Freestyle Mat and Frame Actions for Photoshop Elements -- FAQ

Freestyle Mat and Frame Actions for Photoshop Elements FAQ

by Adrienne Cleveland

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Can I use these actions on high-resolution photos for printing?
What do you mean by a "web-sized" image?
Why do I see this error: "The command "duplicate" is not currently available?"
Why do I see this error: "The command "set" is not currently available?"
How can I get a preview of what mat an action will produce?
How can I remove a mat and try another?
After a Revert, I see an error like "1 FreestyleMatHiRezTextured is not available"
Will these actions work with Photoshop?
The textured actions aren't producing textured mats. Why?
The action is behaving strangely, and none of these questions and answers help. What now?

Can I use these actions on high-resolution photos for printing?

Yes. This action set contains versions for both high-resolution and websized images.

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What do you mean by a "web-sized" image?

We use the term "web-sized" to refer to images of the size usually posted in online galleries or photography forums: usually, about 600 to 1200 pixels on the long side.

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Why do I see this error: "The command 'duplicate' is not currently available?"

There are two likely causes:

You are trying to create a mat, but you have forgotten to use the Elliptical or Rectangular Marquee Tool to select part of the image first. Use one of these tools to select the part of your image which you wish to show inside the mat.
Your image mode may not be compatible with the actions. Examples of incompatible modes are indexed color and multi-channel. Convert your image to one of the other modes, such as RGB, CMYK, Lab, or Grayscale before running the actions.

Why do I see this error: "The command 'set' is not currently available?"

Your image mode is probably not compatible with the actions. Examples of incompatible modes are indexed color and multi-channel. Convert your image to one of the other modes, such as RGB or Grayscale before running the actions.

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How can I get a preview of what mat an action will produce?

You can see sample images showing most mats and frames, either separately or in combination on our Freestyle Mat and Frame action webpage.

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How can I remove a mat and try another?

If you want to go back to the last version you saved on disk, you can use "File/Revert" or "Edit/Revert to Saved." This is one reason why it's always a good idea to save your file before adding mats :)

If you are sure that you like your mat, but you want to experiment with adding a second one, you can do a File/Save As, so you can use" File/Revert" or "Edit/Revert to Saved" after adding the second mat.

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Be sure to load the style files into the proper folder. This is a different folder from where all the other files go.
Sometimes you have to "kick-start" Elements to recognize the styles. One way to do this is to open an image and then find the style in the Styles palette and apply it to the image. It will apply the style to the entire image, so you will want to undo it :)

Note for Elements 5 users: In Elements 5, here's how you find the styles:
- Click the "Apply effects, filters, and layer styles" icon to show the list of special effects.
- Choose "ShutterFreaks Effects" in the left list, and choose "SF Styles" from the right list.
If this doesn't work, exit and restart Elements.

The action is behaving strangely, and none of these questions and answers help. What now?

Some suggestions:

Restart Photoshop Elements

People have reported that sometimes, especially right after loading a new action, Photoshop Elements behaves strangely, and that after closing Elements and restarting it, the problems go away.
Contact Us

If you need more help, contact us at shutterfreaks@shutterfreaks.com.

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