Today’s Question: I recorded an Action in the Default Action folder [in Adobe Photoshop]. Can I move the new action to a different folder?
Tim’s Quick Answer: Yes, you can move an action to a different action set (folder) by dragging the action to a position directly under the action set on the Actions panel.
More Detail: While moving an action from one action set sounds really simple, it can actually be slightly confusing if you don’t know the “trick”.
What I find is that many photographers attempt to drag-and-drop an action on the Actions panel, but don’t end up moving the action to the desired action set (folder). That’s because you don’t drop the action directly on the folder icon representing the action set, but rather drop it into position below the action set.
Even if the action set doesn’t have any actions in it yet, you drag an action into the set by dragging the action to a position just below the folder icon representing the action set on the Actions panel before releasing the mouse button.
This same drag-and-drop approach, by the way, is how you would change the order of actions within an action set. Simply drag and drop an action into the desired position.
When you are dragging an action within the Actions panel, you’ll see a blue highlight line indicating the current position the action will be placed if you release the mouse at that moment. This enables you to determine which position you’re moving the action to, or to confirm you are dragging the action into the appropriate action set. Just keep in mind that when you want to put an action into a set, you need to drag the action to a position below the folder representing the action set.