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Batch Processing In Photoshop

Before programs like Lightroom and Aperture were available, creating actions in Photoshop and then batch processing groups of images with those actions was the best way to make changes to multiple images without having to do the work one image at a time. Lightroom has certainly reduced the frequency with which I use Photoshop for batch processing, but there are still certain actions I use that can't be done in Lightroom. In this post, I'll explain how batch processing in Photoshop works by detailing how I create and execute an action that adds a border and watermark to an image. In reality, I now use a Lightroom plug-in to do this (more about this at the end of the post), but not everyone likes to bother (or pay for) plug-ins.

In this example, I'm going to create an action that does the following: resize an image to 500 pixels wide, add a black border and add a copy of my logo over the image. If you're going to follow along, you'll first need to create a file with your logo that's also 500 pixels wide and has a transparent background. If you don't have a graphical logo, you can just create a document with your name in type. Create a new document (File > New), and in the pop-up window, make it 500 pixels wide and make sure you choose transparent for the background. Click OK. To type your name, just use the type tool (hit the letter T on your keyboard to activate it) and choose a font you like. I like to use a white watermark, but you can use any color you want. Save the document.

Now you're ready to create your Action. First, open an image file. On the Actions palette, click on the new Action icon at the bottom of the palette (it looks like a page with the bottom left corner turned up). If you don't see your Action palette, click on Window > Actions (Alt+F9). Give your Action a meaningful name in the pop-up window and click Record. Now you will see a red circle at the bottom of the actions palette that means Photoshop is recording everything you're doing. (This is just like recording a macro in Excel or Word.)

First, resize your image, using Image > Image Size. Be sure Resample Image and Constrain Proportions are checked on, and change the pixel width to 500. Click OK. Next Click on Select--All (Ctrl+A, Command+A), then Edit > Stroke. This brings up a pop-up that lets you choose the stroke (aka border) size and color. Choose your stroke and click OK. Next open your watermark image file. Copy this image (Select > All, Edit > Copy), then close the file. Once back on your main image, paste the watermark, then choose the Move Tool, by typing the V key, and reposition the watermark image to where you want it (I usually put mine in the bottom of the frame.) Flatten your image (Layer > Flatten Image). Now you're done, but you first need to stop recording, by clicking on the stop button at the bottom of the Action palette (it's the black square).

Here's the result of the action I created.

You can now apply this action to any open image or to a folder full of images. To try it out, open another image, highlight your new action in the Action palette by clicking on the Action name and then clicking on the Play button at the bottom of the Action palette. Photoshop will process your image using everything you recorded. Simple.

To run the Action on a folder of images, choose File > Automate > Batch... This will bring up the batch processing window, where you choose your action and the location of the source files you want to process. You also need to choose a destination for your processed images. Choosing None will leave your images open in Photoshop. Choosing Save and Close will save the images in their current location, overwriting the original files. I usually choose Folder, which lets me specify a location where Photoshop will deposit the processed images, leaving the originals intact.

The beauty of Actions in Photoshop is that you can record just about any group of tasks, with the major exception being print commands (you can record these, but they usually don't work right.)

If you use Lightroom, you can achieve the above action by using a plug-in called Mogrify, which is donation ware, published by the folks at The Photographer's Toolbox: photographers-toolbox.com

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