Photoshop action 'select forward layer' has 'without make visible' attached by default. Can I change this?

Question

I'm trying to make an action that makes a change, then moves up a layer, making it visible in the process. However, when I use the Alt + ] or Alt + [ shortcuts, it only cycles visible layers. When I look at the actions that I've recorded, I can see that it says "Without Make Visible." I don't see a way of changing that, nor can I find the shortcut in the menu.

Any ideas short of scripting this out manually?

(using Windows 10, Photoshop CC 2017)

Answer 1

To select the next forward invisible layer, do the following.

1. Option + click the eye icon of the current layer in the layers palette
   Mode changes to single layer mode
2. Option + ]
   This shortcut can now select forward invisible layer
3. Option + click the eye icon of the new current layer
   Mode reverts, original layer visibility restored (where current layer is not visible)
4. Click the eye icon of the new current layer
   To make it visible

Record these steps as action, which should look like the image below

.

Answer 2

Command/Ctrl+, (Comma) toggles the slected layer's visibility by default. (off and on for highlighted layer)

Add the Option/Alt key and it toggles the visibility of all other layers to on. Command/Ctrl+Option/Alt+,

Add the Option/Alt and the Shift key and it toggles the visibility of all other layers to off. Command/Ctrl+Option/Alt+Shift+,

If that isn't working for you, check Edit > Keyboard Shortcuts and scroll down to Layers and look for the Hide Layer item to ensure the shortcut is still assigned. You may need to reset the keyboard shortcuts to the default set in the upper right corner of the Edit Keyboard Shortcuts window.

Answer 3

If you want to show just the current selected Layer, go to: Menu >> Layers >> Show Layer.

But, if you want to show all Layers, use: alt + ctrl + A to select all Layers. Now go to: Menu>> Layers >> Hide Layers then Menu>> Layers >> Show Layers. it's a good pratice you rename the Layer before you do this, to be able to select it back.

All these two precess will be recorded by the action.

Answer 4

Before recording your action, ensure that the active layer is hidden. Then, start your recorded action with the step “show current layer” (by ticking the visibility box of the active layer, as usual).

Then add your edits, and close the action with Alt + [ to move to the next layer in the sequence.

Explanation: Luckily, Photoshop considers the “show current layer” property to be transitive and relative, not fixed to the layer on which it happened to have been invoked.

Answer 5

Found this question by chance and figured I'd give it a go no matter how ridiculous it would get... What I came up with is faaaaaaaaaar from ideal, but it works...

Here's the gist of what the script does:

1. Duplicate the document
2. Select all layers
3. Make all layers visibile
4. Select the starting layer again
5. Select the next layer now and store its ID
6. Close the document
7. In the original document - Select a layer with the same ID

Just in case it's not obvious... This is a pretty expensive process to go through to get the next layer. If the current document is pretty beefy or the computer is not the fastest, it may take a while to run the script. That said, it seemed usable in my tests...

It's a little unclear if OP actually wanted the next layer to be visible or it that was just him thinking that if he could record an action that makes it visible, it would always get selected. This doesn't force the next layer visible, but if you wanted to do it, you could make it visible after its selected:

nextLayer('up');
app.activeDocument.activeLayer.visible = true;

The script (written for PS CC 2019):

// Select Next Layer (invisible or not).jsx
// https://gist.github.com/joonaspaakko/048c9b58ccbb6e6f44c894bf4ce30b68

nextLayer('down');

// direction (↑): "up" or "above"
// direction (↓): "down" or "below"
function nextLayer( direction ) {
  
  var doc = app.activeDocument;
   // Doc duplication is necessary because while the History panel can record visibility change, but for some reason it doesn't do that when the visibility command comes from a script... (AFAIK)
  var tempDoc = doc.duplicate();
  var layer1 = tempDoc.activeLayer;
  
