Batch Photo Enhancement

EcoJam

Just starting to learn about Photoshop, coming from iPhoto.

I've recently scanned hundreds of old photos and was amazed that by simply clicking the iPhoto "Enhance" button how dramatically the pics improved. I don't think iPhoto has any automated scripts or macros -- but I always assumed Photoshop does.

Little more google work, and I found that scripts can be used to do things in batch mode. Couple related questions:

1) Is there a single "generic" enhance command in Photoshop that will fix basic things all together?

2) Is investing the time to design and write scripts in Photoshop the best approach or are there other more specific programs that will just take a folder with 500 photos and do some general enhancements?

3) Also, any that do auto oriantation and cropping?

thks, ed

BinaryFx

Ed, there are many general types of 'automated' workflows in Photoshop:

i) Using the highlight, neutral gray midtone and shadow eyedroppers in levels or curves, instead of manual edits to the level or curve.

ii) Using tools in an Automated mode, such as levels or curves (auto levels, auto contrast, auto colour options). This is done individually on a one by one basis, one photo at a time, taking into account the unique variables in that photo and perhaps the output.

ii) Recording simpler actions or writing more complex scripts to automate edits, perhaps using the auto features of some image adjustments. Then using batch mode to play the action or script on a group of files. This can be made fully automted where you walk away and come back to a folder of saved processed images - or it can be made interactive so that you have some individual control of edits while still automating all the drudge work and simpler tasks on a case by case basis.

There are also third party plugs and apps that automate the process and attempt to deliver an enhanced image.

If you are not going to make decisions and simply wish to leave this to a computer, then it is perhaps best to have different automations for a particular type of image and batch process smaller groups of imges, targeting the automation to the image content.

Automation of image edits and batch auto editing is a trade off between time/effort and quality. There are cases for manual edits, automated ones - or combinations of both.


Hope this helps,

Stephen Marsh.
http://members.ozemail.com.au/~binaryfx/

colourbox

Auto Color is the highest quality one-stop color corrector in Photoshop.
Not the command, but the hidden dialog box. Read this article.

EcoJam

big help, thks
Thks a ton Stephen,

I'm looking to do the walk-away type process by testing different adjustments and maybe coming up with a handful of auto enhancements.

Are there specific third-party plug-ins you'd recommend? I found some info about Kodak's Digital ICE plug-in but don't understand exactly what that does (looks more like repair vs. enhancement).

I don't know how to write scripts, last programming I did was FORTRAN in college -- maybe I'll go run out and buy a how-to book.

thks again, ed

EcoJam

ah ha

colourbox wrote:

Auto Color is the highest quality one-stop color corrector in Photoshop.
Not the command, but the hidden dialog box. Read this article.

great article, thks!

I'll test this a bunch.

I tried some early batching using actions, simple adjustments -- couldn't figure how to make it "unattended" it stops on every pic. Guess thats because the command I'm trying are not "auto" adjustments with defaults. Or may there is a way to turn on "default" in an action script.

thks, ed

EcoJam

digital ICE
I understand there are Photoshop plug-ins for enhancements (SHO,RO,GEM), but it's not clear if there is an equivalent to the Digital ICE (as included in some scanners) specific for scratch & dust removal.

Any suggestions for auto scratch & dust detection and correction that could be folded into a Photoshop script?

thks, ed