Best Way to Automatically Convert Many Files to JPG?

[Frank Petronio]

This could be film or digital but the truth is I have a lot of RAW digital files mixed with PSD scans from a project that I need to turn into high-resolution jpgs. I am using Photoshop CS5 and Bridge, and all of the RAW files have adjustments and crops made within ACR/Bridge. I want to make full-size, 8-bit, normal jpgs for the client to print using online snapshot printing services. I want to retain the original file names (which are not in a simple sequence that could be renamed).

I imagine wedding photographers probably can do this with Lightroom but I am not that sophisticated. I went poking around the Automatic stuff and it wants me to enter a file size, not taking into account horizontal or verticals.

In the past I've used the Auto Web Gallery to create 1600-pixel maximum dimension jpgs but I lose the original file naming and 1600-pixels is too small.

So what is the best way to do this with 500-odd RAW and PSD files, using tools at hand?

Thanks!

[Marko]

File - Scripts - Image Processor

[Frank Petronio]

OK, I found that. But should I want to resize, it forces me to enter a new size without accounting for horizontal or vertical... anyway around that?

It would be useful to make them all consistently 3000 pixels on their longest dimension for instance....

[Mark Barendt]

The resize feature constrains the long edge, the short edge lenth just floats. Just put in 3000x3000

[drew.saunders]

Mac or Windows?

If Mac, you can do this with automator scrips/applications and the Automator plug-ins from this guy:
http://www.robotphotoshop.com/

The free version will do this nicely. The resize will let you specify "3000 x 0", and will calculate the other size for you (it won't make it 0 pixels). Unfortunately, you have to specify horizontal or vertical, not "longest side," so you might have to make two versions of your script.

I use a similar pair of scripts to make 1000xwhatever resized images so I can post to flickr stuff from my digital P&S. I resize within photoshop for scanned film images, but I don't want to put large files on flickr, so I just duplicate the P&S jpegs into another folder, and run them through my scripts.

[Frank Petronio]

Thanks!

[Marko]

What Mark said.

The sizes you enter in Image Processor are max-size constraints rather than just sizes. In other words, if you enter 3000 for width and 2000 for height, you will end up with files that are no longer than 3000 OR no higher than 2000, whichever comes first, as marketing folks like to say. The other dimension just follows up proportionally.

P.S. You can also attach a script or even a set of scripts to run sharpening, profile conversion and such that usually go together with resizing files.

[tbeaman]

That's one of those obvious but not intuitively implemented Photoshop features that always makes me feel stupid for not having found it earlier.

I won't tell you how long it took me to discover the crop tool.

To me, this kind of thing sums up the Photoshop experience. Their tagline should be, "we let you do the most obvious things the least obvious way!".

[Daniel Moore]

You can also write an action which accounts for flattening layers, colorspace conversion, 8 bit mode, save as jpg, what have you, and use the File/Automate/Fit Image command to constrain output size. Once you have the action created, highlight that action in PS and go to Bridge, chose Tools/Photoshop/Batch (the action will be preselected at this point) and set the output folder and log errors option (rather than stopping) and let 'er rip. I find I have to tune up my actions once or twice so it's also advisable to test the batch run on a smaller group to isolate any issues.

[bvaughn4]

Frank, do I understand that you have Lightroom and cant make it do what you want or don't have it? If you don't, grab the 30 day free trial and it should knock it out for you pretty straightforward. You can specify a resize to a specific pixel size on the long side or if you already have the sizes set, just convert to jpg on the export keeping filenames intact(assuming no duplicates). I think you might like it if you give it a fair trial and maybe, like me, you'll come to use it exclusively in lieu of Bridge which I find to be very slow. Disclaimer, not using CS5, still at 3, so 5 may have improved the speed.