Batch feature

J
Posted By
JBach36
Jul 2, 2003
Views
758
Replies
14
Status
Closed
Greetings. As usual, Adobe has been very adept at being useless. And their "Help" menu is "Helpless", not "Helpful".

Does anyone understand how to use this feature? All I want to do, is to batch process some photos to post on the internet, so my customers can order them. This means that I have to use low res for all 250 photos, put a watermark on all 250 photos, then send them up to my web site. I’ll probably post the photos up on 5 – 10 pages. If I put all 250 photos on one page, it would take forever to load, so I’ll use the 10 pages or so.

Thanks,

Jeff

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J
jeffc
Jul 3, 2003
The user Manual has a very useful chapter on batch processes – with far greter detail than we could possibly go into here.

Also look at the web automation feature for building useful web pages which you can upload to the internet.



Carol
(Posted from the UK)
J
JBach36
Jul 3, 2003
The User Manual is the reason FOR the problem. I don’t understand it. In English, how do you do it?

Thanks,

jeff
P
Phosphor
Jul 3, 2003

1) Create an action
2) Open the batch dialog
3) Select the action you created in step 1
4) Select the source folder of images
5) Select the destination folder of images
6) Select any other options you may need
7) Run it
Y
YrbkMgr
Jul 3, 2003
At the end of the day, what these folks are saying is that you have to walk before you can run (in batch – I’m so funny I crack myself up!)

You record an action that performs the steps you want on an open image. Don’t worry about what files it will work on, that’s passed to the File|Automate|Batch menu.

For example here’s my action: Image|Resize 150 x 200; Type Text ©2003 YrbkMgr; Select|All; Layer|Align to Selection:Right; Layer|Align to Selection:Bottom; Nudge up 5 left 5;

That would be my "Processing Action". Next, using the same image, record an action that does this: File|Save As (file format of choice) – navigate to where you want it saved, and save it.

Now that location will be hard coded into the save portion of the action. To specify a different directory or filename scheme, you will use the Batch dialog from File|Automate|Batch.

But to continue, what *I* like to do, and it’s only a personal preference, is to record a Third action that is the playing of the Image Processing action combined with the Save As action – call it Process and Save.

Done.

Now, you have to decide if you are going to run it on open images, or on a folder. Let’s assume folder.

First – toggle the dialog of the Save As action to OFF (that’s the little square next to the action name in the actions pallet).

File|Automate|Batch. Set = set containing the Process and Save action. Action to run = Process and save. Source = folder of your choice.

Destination = folder of your choice. CHECK the box that says "Override Save As Information". Optionally enter a naming convention (e.g, Document Name + _thumb + extension)

Hit Go, and go get a coffee. Each image will open one by one, resize, put the text in the lower right hand corner, then save as the file format you chose, in the folder you told it to. Then it will close and do the next one….

And for whatever it may be worth to you, I’d re-think critisizing the help file. In my opinion, it’s one of the best. The problem is understanding the terminology.

Peace,
Tony
DH
Dave Hamer
Jul 3, 2003
The user Manual has a very useful chapter on batch processes – with far greter detail than we could possibly go into here.
That sounds like a lot of work. Can’t I just get a quick answer? <G>
DM
dave milbut
Jul 3, 2003
Hint. The manual is written in "English".
J
JBach36
Jul 3, 2003
Yeah, the manual is written in "English", so long as you’re an instructor for Photoshop. The on-screen manual gives you 10 of the 20 steps you need to complete the mission.
Y
YrbkMgr
Jul 3, 2003
I can’t say that’s true at all. Here’s a list of the topics under Actions in the helpfile:

Creating a new action
Recording paths (Photoshop)
Inserting stops
Setting modal controls
Excluding commands
Inserting nonrecordable commands

I’m not sure which of the 20 are missing. I laid out exactly how you can accomplish this and you’re still on how bad the help file is.

I learned how to use them, so did others. I admit that sometimes help will use terminology you may not understand, but at the end of the day, just like with ALL of the tools in Photoshop, you have to try your hand at it first.
RH
r_harvey
Jul 3, 2003
If I had Adobe Photoshop 7, which I don’t, I’d read the owner’s manual from cover to cover to try to get my money’s worth. The manuals for Adobe products I own are tremendous sources of information and inspiration.

I can’t imagine why someone who invested in Photoshop, would not be excited to read the manual.
DM
dave milbut
Jul 3, 2003
and tony, exellent step by step by the way. and chris too. perhaps jbach just doesn’t have theeee maaaanueeeeel.
TD
Thee_DarkOverLord
Jul 3, 2003
doesn’t have theeee maaaanueeeeel

and that doesnt mean its a pirate copy either!
J
JBach36
Jul 3, 2003
Thanks for all the replies everyone. It it true, I don’t understand the terminology. The help menu was saying to create an action. I’m like, what the hell is an action? I rarely use the program. Where did you guys learn all this stuff? Consider me illiterate. I just can’t read technical stuff. I actual have to do it rather than read.

Thanks again,

Jeff
DM
dave milbut
Jul 3, 2003
Where did you guys learn all this stuff?

Jeff… hanging out around here. Believe me. Stay for a month or 2 and you’ll be up to speed. Stay for longer and you’ll soon be amazing your friends and family with your photoshop agility!

Now that you’ve survived your trial by fire, welcome! 🙂

dave
Y
YrbkMgr
Jul 3, 2003
JBach,

I know where you’re coming from – sometimes folks will say "Use a Layer Mask" and you go "What the heck is a layer mask?". It’s not always straight forward.

Think of an action as a Macro, or a recorded set of steps. Basically, a few minor exceptions aside, you turn on the recorder and PS will record what you do, then you turn it off. You can then play that action on any image or set of images.

If you’re a "seeing not reading" type (and there are many), I’m not sure how helpful the forum will be, but here are a couple of links with videos that may help:

Russell Brown Shows How to Create a Web gallery < http://www.adobe.com/digitalimag/tips/phs7rbrawwebgal/main.h tml>

Russell Brown Shows How to Automate Picture Package using Actions < http://www.russellbrown.com/tips/moviesps/PicturePackage.mov>

That should help a bit.

Peace,
Tony

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