This is a really simple way of creating tesellating or tiling patterns in photoshop. After creating the initial square the pattern is saved by chosing the options Edit> Define Pattern. The tile can then be used as a paint bucket fill by choosing Edit> Fill> Use: Pattern, before choosing your saved pattern from the drop down menu. Any defined patterns will be saved in this list for future use unless you choose to delete them (Edit >Preset Manager > Patterns > Select & Delete).

Very useful bit of kit! I use this when working straight from cds, where the images are too large to copy across to the network and you can’t preview the images properly. Be aware that if the original files are big or there is a huge amount of images in the source folder; it may take a long time for photoshop to complete this process, but it does save time in the long run by enabling you to go straight to the file you want to use. The process is unlimited; if you set the contact sheet to display 20 photos on a page and you have 25 photos, it will automatically keep going, creating a second sheet with the extra 5 photos. Make sure that you get all the initial settings right as once it is set into motion it is difficult to stop the process without force quitting.

This is amazing! I didn’t know that you could automate this task. No more stitching together my pictures one by one

This is a great technique to use for adding watermarks to a large group of photographs. You can, however, use this process to record and replay actions for any repetative task you wish. The video demonstates this task by simply recording the process of creating a new document, making a rectanglular shape and adding a layer style before playing the action to instantly repeat the whole process.