Photoshop history?

[tbrowne]

I have a photograph that I made changes to (changed the colors). Now I have another picture that I would like to do the same with, but I cannot recall what changes I made to the first one. Is there any way of seeing what changes have been made. The reason that I want to do this is because I am going to use an enlarged print of it and it has to be the same colors, not only more or less, but exactly the same as the first one.
I am using Photoshop CS2 version 9.
Someone told me that there is a PS History but I don't seem to have it. Is there any other way apart from that that I can figure this out?

Thankful for any input. :?:

 

[K8-90]

First off, welcome!

And yes, so long as you saved the image as a psd file. The history is docked with the actions window. If you don't see it there, go to windows>history. However, as far as I know, it does not keep every action performed, just the most recent. Hope that helps!

 

[tbrowne]

First off thanks for replying and for the welcome!

I saved it in *.bmp for an unknown reason.

All I got (and that was more than I got on my own so don't think I am ungreatful!) when following your steps was this...

 

[bhop]

If you've already saved and closed the window, the history goes with it. Basically it resets every time you open a new window, or re-open an old saved file. So you're outta luck.

 

[tbrowne]

Thank you bhop. I had a feeling that was the case... Hopefully I learn something from this mistake.

 

[Bifurcator]

Photoshop history?

Here ya go:

http://www.storyphoto.com/multimedia/multimedia_photoshop.html
http://www.adobe.com/aboutadobe/pressroom/pdfs/timeline.pdf

 

[PamR]

Yes, your history is lost when you close out the program, as Bhop said. But, you can set up PS to record the history automatically. I'm using CS3 now, so I can't remember if it was the same setup in CS2, but if you go to Preferences, you'll find something like this:

Metadata
Saves the history log as metadata embedded in each file.

Text File
Exports the history log to a text file. You are prompted to name the text file and choose a location in which to store it.

Both
Stores metadata in the file and creates a text file.
Note: If you want to save the text file in a different location or save another text file, click the Choose button, specify where to save the text file, name the file if necessary, and click Save.

From the Edit Log Items menu, choose one of the following options:

Sessions Only
Keeps a record of each time your start or quit Photoshop and each time you open and close files (each image’s filename is included). Does not include any information about edits made to the file.

Concise
Includes the text that appears in the History palette in addition to the Sessions information.

Detailed
Includes the text that appears in the Actions palette in addition to the Concise information. If you need a complete history of all changes made to files, choose Detailed.

For your use, "Text file" would be the best choice. You don't want to add history to your metadata. That would create large unnecessary bulk to your files, and your secret sauce recipes would be available to anyone who has your metadata :shock:

"Detailed" would be your best choice if you run actions because it records those steps as well.

Be warned, these files are large. They record each and every move you make, including all the mistakes, redo's, dead ends, etc. They are also not easy to read. It will take some time to get used to making sense of them. I personally have tried using a history log, but reverted back to just jotting down notes with good old fashioned pen and paper.

You also have another option for taking notes. The "Notes" tool is located above the eyedropper tool in the toolbox. It looks like a piece of paper with a curled corner. You can leave this open as you work and type notes. This will automatically be saved with your psd (not jpg) file and travel with it.

Here's more info on the history log