Programs for batch processing of images. XnConvert Bulk Image Processing Batch Image Editing
Action automation tools in Photoshop can significantly reduce the time spent on performing the same type of operations. One of these tools is batch processing of images (photos).
The meaning of batch processing is to record actions in a special folder (action), and then apply this action to an unlimited number of photos. That is, we manually process once, and the rest of the images are processed automatically by the program.
It makes sense to apply batch processing in those cases when it is necessary, for example, to resize photos, raise or lower illumination, and make the same color correction.
So let's get started with batch processing.
First you need to put the original pictures in one folder. I have three photos prepared for the lesson. I named the folder "Batch Processing" and put it on your desktop.
If you notice, then in this folder there is also a subfolder "Ready Photos". It will store the processing results.
It is worth noting right away that in this lesson we will only learn the process, so many operations with the photo will not be performed. The main thing is to understand the principle, and then you yourself will decide what processing to perform. The procedure will always be the same.
And one moment. In the program settings, you must disable warnings about color profile mismatch, otherwise, each time you open a photo, you will have to press the button OK.
Let's go to the menu "Editing - Color Settings" and remove the checkboxes indicated in the screenshot.
Now you can start...
After analyzing the pictures, it becomes clear that they are all slightly darkened. Therefore, we will lighten them and toned a little.
Let's open the first picture.
Then we call the palette "Operations" on the menu "Window".
In the palette, you need to click on the folder icon, give the new set some name and click OK.
Then we create a new operation, also somehow call it and press the button "Record".
First, let's resize the image. Let's say we need pictures no wider than 550 pixels.
Let's go to the menu "Image - Image Size". Change the width to the desired one and click OK.
As you can see, there have been changes in the palette of operations. Our action has been successfully recorded.
For lightening and toning, use "Curves". They are invoked by keyboard shortcuts. CTRL+M.
In the window that opens, set the current on the curve and drag in the direction of lightening until the desired result is achieved.
Then we go to the red channel and adjust the colors a little. For example, like this:
At the end of the process, press OK.
When recording an action, there is one important rule: if you use tools, adjustment layers and other functions of the program, where the values of various settings change on the fly, that is, without the need to press the OK button, then these values must be entered manually and the ENTER key must be pressed. If this rule is not followed, then Photoshop will record all intermediate values while you drag, for example, the slider.
We continue. Let's assume that we have already completed all the steps. Now we need to save the photo in the format we need.
Press the key combination CTRL+SHIFT+S, select the format and location to save. I have selected a folder "Ready Photos". Click "Save".
The last step is to close the image. Do not forget to do this, otherwise all 100500 photos will remain open in the editor. Nightmare…
We refuse to save the source.
Let's take a look at the Actions palette. Check if all actions are recorded correctly. If everything is in order, then click on the button "Stop".
Action is ready.
Now we need to apply it to all the photos in the folder, and automatically.
Let's go to the menu "File - Automation - Batch Processing".
In the function window, select our set and operation (the last created ones are automatically registered), write the path to the source folder and the path to the folder where you want to save the finished images.
After pressing the button "OK" processing will begin. The time spent on the process directly depends on the number of photos and the complexity of the operations.
Use the automation provided to you by Photoshop and save a lot of time processing your pictures.
4 Batch Image Processing Software
Image post-processing usually includes resizing, cropping, adjusting exposure, contrast, noise reduction, and background removal. Applying these changes to a single image is pretty easy. However, it's incredibly tedious if you want to apply them to hundreds of pictures. However, there are 4 great software programs for this!
1. ImBatch
ImBatch is a free tool used for post-processing large volumes of digital images. It provides a large number of options for cropping, resizing, transforming, rotating and renaming files. The unique feature of ImBatch is that it allows you to create photo editing projects and automatically edit large amounts of images, thus saving you a huge amount of time.
2. FastStone Photo Resizer
FastStone Photo Resizer is a batch processing tool ideal for enhancing large images at the same time. It provides a user-friendly interface that allows you to easily resize, rotate, crop, rename, add watermarks, add text, change color depth, apply color effects, and add effects to images without quality loss. The tool supports multi-thread processing to process multiple images at the same time at a faster speed.
3. Light Image Resizer
Light Image Resizer is a program for resizing large volumes of images in batches. It compresses, converts and makes copies of multiple images at the same time.
When choosing the best program for working with images from our selection, we advise you to determine the level of your needs and the main purpose of the potentially used software.
- Movavi Photo Editor doesn't make you sit down to watch videos on how to use the editor, but it gives you access to all the features you need. Now, in order to remove an unnecessary element from a photo, change the background, adjust colors, apply an effect or redo makeup, hair color of a character in a picture, you do not have to turn to "initiates" for help. A simple and intuitive Movavi photo editor will do everything in two clicks. Try it. This is the best photo editing program designed for semi-professional tasks. In fact, it is a home photo studio in a convenient design.
- Photo Master does not have the same advanced tools as Photoshop CC, Paintshop Pro and other famous counterparts, but it works faster and has all the necessary functions for high-quality photo editing at home. The program is designed for beginners and advanced users, contains detailed instructions on all the nuances of editing.
- Home Photo Studio is a symbiosis of Photomaster and Photoshop Lightroom. It supports layers, can save projects, works with Photoshop files, contains built-in editing, cropping, correction tools, a print and collage wizard. The program will be a good choice for photographers who are not ready to pay for a professional editor, but who want to learn how to work with images with high quality.
