Expert: LizaL - 5/30/2006

Question
How do you batch multiple photos at once to reduce their file size for the web?

Answer
Hi Tina,

Batching works in conjunction with the Automate command in Photoshop. What you do, basically, is first set up what's called an Action, and then run the Action on the images using the Batch processing function. So it's a two-step process.

Recording your action -- which in your case will be resizing an image -- will be your first step. Open the Actions palette, and open one of the images whose file size you want to reduce. At the bottom of the Actions palette you'll see a little page icon -- this is the "create new action" icon. Press it, and you'll be prompted to name your new action. After this, the little round "record" button will turn red, meaning you're ready to record. Then perform the actions you'd perform in order to resize the image. When you're finished, press the square "stop" button. Your steps have been recorded, under the name you gave the Action.

When you want to perform these steps on another image, all you have to do is open that image, go to the Actions palette, select your new Action in the list in the palette, and press the triangular "play" button. Your previously-recorded steps will "play" on that image.

Here's a little move I set up that shows how this works:
http://little-works.com/all_experts/actions.mov

What I did here was create a new Action, resize the b/w image, save the Action, then I applied it to the picture of the cat.


Batching works hand-in-hand with things like Actions. I've had a lot of people ask me about using this, so I compiled a Web page for answering, and a lot of this info is taken straight from Photoshop's Help, so it should be accurate :)

http://little-works.com/all_experts/batch.html

However, it gets wordy. Basically, you only need to read through Step 2 on the Batch page! What you're doing with Batch is taking the Action you just created, and asking Photoshop to perform that Action, or set of Actions.

One thing I do to make it easier is take all my images that I need to work with and put them in a Source folder -- and just to make it even simpler, I put that folder on my desktop. Then I create a new, empty folder that I use as my Destination folder, for where the images go once they're batched. I usually stick this on my desktop, too.

When you open the Batch dialog box (under the File pulldown menu, then the Automate command), click on the pop-up menu to select the Action, or the Set of Actions you just created. Choose it, and then choose your Source folder, and your Destination folder.

You'll also see a number of selections concerning Save and Save As. The need for checking these will depend on whether your previously-recorded Action contains an Open or Save command. (This is explained more thoroughly on the Batch instructions page I gave you the link for earlier.).

It might sound complicated, but it's really not that bad. Take a couple of images and test them out before you commit to doing a huge quantity.

Hope this helps, and please post back if you need any more info!

Lisa