Batch Scripting - Adobe Photoshop Tutorial

Vikki Olds February 15, 2004   1 In this tutorial we'll learn how to record some actions and then apply those actions to a folder full of images. The original images will be left intact and the newly created images will be saved to a different folder will be converted from one file format to another automatically. To get started we need the Actions Palette open. Go to Window>Show Actions. 2 You'll see the Actions palette. At the bottom of the Actions Palette from left to right are the Stop, Record, Play, New Set, New Action and Delete buttons. 3 Open one of the images you want to apply the batch script to. This is just for recording purposes. We'll batch all the images when we're done creating our batch script. For this tutorial we need to resize and then convert the image format. It's a good idea to get settled in your head the actions you will need to perform before starting to record. Writing down the process is a good idea. We'll start recording and do the first action. Click on the New Action button. You'll be asked to name your script here. I named mine Resize and Rename. I accepted the rest of the defaults. Click on the record button. Go to Image>Image Size. The first screenshot below shows the original image information. The second screenshot shows what I changed it to. What I am doing is keeping the physical dimensions of the image while increasing the DPI. 4 After clicking ok, click the Stop button on the Actions Palette. You'll see the action we just performed added to our Resize and Rename script. 5 Now we need to add an action. We want to save the images converted to another file format. If you haven't already created a folder for the processed images, do that now. Select Image Size on the Actions Palette and click on the Record button. Go to File>Save As. Choose the format to save as (I'm converting from .bmp to .jpg), and save it in the new folder you just created for your processed images. You'll also be prompted for compression. Click ok. Click the Stop button on the Actions Palette. You should now have a new entry in your Actions Palette under Image Size. That action should say Save. Go to the folder you just saved to and delete the image you just saved during recording. 6 Now we're set. We have a script that will resize and rename/convert our images. We can process a whole folder full of images now. Go to File>Automate>Batch... 7 In the Batch dialog, check to be sure the correct script is set in the Action. The Source should be folder. Click the Choose button to choose the folder that has the original images in it that you want to process. I have left all other options unchecked. The Destination folder should be the folder you created a little earlier. There should be nothing in that folder right now. Set your dialog up as shown below for the rest and click ok. You should see images opening and closing as they are processed by the script. When the Batch process is finished navigate to the new folder you had the newly created images saved in and check it out. You should now see all your new images resized and converted. This is pretty simple and very powerful stuff! Think of all the things that can be accomplished using scripting and batch processing. The time savings is amazing! You can create all kinds of scripts. They don't have to be saved to the Default Actions set. You can create your own set to keep your customized actions in. Have fun!   Copyright 2004, Vikki Olds, All Rights Reserved