographer can save you a lot of frustration and time,
Best Practices For Using Actions
Keep Actions Concise: While it’s tempting to create an action for a long series of edits, concise actions are generally more versatile and easier to manage. Consider breaking down complex workflows into a series of smaller actions.
Regularly Update and Refine: As your editing style or needs evolve, so should your actions. Regularly review and refine your actions to ensure they remain efficient and effective.
Combine with Other Photoshop Features: Actions can be combined with other features like droplets or scripts for even more powerful automation and customization.
Additional Resources
If you’re just getting started in real estate photography, check out our Beginners Guide. It’s full of helpful articles and tips that will guide you in the right direction as you begin your real estate photography journey.
You can check out our Gear section as well to see reviews and recommendations on the latest real estate photography gear.
If you’re more interested in other resources that can help your real estate photography business, check out our Business Resources page.
