Photoshop actions question.

bham

I have a current command that I would like to be able to run as a batch, but I have one problem it will affect portrait and horizontal photos differently and I don't want that. I would like it to rotate the horizontal photos but not rotate the portrait ones. Is there is a "if then" type of command. This action worked great in Photoshop 7 but, in CS2 the program auto rotates the images upon opening and this command will not work correctly on all images.

Any ideas.

BinaryFx

bham wrote:

Is there is a "if then" type of command.

bham, as you have CS2, you will have to jump into ImageReady and create an action in IR and insert a conditional step (there is an image aspect ratio option).

This can probably be done with scripting too.

In CS3, IR was dropped, so look for conditionals as part of Photoshop actions:

http://livedocs.adobe.com/en_US/Photoshop/10.0/help.html?content=WSfd1234e1c4b69f30ea53e41001031ab64-73d2.html


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

jjbong

BinaryFx wrote:

In CS3, IR was dropped, so look for conditionals as part of Photoshop actions:

http://livedocs.adobe.com/en_US/Photoshop/10.0/help.html?content=WSfd1234e1c4b69f30ea53e41001031ab64-73d2.html


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

I think you're saying that this is an example of how conditional will be handled in Photoshop going forward, rather than a solution to the problem quoted, correct? Clearly, this is quite limited (to mode changes) and doesn't help with the problem quoted, namely conditional based on other attributes of the image besides color space (is it longer than higher?).

You mentioned scripting. What scripting are you referring to?

BinaryFx

jjbong wrote:

I think you're saying that this is an example of how conditional will be handled in Photoshop going forward, rather than a solution to the problem quoted, correct? Clearly, this is quite limited (to mode changes) and doesn't help with the problem quoted, namely conditional based on other attributes of the image besides color space (is it longer than higher?).

You mentioned scripting. What scripting are you referring to?

John, no, I was not referring to the old Photoshop conditional mode change command* - but true conditional actions as found in ImageReady CS2 (not in Photoshop CS2). As I mentioned, the true conditional command insertion can handle landscape/portrait images, among other things (see image below of the AIRCS2 Insert Action Conditional step dialog box). This is the current method for CS2 users if not using scripting.

*Now I see where I misled the forum, I posted the wrong link! Sorry about that... Yes, the link in question to the Adobe help doc was for conditional mode change, and not inserting a conditional step in an action (conditional mode changes predate true conditional steps that were first introduced in ImageReady and then absorbed into Photoshop CS3).

As for scripting, I was referring to the various conditionals that users have made and or scripts for processing landscape vs. portrait images which may also be of help (Adobe Exchange).

Conditional Action:
http://sivaratnam.googlepages.com/PhotoshopConditionalAction.zip
http://sivaratnam.googlepages.com/
http://www.adobe.com/cfusion/exchange/index.cfm?event=extensionDetail&loc=en_us&extid=1044964


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

http://img117.imageshack.us/img117/6078/ircs2insertconditionalhk1.gif



P.S. I can't add images to my messages, when I used to be able to do this! Is it only me having this problem, should I inform a moderator or something?

DavidTO

BinaryFx wrote:

P.S. I can't add images to my messages, when I used to be able to do this! Is it only me having this problem, should I inform a moderator or something?

No, attachments are temporarily off due to server work. Sorry! You can still embed, just not attach.

bham

I got the conditional action setup in imageready and then added the recording of that into the action in photoshop. It seem like it would work, but it didn't. I am not really sure why it didn't.

BinaryFx

bham wrote:

I got the conditional action setup in imageready and then added the recording of that into the action in photoshop. It seem like it would work, but it didn't. I am not really sure why it didn't.

bham, as I mentioned, Photoshop CS2 does *not* support conditional action steps. ImageReady CS2 *does* support conditional action steps - so the entire action has to be run in IRCS2 and not in PSCS2 (AFAIK). Forget Photoshop CS2 for built in conditional actions for this task.

That being said, APS7, APSCS and APSCS2 all support scripting, so the previously linked conditional script/action may be adaptable in this case as the script is using a different method to achieve the conditional steps, so via scripting one can do all this in Photoshop without the need of using AIR.


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

jjbong

BinaryFx wrote:

Yes, the link in question to the Adobe help doc was for conditional mode change, and not inserting a conditional step in an action (conditional mode changes predate true conditional steps that were first introduced in ImageReady and then absorbed into Photoshop CS3).

Thanks for the link. I do have Photoshop CS3, and I can't find any reference to conditionals there, either in the help system or on the Adobe website. The only things I find are conditional modes and the ability to change settings for a command interactively.

BinaryFx

jjbong wrote:

Thanks for the link. I do have Photoshop CS3, and I can't find any reference to conditionals there, either in the help system or on the Adobe website. The only things I find are conditional modes and the ability to change settings for a command interactively.

In the CS3 Action palette options menu, is there an "insert conditional step" or some similar wording, that kicks up a dialaog box similar to the one linked above from ImageReady CS2?

The previously linked Conditional script will do the same thing if one is under a deadline and can't figure out the native conditionals in Photoshop CS3 (I am presuming that one does not need the extended version and that conditionals were indeed migrated from AIRCS2).

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

BinaryFx

I forgot to mention that as a work around, less ideal method one can:

1. Sort the images into two different folders, one for portrait and one for landscape images. One then applies a suitable batch action to each folder.

2. Using File Browser/Bridge, one selects all the portrait images and then runs a batch action using the file browser selected images as the source. Then repeat for landscape images.

So, with the semi-auto methods mentioned above, or the automated methods using AIRCS2 conditional actions, or using the free conditional script for Photoshop, one should be able to do simple conditional batch processing of images with different orientations.

