Is it possible to save an adjustment layer?

[Am_I_Lame?]

I've made some adjustments to a photo via an adjustment layer.  I'd like to apply these adjustments to some other photos.  Is it possible to save the layer and reopen it in another file to accomplish this?  I'm using Photoshop CC on Windows 10.  Thanks.

[D Fosse]

You can save the adjustment as a preset for future use. I often do this.

Also, if you have both files open, an adjustment layer can simply be dragged over from the Layers panel.

[Am_I_Lame?]

Thanks.  How do you save it as a preset?  If I try to save it as a style, the Styles panel won't let me create a new style (the mouse pointer changes to a circle with a slash through it when it gets near the new style icon).  I AM able to drag the layer to another image, though.

[Semaphoric]

If the Adjustment has a Preset menu in its Properties panel, you can save and load presets via the Properties panel menu.

[Am_I_Lame?]

I figured out how to save the adjustment layer as a style, and it appears in the styles panel, but I can't figure out how to apply it to a new image.  If I drag it from the styles panel to the image, nothing happens.  Ditto for dragging it to the image's layer in the layers panel, and ditto for dragging it to a new adjustment layer.  How should it be applied?

[davescm]

Hi

No need for style just to apply an adjustment layer.   See example below to save a curve preset.

1. In the curve properties panel go to the top right click to get the menu

2. Save the curve as a preset

To apply that preset in a new image

1. Add a curves adjustment layer

2. In the properties panel select your preset from the drop down menu

Dave

[Semaphoric]

However, this does not work with all adjustment layers. For instance, Color Balance and Vibrance do not have presets.

[Am_I_Lame?]

Thanks, Dave (and Semaphoric).  This has made me realize that, in addition to saving a single adjustment layer, it would be nice to save a stack of them to apply multiple adjustments to other photos.  Since some adjustment layers don't let you save them, is there another way to do this?  I realize I could use actions, but I usually iterate a lot, so I'd prefer a solution that let's me save the final saturation setting, brightness, setting, curve, etc. rather than having the action repeat my meandering with each image I apply it to. 

[Stephen_A_Marsh]

Offhand I can only offer actions or scripts and in both cases you will need to have a final known value applied (even if ‘zero’). Actions can be planned with minimum steps and updated with a final value, rather than simply blindly recording your ‘stream of consciousness’.

[Conrad C · Accepted solution]

https://forums.adobe.com/people/Am_I_Lame%3F  wrote

...it would be nice to save a stack of them to apply multiple adjustments to other photos.  Since some adjustment layers don't let you save them, is there another way to do this?...I'd prefer a solution that let's me save the final saturation setting, brightness, setting, curve, etc.

The closest you will probably get is with a layer group.

Set up all the adjustment layers you'll need, then group them (put them in a folder in the Layers panel). You can drag that layer group to another document, and when you do that, all the layers inside the group are added to the destination document in that single drag. You’ll probably have to tweak the stack of adjustment layers for individual images, but at least they're already present with initial values.

If you want to keep this layer group around for easy access, drag the layer group into a blank Photoshop document and save that. Whenever you want to apply that stack of adjustment layers, open this document and drag the layer group into the document the needs it.

If you want to apply the layer group to many images, you can probably build an action that would do that, and it would probably run faster than an action that recorded a series of steps.

[davescm]

One thing to add.

If you just want to apply a set of adjustment layers to another set of images, without the ability to re-adjust them in the new images, then you could save the adjustments as a look up table (Export Color Look up Tables)  then use a LUT adjustment layer to apply them in the new images.

Dave

[dalamag]

Great thank you. But the mask on this adj. layer is not saved with the preset.
How can this be possible?

[PECourtejoie]

Dalamag, hello! maybe because masks are usually unique to one image?