Batch processing of photos in Photoshop. Photoshop lessons"

A digital camera has long ceased to be a gimmick and has entrenched itself in the number of things necessary and familiar. Outings with friends or a festive feast in the family circle are saved in the form of hundreds of pictures. Sorting and editing commemorative images is a tedious task. It can be facilitated by batch processing of photos in Photoshop from Adobe Systems - an effective tool that saves time when working with large arrays of images.

Batch Processing Application: Benefit and Convenience

Widespread among amateurs and professionals, the Adobe Photoshop graphic editor does not need advertising. This is a powerful and versatile software tool for image processing, designed to implement the most diverse creative tasks. But professionals appreciated it for another feature - the ability to facilitate and speed up routine work during machining, such as reducing size and weight, renaming or changing file extensions.

Processing several photos in Photoshop, as a rule, does not take much time and does not force one to delve into the intricacies of automation processes. But what if the archive began to take up too much space? Yes, there are a lot of troubles waiting for the photographer: insufficient lighting, bad view ... I don’t want to delete the pictures, and editing takes up scarce time. If you correct the mistakes of the same type or if you need to perform other mechanical processing that does not require an individual understanding of each image, use the process automation package available in each version of the graphics editor.

Dialog Box: Description

To get started, familiarize yourself with customizing the dialog box in which batch processing of photos is performed. In Photoshop, use the path: menu File → Automation → Batch Processing. The window that opens is characterized by design changes depending on the modification of the program, however, the main dialogs remain unchanged.

1. The Dial window reflects the default operation. Forming new sets, the creation of which we will consider below, the user expands the functionality of the application of automation for the necessary tasks.
2. Window "Operation". The drop-down list is made up of macros offered by the developer of the program. When adding user operations, they will be reflected in the drop-down list and become available for batch processing.
3. The “Source” window and the “Select” button located next to it - define files for processing:
   - the line "Folder" indicates a directory with photos;
   - the line “Import” selects the imported images;
   - line “Open files” - processing of files opened in the main working window of the program;
   - The Bridge line synchronizes the operation of the program with the Adobe Bridge application.
4. The "Output Folder" window and the "Select" button. Specifies the directory for saving modified files and other parameters for completing the operation.

Extra options

The parameters that were left without consideration are intuitive and highlighted by developer tips and recommendations.

• Putting a checkmark in the “Ignore Open” position leads to opening files only if this action is specified in the operation. Otherwise, quick processing of photos in Photoshop will not be performed.
• The line "Include all subfolders." The function extends the operation to directories located in the source folder.
• The following lines cancel the output of service dialogs informing about the opening of image files and the program message about the built-in color profile.

The following image saving settings are used to assign names when recording processed files.

Default Set: Built-in Assistant

The operations built into the program by default provide more visual illustration of the automation of processes than the useful functionality that provides batch processing of photos in Photoshop. But to understand the work, it makes sense to deal with the operations predefined in the editor. To do this, go to the "Operations" tab. It is located among the floating palettes located on the right side of the program workspace. If the “Operations” tab is not displayed in the workspace, enable it. To do this, go to the "Window" menu and click on the "Operations" line or use the keyboard shortcut ALT + F9.

The tab that opens contains operations predefined by the developer. By clicking on the triangle in front of the name of the operation, a sequence of actions opens, which is reproduced when the command is executed. The macro starts working by clicking on the triangle located at the bottom of the "Operations" panel. By double-clicking on the name of the operation, a dialog box appears, allowing you to change the name of the operation or assign it a hot key.

Create your own sets: for all occasions

For convenience, create custom sets for storing recorded macros. It will be its own folder with processing operations placed in it. This approach helps to systematize image editing tools, accurately indicates their location and purpose.

The process of recording sets will not be difficult even for a beginner.

1. Open the "Operations" panel (menu "Window" → "Operations").
2. Click on the “Create a new set” icon at the bottom of the panel.
3. In the dialog that appears, enter the name of the set and click OK.

Now the new set is ready for recording operations and is reflected in the “Set” drop-down list of the “Batch photo processing” window. In "Photoshop" provides for the creation of an unlimited number of sets for storing custom macros.

Operations: The basis for batch processing

Batch processing of photos in Photoshop (CS6 or another editor assembly) is carried out according to the rules common to all versions. Writing a macro with its own algorithm of actions, the user creates a template (blank), which is then used to process single files or image packets.