As I don't use CS3, I can't comment if it has indeed absorbed the conditional actions from ImageReady. It should, Adobe set expectations of Photoshop users by adding these functions to previous versions of Photoshop/ImageReady. Customers do not like features being taken away, so I presume that CS3 would indeed still be able to do what ImageReady used to do (conditionals, slicing, animation etc). One would hope that all of the previous functionality of ImageReady, including conditional action steps, would be available to regular Photoshop users and not only users of the extended package.

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

jjbong

BinaryFx wrote:

As I don't use CS3, I can't comment if it has indeed absorbed the conditional actions from ImageReady. It should, Adobe set expectations of Photoshop users by adding these functions to previous versions of Photoshop/ImageReady. Customers do not like features being taken away, so I presume that CS3 would indeed still be able to do what ImageReady used to do (conditionals, slicing, animation etc). One would hope that all of the previous functionality of ImageReady, including conditional action steps, would be available to regular Photoshop users and not only users of the extended package.

I've been unable to find it in CS3.

I had a similar problem as in the original post in preparing images for SmugMug, with one step different for portrait and landscape. I had been using the method Stephen suggested (sorting the photos into a landscape photo and a portrait photo, with separate similar actions for each), but that's tedious. Based on one of Stephen's earlier posts, I wrote a Javascript to do that one step differently for portrait and landscape, and I called the script from the (now single) action. It wasn't that difficult, but I can't judge how easy it would be for someone who has never done any programming.

bham

My current solution has been to continue to use Photoshop 7 to do this one task. It doesn't automatically rotate portrait images upon opening and therefore I have been able to use it. I was hoping to find a more permanent solution in CS2. I run this action as a automated batch on hundreds of photos at a time. Sorting them manually would be to time consuming. Going thru 2,000 photos a weekend would be very inefficient.

Do you have any good suggestions for resources (websites, good books, etc) for learning scripting for photoshop.

BinaryFx

bham wrote:

My current solution has been to continue to use Photoshop 7 to do this one task. It doesn't automatically rotate portrait images upon opening and therefore I have been able to use it. I was hoping to find a more permanent solution in CS2. I run this action as a automated batch on hundreds of photos at a time. Sorting them manually would be to time consuming. Going thru 2,000 photos a weekend would be very inefficient.

Do you have any good suggestions for resources (websites, good books, etc) for learning scripting for photoshop.

bham, is there any reason that you *can't* create and run the entire action in ImageReady CS2, inlcuding the built-in conditional command found in ImageReady? If indeed IR is not the solution, then a pre-made conditional script for Photoshop is all that you need!

Learning scripting is not easy, it helps if you have a background in JavaScript, AppleScript or VB Script (and or programming). The previous link to the author's site and the Adobe Exchange provides a pre-made image orientation conditional script that one can install and then reference via an action in Photoshop (no need to use ImageReady).

Adobe provide scripting PDF files on the CD and they also provide a forum at their website. There are a small amount of other sites, but as scripting is not very accessible to the average GUI user of Photoshop, actions have a larger author and support base.


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

bham

BinaryFx wrote:

bham, is there any reason that you *can't* create and run the entire action in ImageReady CS2, inlcuding the built-in conditional command found in ImageReady? If indeed IR is not the solution, then a pre-made conditional script for Photoshop is all that you need!

Learning scripting is not easy, it helps if you have a background in JavaScript, AppleScript or VB Script (and or programming). The previous link to the author's site and the Adobe Exchange provides a pre-made image orientation conditional script that one can install and then reference via an action in Photoshop (no need to use ImageReady).

Adobe provide scripting PDF files on the CD and they also provide a forum at their website. There are a small amount of other sites, but as scripting is not very accessible to the average GUI user of Photoshop, actions have a larger author and support base.


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

I am currently out of town in Birmingham and not able to test it.

It is a fairly complicated action so I was trying to avoid having to rerecord it.

So you can reference a script from a CS2 action, then I guess I could do that. I thought you had pointed it out as an example that an orientaiton script was possible, not that I could actually use just that, with what I had.

I guess the main reason I asked for scripting info wasn't just in relation to this but to other recent conversations with some others that gave example of using some scripts to do some things. Many times when you learn something, then you find other potential uses.

BinaryFx

bham wrote:

It is a fairly complicated action so I was trying to avoid having to rerecord it.

Fair enough (also AIR may be lacking in other features found in the action). I guess you could try saving the APS action and then try to load it into AIR (not being big on web graphics I have not tried this, it just came to me as a random suggestion which I am not confident on).

So you can reference a script from a CS2 action, then I guess I could do that. I thought you had pointed it out as an example that an orientaiton script was possible, not that I could actually use just that, with what I had.

I have not used the conditional script that I posted earlier, but it seems to be popular and does contain image aspect ratio options. You should be able to reference it from an action (although you may need to edit the action to make it work flawlessly with the script). AFAIK the script was written to make scripting conditionals accessible to non programmers/script writers who only know Photoshop actions.

I guess the main reason I asked for scripting info wasn't just in relation to this but to other recent conversations with some others that gave example of using some scripts to do some things. Many times when you learn something, then you find other potential uses.

Indeed, here is the only other good link I have apart from the Adobe rescources:

http://www.ps-scripts.com (a non Adobe forum dedicated to Scripting Photoshop)


P.S. If we knew what the action was doing, we might be able to help fix it without using conditional scripts! I can't think of the feature that automatically rotates the images orientation upon open (can this be deselected in Bridge or something?).


Regards,

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