Unlock the full power of REAPER with custom action buttons!

In this deep dive, I’ll show you step-by-step how to create, customize, and organize your own toolbar icons using Adobe Photoshop. Learn how to make workflow-saving shortcuts for plugins, MIDI note channels, and custom macros—perfect for composers, producers, and power users looking to speed up their music production.

Download Associated Files:

Adobe PSD – MIDI Note Select Toolbar

Adobe PDS – Reaper Plugin Icon Creator

Adobe PSD – Reaper Plugin Icon Sizer

ZIP File, Full collection of Saturates Theme MIDI Note Icons

Colormap – Saturate Theme (Right click this and chose Save As)

Step by step guide to creating icon buttons for quick loading plugin:

Create Custom Plugin Action Buttons in REAPER

Part 1: Create Your Plugin Icons

  1. Open Adobe Photoshop and take a screenshot of your plugin inside REAPER. Paste it into a new document.
  2. Crop the image so only the plugin interface is visible.
  3. Paste this into the “Reaper Plugin Icon Sizer” PSD template.
  4. Resize and position the plugin so it looks clean and readable.
  5. Select all (Ctrl + A) and copy the image.
  6. Open the “Reaper Plugin Icon Creator” PSD.
  7. Paste your image into each of the three groups provided.
    • Make sure your image sits below the Label layer, so the text remains visible.
  8. Adjust (“jiggle”) each layer slightly so everything lines up nicely.
  9. Double-click each text layer and rename it to match your plugin.
  10. Export your icon:
  • Go to File → Export → Save for Web
  • Settings:
    • PNG-24
    • 390 × 100
    • Transparency ON
  1. Save the file with a clear name.
  2. Place it in your REAPER toolbar icons folder:
  • In REAPER: Options → Show REAPER resource path
  • Then go to: Data → toolbar_icons
  1. Repeat for each plugin you want to create an icon for.
  • Realistically, you’ll fit around 12–16 icons, depending on your screen size.

Part 2: Create Plugin Shortcut Actions

  1. In Reaper, open the FX Browser.
  2. Find the plugin you want, right-click it, and choose “Create shortcut…”
    • Then cancel immediately.
    • This creates a hidden (“ghost”) action for that plugin.
  3. Then back on the main screen, right-click any toolbar and select Customize toolbar.
  4. Choose an unused toolbar (e.g. Floating Toolbar 6) and rename it to something simple like “Icons”.
  5. Click Add at the bottom.
  6. In the Actions window, search for your plugin name.
    • You should now see the shortcut you just created.
  7. Select it and click Select.
  8. Your plugin action will now appear in the toolbar.

Part 3: Assign Your Custom Icon

  1. Right-click the new toolbar button and choose Set icon.
  2. Locate the icon you saved earlier.
  3. Select it and confirm.
  4. Click Apply to finalize the toolbar button.

Part 4: Dock Your Toolbar (Optional)

  • If your toolbar is floating:
    • Right-click its tab and enable Dock toolbar
    • Drag it to your preferred position

💡 Tip: Placing it along the bottom of the screen works really well.

Final Step

Repeat the process for each plugin you want quick access to.