- The GIMP will be a good free image processing tool, however, the utility does not contain the most accessible interface in terms of simplicity, therefore, if you are a beginner, we recommend that you stop at the identical and more understandable Paint.NET or PixBuilder Studio, or be patient and learn how to process images in Gimp .
- Picasa will appeal to fans of the implementation of content for further publication on social networks. If you're looking for a photo editing app that can bring amateur-level animations to life, try Photoscape.
- Krita will allow you to embody your creative ideas, however, for its comfortable operation, you will need at least minimal knowledge of similar software. The free version of the image editor is especially popular among artists and illustrators along with other well-known product Painttool Sai and commercial Corel Painter.
- ACDSee will provide you with a professional set of tools, the developer distributes these products for a fee with the opportunity to get acquainted with the trial version. If you are only interested in red-eye correction, applying filters, effects and other primitive retouching methods, it is better to download a simpler photo processing program. No less advanced tool for experienced users will be CorelDRAW. Both photo processing programs are demanding on computer resources, but at the same time they will give you extensive functionality that it is impossible to compete with free counterparts.
- Lightroom will appeal to those who like creating albums from original images and viewing rich slides. Works both within the PC and online to speed up the upload of your projects to various web resources.
- Adobe Photoshop is the most popular software in its category, there are probably no professional photographers in the world who would not use Photoshop, here you can not only quickly improve the landscapes themselves, but also implement a complete change in photos: eliminate face defects, background errors and much more.
Unfortunately, within the framework of one review it is impossible to consider all the specialized software, therefore we also recommend reading ours. There you will find descriptions of such popular tools as Hornil Stylepix, Zoner Photo Studio, Photoinstrument 7.4, Lightbox Free Image Editor. Profile tools for processing presentations and photos Adobe Illustrator, Photo editor Photoshine 4.9.4, Photo Show Pro 7.0 are presented on the site as separate materials.
When a novice photographer is faced with the need to process a large number of photos, the question inevitably arises: How to reduce the time spent on processing, how to automate routine operations?
To do this, Adobe Photoshop has several tools in its arsenal: operations or actions, scripts or scripts, and droplets.
Operations, also known as action games, macros or macros are recorded and saved actions on an image that can be applied to another image as well as used in batch processing. Actions are also the basis for creating droplets.
Droplet is a small application, a kind of program that automatically processes all images dragged onto it. The droplet icon can be placed, for example, on the desktop and dragged onto it with image folders for processing.
Scripts or scripts are also programs, but written in one of the scripting programming languages. The use of scripts allows you to automate operations for which it is impossible to write an action, that is, the possibilities of scripts are much wider. The only negative is that to write scripts, you need to master certain programming languages, for example, Java Script.
In this article, we will write a simple action and see how to use it in batch processing using the command Image Processor
As an example, let's take a way to tone photos using a color fill in blend mode. hard light. Here is the original photo
First, let's create a set in which we will place the operation to be recorded. To create a set, click on the folder icon in the Actions palette. In the dialog box that opens, enter a name for the set.
Now, with the set active, click on the icon for creating a new operation
In the dialog box that opens, enter a name for the operation. Assign a color and keyboard shortcut, if necessary, so that you can quickly start the operation. Click burn to start the recording process. Now in the palette Operations the recording icon is active, it will turn red.
Before starting recording, it is advisable to plan all the steps and write them down on paper. A well-planned action works without errors and its stability does not depend on which version of the program is used, Russian or English. A properly recorded action will work in any. If this is not the case, it means that methodological errors were made during planning and recording, for example, the names of layers or channels were recorded.
Now let's create an adjustment layer Colour. To do this, click on the icon for creating an adjustment layer in the palette. Layers, then select a layer from the list Colour.
In the dialog box that opens, select the desired color. It is necessary in advance, even in preparation for recording, to write down the values of this color through the RGB channels, so that you can then enter it and immediately get the desired color.
Change the layer's blend mode to hard light
We will get something like this
Now you need to weaken the effect of the adjustment layer on the skin. Skin is known to be the lightest in the red channel of the image. Make the mask of the adjustment layer active. To do this, press the key combination CTRL+\. The active layer mask will be framed
Now let's load the red channel of the image onto the mask. To do this, go to the menu Image - External channel. In the dialog box that opens, set the following settings Layer - Background, since it is from the background layer that we will use the red channel. Channel - Red, check the box on the right Invert, since for the mask we need just the inverted red channel, Overlay - Normal, Opacity - 100%. After completing the settings, click OK. Now the effect of the adjustment layer is through a mask based on the inverted red channel, which looks like this
We got a slight toning effect on the image
Now the action recording can be stopped. Then, returning the original state of the image using the palette History, you need to check the operation of the action. Now it can be used for batch processing.
Batch processing is best done with a script Image Processor. It can be found on the menu File - Scripts - Image Processor.
Or, which is much more convenient, you can run the image handler from the module Bridge, having previously selected photos for processing in it. In Bridge Image Processor is on the menu Instruments -Photoshop - Image Processor.
Setting Batch Processing Options in the Dialog Box Image Processor presents no difficulty. You need to select the location to save the files, the format and quality of saving, as well as a set of actions and the actual action that you want to apply to the selected images.
