# The Actions page

Noise Ninja can be invoked from a Photoshop action. An action is a user-defined automation script that can process an entire batch of images without user intervention.

When you record an action, you use the Actions page to specify how Noise Ninja will behave when the action is played back later. The Actions page specifies policies for profiling and filtering. When you record an action, the policies are recorded in the action. When you play the action, the policies are retrieved from the action and applied separately to each image that is processed by the action. This can be very powerful, because the policies can take full advantage of features like automatic profile loading and automatic profiling.

To use Noise Ninja in an action, exit Noise Ninja and start recording the action. At the appropriate point in the action, invoke Noise Ninja. Go to the Actions page and set the various policies to use for the action. Finally, hit the OK button. (If you hit the Cancel button, the action policies will not be recorded.)

The Profiling policy controls how a profile is selected or created when the action is executed.

- The Auto-load based on EXIF option will attempt to select a profile that matches the EXIF data in the image.
- The Create profile from image option invokes the automatic profiles (equivalent to the Profile Image button).
- The Use specified profile option will apply the profile that you specify in the Profile edit field.

The Fallback policy is applied if the auto loader fails to find a matching profile.

The Filtering policy determines how the filtering controls are initialized for each image. If you choose Use profile settings, then the filter values will be retrieved from the profile. If you choose Use current settings, then the action will record the settings on the Filter page.

Note that the policies on the Actions page are only used when you record an action. They have no effect in other situations.

## The log file

Noise Ninja keeps a log file that records the profiling mode and other information for every image that is processed. You can view the log by choosing the View Log File command in the Noise Ninja menu. This can be useful for sanity-checking the behavior of a new action.

## Creating an action in Photoshop: Tutorial

To create an action in Photoshop, follow these steps:

1. Open an image to use while recording the action.
2. Go to the Photoshop Window menu and make sure you have the Actions panel selected.
3. On the Actions panel click on the 'Create new action icon.' It is to the left of the small trash can icon.
4. Give your action a name and select the action set you want to add it to. You can create action sets to organize your actions.
5. Click the Record button to begin recording your action.
6. Go to the Photoshop Filter menu and start the Noise Ninja plug-in.
7. Go to the Actions page in Noise Ninja and set the policies. The default settings will often work well.
8. Click the OK button to filter the image. This will also record the policies in the action.
9. In Photoshop, click on the 'Stop Recording' icon on the Actions panel.

To apply the action to a folder of images, do the following:

1. Go to the Photoshop File menu and select Automate->Batch...
2. In the batch dialog make sure that your action is selected. Then choose your input and output folders. Make sure that the input and output folders are different, to avoid overwriting the original images.
3. Make sure you have 'Override Action "Save As" commands unchecked otherwise Photoshop will only save files if you have recorded the 'Save As' command as part of your action. (If you have Save As actions in your action, then you might or might not want to check this box, it depends on what you're trying to accomplish.)
4. Click Ok to start running the batch job.

It is possible to create much more elaborate actions.One common step at the end of an action is to convert the image to a desired bit depth and then save the image in a desired file format. Also, on playback, there are other options in the Automate dialog that you can utilize. See the Photoshop documentation for more information about creating and using actions.