PSE styles/actions question

[Megan Turnidge]

Alright. This is driving me NUTS! I add my most used styles to my favorites in the Artworks & Effects palette so I can find them really quickly. BUT, everytime I install a new action or style, it clears my faves. Is there a way to prevent this?

[Megan Turnidge]

Bueller. Bueller?

[lizzyfizzy]

teehee. it's weird when you don't get a response right away huh?!?

well...i won't even try to help. you know how i am.

[HeatherKS]

I looked at this earlier but I have NO idea. Sorry.

[Megan Turnidge]

C'mon peeps! I answer your PSE questions all the time! hehehe

[lizzyfizzy]

apparently your the only one who knows anything about it...

[littlekiwi]

wish I could help you but I don't know the answer

[Tracie Stroud]

Sorry! I use PS and it works a little differently.

[meems]

i have no idea. Are you clearing that media database cache thing? That probably clears the favorites too? When I used PSE6 I would clear that cache thing when installing new actions but I don't know if it's really necessary?

[Megan Turnidge]

Originally Posted by meems

i have no idea. Are you clearing that media database cache thing? That probably clears the favorites too? When I used PSE6 I would clear that cache thing when installing new actions but I don't know if it's really necessary?

No, I'm not clearing it... never was told to! Why would I clear it and how? lol

[NettieB]

Megan, sweetie:

Sorry, I'm late. Yes, you do answer all our PSE questions faithfully. With screenshots. So, bearing in mind that I am currently happily medicated as a huge caveat, here goes, and this is loooong:

1. Amanda (gracielou) had a similar question, but she uses CS3 - here's the thread and how the ladies solved it for her ---https://www.sweetshoppedesigns.com/c...light=favorite

2. It is my understanding with PSE, favorites may get cleared when the .db3 files (see below) get reset. I could VERY easily be wrong here. You may want to post this question over at www.elementsvillage.com if Amanda (aggiefamily) or a PSE expert doesn't chime in later.

I dump my actions into categories - in the Effects palette, under Photo Effects, I have categories for Atomic Cupcake, Grant's Tools, etc. alongside the Faded Photo, Vintage Photo, etc. that came with PSE 6.0, so I can find them without using the dreaded Show All. To create categories, you need XML files, more on that below.


It is my understanding you delete the file named ThumbDatabase.db3 from (on my PC running Vista)

drive:\Program Data\Adobe\Photoshop Elements\6.0\

after loading the action, where drive is where you have Adobe PSE loaded.


To create categories, copy and edit the rich text below, and save as an XML file.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<PSEContent xmlns="http://ns.adobe.com/PSEContent/1.0/">
<global>
<name id="Name" value="EXACT NAME OF ACTION" localize="true"/>

<type value="effect" />
<typecategory id="TypeCat" value="name of category" localize="true" />

</global>
</PSEContent>


Paste your .xml file into the following directory:

drive:\ProgramData\Adobe\Photoshop Elements\6.0\Locale\en-US\Photo
Creations Metadata\Layer Styles

Delete the file named MediaDatabase.db3 from

drive:\Program Data\Adobe\Photoshop Elements\6.0\Locale\en_US\

Restart PSE, and wait for everything to re-load.

Hopefully that helped, and didn't give you even more problems! PM me if you want me to e-mail you an XML file you can simply edit rather than all the cutting and pasting.

[aggiefamily]

What version are you using and where are your actions saved?

[Megan Turnidge]

Thanks Nettie! I'll have to try that out later!

I have PSE5 and I save them in C:\ProgramData\Adobe\Photoshop Elements\5.0\Photo Creations\special effects and then in folders like "layer styles" or "actions."

[aggiefamily]

My suggestion is make individual folders. Under Special Effects I make a folder for each action set. I have one for each category- Traci Murphy Drop Shadow, Resize Actions, Sharpen Actions, Atomic Cupcake and so on. The file path is Local Disk>Documents and Settings>User>Application Data>Adobe>Photoshop Elements>5.0>Photo Creations>special effects>then your folders here with actions inside.

My styles are saved in a different spot. They are Local Disk>Program Files>Adobe>Photoshop Elements 5.0>Presets>Styles