Batch Processing in Photoshop 7.0

1. Preparation
2. Making a Photoshop Action
3. Recording Your Action
4. Beginning the Batch Process

This tutorial will explain to you how to convert a large amount of images from one format (TIF) to another format (JPG). While the explanation was created using Photoshop 7.0 the instructions should be applicable to those users who are running a slightly different version.

Clicking on any of the screen shot images will open up an enlarged version of the image in a separate window.

A more printer-friendly version of this tutorial is available in PDF format here.

Preparation:

Before you begin you will want to:

• Make backup copies of your original, unedited files. This way you always have your original scan to go back to without having to rescan your materials.
• Make any editing changes to your files. (Cropping, color correction, etc).


• Place all of the files you wish to batch process into a folder by themselves. (You can have sub folders for organizational purposes if needed).

Making a Photoshop Action:

An action in photoshop is a list of tasks you want to perform on an image or groups of images. Images are often created for tasks which need to be performed multiple times as a way of saving time for the digital artist or photo editor. In this example we will be using an action to store the commands needed to open a tiff and save it as a jpg in a different location. Once the action is completed we can run this action on a group of files instead of opening each individual file, and saving each individual file.

1. To create an action you have to first demonstrate for the computer what it is you want the action to do. The first step is to open one of your TIF image files from the group you will want to batch process. Select "File" and then "Open" as seen in the screen capture below.

2. In the window that pops up find your folder that contains the images you want to process. In this example (shown below) our collection of nature photographs is in inside a folder called "nature. Select the first image and click "open". In this example we'll be using an image of a bear provided by The U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service's National Image Library.

3. Accessing the Actions Pallet: Next you will need to be working in the Photoshop "Actions" pallet. This pallet may already be open, may be "docked" in the upper right hand corner (within the darker gray box) or may not be open.

If the Actions pallet is open: Skip down to step 4.

If the Actions pallet is "docked" it will appear as a gray tab within the darker gray box in the upper right hand corner. (In the image below the "history" pallet is docked but but the action pallet is not) To undock a pallet from the dark gray box click and drag the tab out into the "work area" of your screen. (In this example you would drag the pallet out onto the image of the bear.)

If the Actions pallet is not present it is closed. Select "Window" and then "Actions" as shown in the image below.

4. The Actions Pallet should now be on your screen and should appear similar to the one shown below on the right hand side.

5. You will now create a new "action" file by clicking the "create new action" button at the bottom of "Actions" pallet. This button looks similar to many "new page" icons and appears just to the left of the trash can icon. In most versions of photoshop hovering your cursor over the button will reveal its name to you. Click the "Create New Action" button.

6. Once you have clicked the button a "New Action" window will open up. (As seen below). Within the "New Action" window a default name for your action will be highlighted. It is a good idea to rename your action to something more descriptive which makes finding your action later much easier. (In this exam we will rename our action to "Nature TIFF to JPG" because this indicates what the action does and for which files it was created).

Optional: If you like you can also select which "set" that the action should be filed under (a set is just like a folder), assign a function key to automatically perform this action, or color code the action to make it easier to find within the actions pallet.

Recording Your Action:

1. Once you have renamed your action press the "Record" button. This instructs Photoshop to begin recording all tasks you perform on a file. The name of your action will be highlighted in the Action pallet and the "record" button at the bottom of the pallet will have turned red to indicate that it is recording. (See image below).

2. From the "File" menu select "Save as ...." as shown below.

3. Once the "Save As" window appears you must first select WHERE you want the new JPG files to be stored. In this example a new folder named "jpgs" is created (using the "Create New Folder" button as shown below). You can decide to store the JPGS in any location you like.

**If your TIFF files are organized into Sub Folders do NOT create your New Folder inside the main TIFF folder. Place it outside of that folder. (For example, if the sample TIF files (bear.tif, moosinwater.tif and stormscene.tif ) were organized into sub folders, instead of creating the new "jpgs" folder inside "nature" place the new folder on the desktop instead).

4. Once you have created a new folder for the JPG files (or selected an existing folder) select the folder and click "open". The image below shows our new folder "jpgs" selected.

5. Next you must instruct the computer to save the existing TIF files in the JPG format. Using the "Format:" pull down menu select the option "JPEG (*.JPG, *.JPEG, *.JPE) as shown below and then click "Save".

6. A JPEG Options window will appear. Adjust the quality settings to fit your purpose (in this example we have left the Quality as Maximum). Click "OK".

7. You have now recorded a task "Save" to your action. The word Save will appear under the name of your action.

8. Next, close the image file by using either Ctrl-W or File > Close. The "Close" task will now appear under the name of your action, after "Save" as shown below.

9. Once these two tasks have been recorded select the square button on the Action Pallet to Stop the action from recording. (See Below)

You have now created an action that will save a copy of a TIF file in the JPG format and then close it.

Beginning the Batch Process:

1. In the Actions Pallet click on the title of your newly created action.

2. In the File Menu select "Automate > Batch ... " as shown below.

3. Once the Batch menu opens up make sure the name of your Action appears in Action box. (If not use the pull down menus to select your action).

4. Next you must select the Source (the folder where the TIFF files you want to convert are stored). Select the choose button and find the location of your Tiff files folder.

If your files are organized into sub folders make sure to click the "Include All Sub folders" box. If your TIFF files are NOT organized in to Sub folders make sure to uncheck this folder.

5. Once you have located your source folder and selected your action click "OK". Photoshop will now process ALL of the images in the source folder by opening each TIFF for you, Saving a copy of it as a JPG in your selected folder, and then closing the image.