Watermark action drop shadow

[Jodie]

I have finally downloaded your web action and am already kicking myself that I didn't do it sooner, I almost have it all set up to duplicate what I have already been doing except for one little pesky drop shadow.
I like the drop shadow so really would like to add it in (as pictured) but can't figure out the best way to do it... I was thinking crazy steps like duplicating the final layer, rasterize, selecting the image, inverting selection, deleting the boarder,  add the fx but then thought it won't work on both portrait & landscape if I did it that way annnd I don't think it was letting me add the effect that way anyway!

  I'm using a static and a variable watermark with a boarder, do you have any advise please?? :o)
 

[Damien Symonds]

No no no no no.  You must add the drop shadow to the actual watermark file, don't try to add it every time in the action.

http://www.damiensymonds.net/2012/01/creating-saving-and-using-watermark-ps.html

[Samantha LaRue]

43 minutes ago, Damien Symonds said:

No no no no no.  You must add the drop shadow to the actual watermark file, don't try to add it every time in the action.

http://www.damiensymonds.net/2012/01/creating-saving-and-using-watermark-ps.html

I think the drop-shadow she wants goes around the image though. Not the watermark itself. 

[Damien Symonds]

Oh!  Sorry!

[Damien Symonds]

It should be as simple as adding a drop shadow step immediately after the second Canvas Size step.

[Damien Symonds]

No, wait, sorry, scratch that.  Testing now ...

[Samantha LaRue]

21 minutes ago, Damien Symonds said:

Oh!  Sorry!

Don't feel bad - I thought the same thing the first time I read this post. But then I realized what she meant, which is why I left it for you. lol

[Damien Symonds]

Ok ...

On the fixed watermark one, you need to add these two steps immediately after the "Reveal All" step:

Then switch around the order of the "Flatten Image" and "Canvas Size" steps that occur after that, so that canvas size happens before flattening.

[Damien Symonds]

On the variable watermark one, you need to add three steps.

Immediately after Unsharp Mask, you add a Smart Object conversion, and the drop shadow.  Then the canvas size step remains the same, but after that you add a flatten step.

Then the existing Convert to Smart Object happens after that, and the rest of the action runs as normal.

[Jodie]

Perfect, thank you!!
Sorry about the gibberish... it was past my bedtime!
 

My modified action now adds the drop shadow, has a fixed logo (www.) at the bottom on the boarder and my variable logo.
I do have to hit enter to accept the drop shadow for each image, which is ok as I have to adjust each logo anyway but if you have a tip to cut that out too I'd be happy to I've it a go

Thanks again!!
 

[Damien Symonds]

17 minutes ago, Jodie said:

I do have to hit enter to accept the drop shadow for each image

No, you really shouldn't have to.  Is the black box active beside that step?

[Jodie]

it has the little box but I can't do anything with it...

[Damien Symonds]

Can you click it to turn it off?  The little black box, I mean?

[Jodie]

nope

[Damien Symonds]

In that case, highlight that step, and Record Again.

(Make sure you have an image open with a pixel layer selected at the time, of course).

[Jodie]

hmmm nope, still not working!

[Damien Symonds]

Bummer.  Ok, in that case, remove that step altogether and record it anew.

[Jodie]

so bizarrely it still does not work, I can put a stop in and turn that dialogue box on and off but not the layer style one... perhaps its just something I need to put up with!

[Damien Symonds]

That sure is weird.

When I was testing, the first time I did it, I had what you have - it kept stopping there.  But after I re-recorded the step, it was fine for me.

[Jodie]

I'll have another play with it, either way it's still a HUGE time saver... thanks!