Batch processing in Photoshop is a highly useful technique to master and can save you time, particularly transferring and saving images from your digital camera or memory card. Batch processing can also be used to apply an Action, as created in the previous task.
To illustrate how it works, we'll try out applying the Watermark, using a small set of pictures I took on a trip to Northern Ireland. Download a Zipped folder of the images from here. Right click on the link and choose 'Save Target As' to download the zip file to your own PC or memory stick. Then right click on the file and use Extract All. Be aware that this is a fairly large file and may take a while to download.
When you have downloaded the sample folder of images and unzipped it, you should have a 'NorthernIreland' folder. If you open that folder, you will find another 'NorthernIreland' folder inside it with the original images (as above).
In My Computer, right Click inside the first NorthernIreland folder and choose NEW > FOLDER. Name the new folder 'Watermarked' (without the speech marks).
Start the batch process by choosing menu option:
FILE > AUTOMATE > BATCH
In the dialogue box (left) you must ensure that, in the Play section (A), the 'Set' is Default.Actions, and the 'Action' is Watermark (that we created earlier).
You must use the 'Choose' button at B to navigate to the NorthernIreland Folder inside the first NorthernIreland folder. 'Folder' must be selected next to 'Destination'.
(on my USB stick it is H:\Northern Ireland\Northern Ireland)
You must use the 'Choose' button at C to navigate to the 'Watermarked' folder created in step 1.
(on my USB stick it is H:\NorthernIreland\Watermarked)
The object of this task is to apply a watermark to a set of raw images and save them as new jpeg images in a the new 'Watermarked' folder with a meaningful file name
It is vital therefore that your Watermark Action has the Save As (JPG) and Close steps in it.
In the destination half of the dialogue box we are therefore going to tick the 'Override Action' box. This will not change the file format saved, but will allow us to use a custom filename.
This is set in the File Naming section:
In the first box type a new filename style: i.e. YourName_watermarked
In the next box add a serial number (I chose three digits)
Finally in the third box choose EXTENSION. This ensures that Photoshop keeps the extension (jpg) that is used in the Action save.
This is just a matter of clicking OK. All the files in the NorthernIreland folder should be opened, the watermark applied and then saved in the Watermarked folder with a new name: 'YourName_watermarked001', 002 etc.
If you receive errors it can be for a variety of things, but usually it is because your Action lacks something vital, such as the Save and Close commands.
Lack of those will also lead to things such as each image coming up with prompts to save the changed image (in Photoshop format).
Return to your Action to edit it by adding or deleting parts of it. You'll need an image open to do it. Your tutor will guide you through this.