1. To get started, go to the "Operations" tab using the key combination ALT + F9.
2. At the bottom, click on the "Create a new operation" icon.
3. In the window that opens, give a name to the future macro, determine its place in existing sets, if necessary, set the keyboard shortcut.
4. Pressing the “Record” button initiates the beginning of the process, and on the bottom panel of the “Operations” window, a red circle icon is activated. From this moment, actions performed with an open image are recorded.
5. To complete the recording, left-click on the box located at the bottom of the "Operations" tab to the left of the "Record" button.

Image Operations: Recording

If you managed to find a location and deal with the purpose of the dialog boxes described above, then it is time to apply the theory to practice. Before you start editing, decide what to do and how. Resizing a photo on a computer is the most common task that users set themselves. In this example, consider the sequence of actions.

• Step 1. Open the source image for editing.
• Step 2. Create a new set. For convenience, name it “Size Reduction”.
• Step 3. Create a new operation based on the instructions described in the "Operations" section. After pressing the “OK” button at the bottom of the panel, a round red button is activated. This means that the macro is being recorded.
• Step 4. Reduce the image size in any way known to you. For example: menu “Image” → “Image size”. In the dialog box, resize horizontally (vertically) or decrease the resolution.
• Step 5. Save the image and click on the icon in the form of a small square at the bottom of the “Operations” panel. The macro recording is completed, and the user is ready to begin batch processing of files.

Image weight reduction: 100 shots in 60 seconds

The recorded and saved operation is the foundation of actions, the continuation of which is the batch processing of photos in Photoshop. Reducing the size of the image solves another problem that is relevant for fans - reducing the weight of the file. Follow the sequence of actions that will help you process an array of photos in a short time.

1. Open the batch processing dialog: menu File → Automation → Batch Processing.
2. In the pop-up window, select the set in which the size reduction operation is stored.
3. Select an operation.
4. In the "Source" line, specify the folder containing the files to be modified.
5. In the line "Output folder" specify the directory to save.
6. In the “File naming” section, select the necessary values ​​to assign new names to the processed images. At least two lines should be filled in - the file name and the extension. Without this condition, the automated batch process will not start.

To start the operation, click on “OK” and watch how the images independently open in the working window of the program, change the size and save in the folder intended for them.

Rename: Quickly and Usefully

In the “Image Operations” section, an example was examined illustrating how to resize a photo on a computer using Adobe Photoshop. Using the algorithm (sequence of actions) of this example, you can perform other image processing operations. Owners of digital cameras are faced with the need to rename files, because after cleaning the drive, a new numbering of pictures begins. This causes a conflict when adding photos to the shared image folder on the computer. The task is easily solved using the automation process.

• Step 1. Open the "Operations" panel using the keyboard shortcut ALT + F9.
• Step 2. Open the image.
• Step 3. Create a new operation “Rename”, click “OK” to start recording the macro.
• Step 4. Doing nothing, save and close the image.
• Step 5. Click on the icon in the form of a small square at the bottom of the “Operations” panel and end the recording.
• Step 6. Open the "Batch processing" window (menu "File" → "Automation").
• Step 7. Specify the source folder and the folder for saving the renamed files.
• Step 8 In the “File naming” section, select the appropriate naming option from the drop-down list. Pay attention to the possibility of combining names using multiple lines. The final line do not forget to put the file extension.

Extension change

Functionality and ease of use is provided even by simple photo processing in Photoshop. In Russian, mastering the interface of the Adobe graphic editor is easy. For users working in the English-language assembly of the program, we illustrate the following example using English menu terms.

Consider the operation to change the format. The need for such actions often arises when you want to save photos to mobile devices. For example, it is pointless to transfer .raw images to a tablet running the Android OS. It is preferable to save the file in .jpeg (.jpg) format, which is easily played by all devices.

1. Open the image file.
2. Enter the Actions panel in the Window menu.
3. Create a new operation by clicking at the bottom of the panel on the icon in the form of a sheet with a bent corner.
4. Without changing anything in the file, save the image using the Save as ... item in the File menu. In the save dialog box, select the desired file extension on the bottom line.
5. Click on the small box at the bottom of the Actions panel to complete the macro recording.
6. To start batch processing, go to File → Automate → Batch.
7. In the drop-down lists, select the name of the operation, the source folder and the directory for saving images. Click “OK” to start processing.

Conclusion

It is impossible to describe in a short article all the lessons of photo processing in Photoshop (CS6 or another version) that demonstrate the software potential of automating image editing processes. The described examples give an idea of ​​the principles of using batch processing. Recording complex macros, amateurs will expand the range of use of this function and the list of solved creative tasks. The described algorithm of actions is supported on all assemblies of Adobe editors, so there is no problem with which Photoshop is better for processing photos.