Reading about actions is one thing. Building one is how it actually clicks. Let’s create a practical action together: a web export action that resizes an image, sharpens it, and saves it as an optimized JPEG. You’ll use this one constantly.

Before You Start

Open any photo in Photoshop. It doesn’t matter which — we just need an image to record the steps on. Make sure the Actions panel is visible (Window > Actions).

Create a new action set first by clicking the folder icon at the bottom of the panel. Name it “My Actions.” This keeps your custom actions organized and separate from Photoshop’s defaults.

Recording the Action

  1. Click the “Create new action” button (the + icon) at the bottom of the Actions panel
  2. Name it “Web Export 2000px”
  3. Set: My Actions
  4. Optionally assign a function key (F2-F12) so you can trigger it with a keystroke
  5. Click Record — the red circle lights up and Photoshop is now watching everything you do

Step 1: Flatten the Image

Go to Layer > Flatten Image. This merges all layers, which we want for a final web export. If the file has no layers, Photoshop will still record the step — it’ll just do nothing when replayed on flat files.

Step 2: Convert to sRGB

Go to Edit > Convert to Profile. Select “sRGB IEC61966-2.1” as the destination space. Click OK. Web browsers assume sRGB, so this ensures your colors display correctly online.

Step 3: Resize

Go to Image > Image Size. Set the width to 2000 pixels (make sure “Constrain Proportions” is on so the height adjusts automatically). Set the resample method to “Bicubic Sharper” for downscaling. Click OK.

Step 4: Sharpen

Go to Filter > Sharpen > Smart Sharpen. Set Amount to 80%, Radius to 0.5px, Reduce Noise to 10%. Click OK. These settings are conservative and work well for most web-sized photos.

Step 5: Export

Go to File > Export > Export As. Set format to JPEG, quality to 82% (a good balance of file size and visual quality). Click Export All and choose your destination folder.

Step 6: Close Without Saving

Go to File > Close. When prompted to save, click “Don’t Save.” This closes the working file without overwriting your original.

Stop Recording

Click the Stop button (the square icon) in the Actions panel. Your action is complete.

Testing Your Action

Open a different image. Select “Web Export 2000px” in the Actions panel and hit Play. Watch Photoshop execute every step. Check the output: Is the image 2000px wide? Is it sharp? Is the JPEG in the right folder?

If something’s off, you can:

  • Delete a step: Drag it to the trash icon in the Actions panel
  • Re-record a step: Double-click the step to re-open its dialog
  • Insert a new step: Position your cursor after the right step and hit Record, perform the new step, then Stop

Adding Dialog Stops

Maybe you don’t always want 2000px wide. You might want to choose the size each time. Click the dialog icon (the empty box) next to the Image Size step. When this is enabled, the action pauses at that step, shows you the Image Size dialog, and lets you change values before continuing.

This turns a rigid automation into a flexible template. The action handles the steps you always want the same (profile conversion, sharpening, export format) while letting you customize the steps that vary.

Organizing Your Actions

As you build more actions, organization matters:

  • Group related actions into sets (folders)
  • Use clear, descriptive names — “Portrait Web Export 1500px” beats “Action 3”
  • Add button mode (Actions panel menu > Button Mode) for a clean, clickable interface
  • Color-code actions by category for visual organization

Common Mistakes

Forgetting to flatten first. If you record steps on a flattened image but replay on a multi-layer file, some steps may behave differently. Flatten at the start to ensure consistency.

Recording with a specific file path. If your Export step saves to “/Users/marcus/Desktop/exports/”, the action will try to save there on every computer. Use the Batch processor’s destination override to handle paths flexibly.

Not testing on different image types. Test your action on landscape, portrait, square, RAW, and JPEG files. Edge cases reveal problems before they matter.

Your first action doesn’t need to be complex. This simple web export action will save you minutes every session. As you get comfortable, you’ll start seeing opportunities to automate everywhere.