Niche guide
How to Sell Photoshop Actions and Overlays Over 20MB on Etsy
The .ATN file is the smallest thing in the box. A 40-action set — snow, sun flare, matte film, skin softening — runs 50 KB to 2 MB, because an action is a list of recorded steps, not a bundle of pixels.
The pixels live in the overlay library the action calls. Snow plates, bokeh, light leaks, dust, grain, torn-paper textures — all at 4000-6000 px so they cover a full-resolution photo without upscaling. That library is 300 MB to 2 GB. Etsy allows 20 MB per file, 5 files per Etsy listing.
The file-size math
| What you deliver | Realistic size |
|---|---|
| .ATN action set (30-80 actions) | 50 KB – 2 MB |
| Single 5000 px overlay, JPG | 3–15 MB |
| Single 5000 px overlay, PNG with transparency | 20–60 MB |
| 100-overlay pack (bokeh, snow, flares) | 500 MB – 1.5 GB |
| .ABR brush set with high-res tips | 20–200 MB |
| Typical action + overlay bundle | 300 MB – 2 GB |
| Etsy's ceiling per Etsy listing | 5 files × 20 MB |
Overlay resolution is not vanity. A full-frame RAW is around 6000 × 4000 px. Drop a 2000 px bokeh plate onto it and the buyer scales it up 300% — highlights go soft, edges band, and the effect reads as fake at print size. So overlays ship at 4000-6000 px: 3-15 MB as JPG, and 20-60 MB as PNG once transparent edges rule out lossy compression.
Then multiply by count, because count is what a listing title has to advertise. '12 actions + 100 overlays' is the line buyers compare between two sets. A hundred overlays averaging 8 MB is 800 MB before the brushes, the sample RAWs, or the install video. Etsy's ceiling for the entire listing is 100 MB.
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Check your files against Etsy's limitsWhat buyers of Photoshop actions and overlays expect
The complete delivery in this niche looks like this:
.ATN action set
The file the listing title is about, and the one Etsy has no trouble with. Recorded steps only — it does nothing without the assets it loads.
High-resolution overlays (JPG and PNG)
Bokeh, snow, rain, sun flares, dust, film grain, textures. Sized 4000-6000 px on the long edge so they sit over a full-frame photo at 100%.
.ABR brush sets
Brush tips are embedded bitmaps. A hair, spatter, or foliage set carries every tip image inside the file.
Patterns, styles and gradients (.PAT, .ASL, .GRD)
Small on their own, and each one still costs an Etsy file slot like anything else.
Sample RAW files
The exact photo from your listing preview so buyers can reproduce your before/after. A full-frame RAW is 25-50 MB each.
Install guide and video
Where to load the action, where the overlay folder has to live, and which Photoshop versions the set was recorded on. Installation is the support queue in this niche.
Why Etsy's 20 MB × 5 cap bites here
The 20 MB cap never touches the action. It lands squarely on everything the action needs. One 5000 px PNG overlay can exceed the per-file cap by itself, and a set is 30, 50, 100 of them. The single file Etsy is happy to host is the one file that does nothing on its own.
The 5-slot count then forces a split, and the split is what breaks the product. Actions that load an overlay from a named folder halt with a file-not-found error the moment the buyer has only unzipped part 1. The action gets the one-star review. Etsy's cap gets nothing.
New to the limits themselves? Read the complete guide to Etsy's digital download limits first.
The workarounds sellers use — and what they cost
Every Photoshop actions and overlays seller has tried at least one of these.
1. Downsize every overlay until it fits
Re-export the library at 1500-2500 px so each file slips under 20 MB.
The problem: Your buyers are photographers. They will scale that overlay to cover a full-resolution file, see the softness at 100%, and say so in the review. Small overlays are the fastest way to look like a cheap set.
2. Flatten the PNGs to JPG
Drop transparency and ship everything as compressed JPG on black for screen blending.
The problem: Screen blend works for flares and bokeh and fails for anything with a real edge — torn paper, smoke wisps, botanical cutouts. And JPG blocking shows first in smooth gradients, which is exactly what a flare is.
3. Split the library into Part 1 / Part 2 zips
Break the overlay folder into chunks that each land under the cap.
The problem: Path-dependent actions stop mid-run when half the folder is missing, and the buyer has no way to tell a broken download from a broken action. You answer that message personally, every time.
4. A PDF containing a Dropbox or Drive link
Upload a one-page PDF to the Etsy listing and host the real library in the cloud.
The problem: A 1.5 GB folder is exactly what free cloud tiers throttle, and big zips trigger virus-scan warnings that stop non-technical buyers cold. Two years later, when the folder moves, you are still the support desk.
Deliver Photoshop actions and overlays the simple way
OrderFiles works alongside your Etsy shop. You keep your listings, your reviews, and your traffic — the files just stop being the problem.
Upload the action and its entire overlay library
The .ATN, every overlay at full resolution, the .ABR sets, sample RAWs, and the install video — files up to 5 GB each with 50 GB of storage. The overlay folder stays one zip, exactly as your action expects to find it.
Match the product to your Etsy listing
The OrderFiles product carries the same title as the Etsy listing. That is how an incoming order finds the right library.
Forward your Etsy order emails
One forwarding rule, set once. After that every sale verifies and delivers itself while you are still editing someone's gallery.
Buyers get the whole kit on one page
A branded download page with the action, the complete overlay folder, the brushes and the guide alongside. Nothing to reassemble, so nothing to go missing when the action looks for it.
Stop losing sales to file limits
Deliver Photoshop actions and overlays up to 5 GB per file, automatically, for €9/month.
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