  // Turn background layer into a normal layer
  var lastLayer = tempDoc.layers[ tempDoc.layers.length-1 ];
  function cTID(s) { return app.charIDToTypeID(s); };
  function sTID(s) { return app.stringIDToTypeID(s); };
  var layer1ID = activeLayerID();
  tempDoc.activeLayer = lastLayer;
  var bgLayerExists = lastLayer.isBackgroundLayer;
  if ( bgLayerExists ) { lastLayer.isBackgroundLayer = false; }
  try { selectLayerByID( layer1ID ); } catch(e) {}
  // Select all layers
  var desc23 = new ActionDescriptor();
  var ref5 = new ActionReference();
  ref5.putEnumerated( cTID('Lyr '), cTID('Ordn'), cTID('Trgt') );
  desc23.putReference( cTID('null'), ref5 );
  executeAction( sTID('selectAllLayers'), desc23, DialogModes.NO );
  // Make active layers visible
  var desc209 = new ActionDescriptor();
  var list93 = new ActionList();
  var ref129 = new ActionReference();
  ref129.putEnumerated( cTID('Lyr '), cTID('Ordn'), cTID('Trgt') );
  list93.putReference( ref129 );
  desc209.putList( cTID('null'), list93 );
  executeAction( cTID('Shw '), desc209, DialogModes.NO );
  // Reselect the starting layer
  if ( bgLayerExists ) { lastLayer.isBackgroundLayer = true; }
  selectLayerByID( layer1ID );
  // Select next layer
  try { snl( direction ); } catch(e) {}
  // Store the layer
  var nextLayer = activeLayerID();
  tempDoc.close( SaveOptions.DONOTSAVECHANGES );
  // Try to select the next layer using its ID
  try {
    selectLayerByID( nextLayer );
  }
  // If it fails, well assume it did so because it was a background layer... and use another method for selecting that.
  catch(e) {
    var desc299 = new ActionDescriptor();
        var ref187 = new ActionReference();
        ref187.putName( cTID('Lyr '), "Background" );
    desc299.putReference( cTID('null'), ref187 );
    desc299.putBoolean( cTID('MkVs'), false );
        var list138 = new ActionList();
        list138.putInteger( 1 );
    desc299.putList( cTID('LyrI'), list138 );
    executeAction( cTID('slct'), desc299, DialogModes.NO );
  }
  
  function snl( direction ) {
    
    var select;
    if ( direction == 'up' || direction == 'above' ) {
      select = cTID('Frwr');
    }
    else if ( direction == 'down' || direction == 'below' ) {
      select = cTID('Bckw');
    }
    
    var desc67 = new ActionDescriptor();
    var ref41 = new ActionReference();
    ref41.putEnumerated( cTID('Lyr '), cTID('Ordn'), select );
    desc67.putReference( cTID('null'), ref41 );
    desc67.putBoolean( cTID('MkVs'), false );
    var list17 = new ActionList();
    list17.putInteger( 5 );
    desc67.putList( cTID('LyrI'), list17 );
    executeAction( cTID('slct'), desc67, DialogModes.NO );
  }
  
  function activeLayerID() {
      var ref = new ActionReference();
      ref.putProperty( charIDToTypeID("Prpr") , charIDToTypeID( "LyrI" ));
      ref.putEnumerated( charIDToTypeID("Lyr "), charIDToTypeID("Ordn"), charIDToTypeID("Trgt") );
    return executeActionGet(ref).getInteger( stringIDToTypeID( "layerID" ) );
  }
  
  function selectLayerByID(id, add){
     add = (add == undefined) ? add = false : add;
     var ref = new ActionReference();
     ref.putIdentifier(cTID('Lyr '), id);
     var desc = new ActionDescriptor();
     desc.putReference(cTID('null'), ref);
     if(add){
        desc.putEnumerated(sTID('selectionModifier'), sTID('selectionModifierType'), sTID('addToSelection'));
     }
     desc.putBoolean(cTID('MkVs'), false);
     executeAction(cTID('slct'), desc, DialogModes.NO);
  }
  
}