Add conditional mode changes to actions

Conditional mode changes ensure actions run successfully across files with different color modes, preventing workflow interruptions during batch processing.

Without a conditional mode change, an action expecting RGB images will fail when processing Grayscale or CMYK files. For example, if your action converts RGB to CMYK but encounters a Grayscale image, Photoshop stops with an error. The Conditional Mode Change command lets you specify multiple acceptable source modes and a single target mode, so the conversion happens only when needed. This step is recorded within your action and appears in the Actions panel like any other command.

You must be actively recording an action to add this command. If you need to add a conditional mode change to an existing action, open that action and select Start Recording before proceeding.

Add the conditional mode change step

The conditional mode change now appears in the Actions panel. When you play this action, Photoshop the current mode of each image against your specified source modes and converts only those that match, allowing the rest of your action to continue without errors. Test your action on sample images with different color modes before batch processing to verify the conditional logic works as expected.

For workflows that require more complex conditional logic beyond color modes, consider adding conditional actions that respond to document properties such as orientation or layer count.