Automating Photo Edits with Actions and Batch Processing

Editing 500 photos with the same adjustments is tedious. Actions and Batch processing automate repetitive tasks.

Recording an Action

Open the Actions panel. Create a new Action Set, then a new Action. Click Record. Perform every step: resize, sharpen, export. Click Stop when finished.

Testing

Open a different image and click Play. Verify results. Actions execute exactly what you recorded.

Batch Processing

File, Automate, Batch. Select your Action. Set Source to Folder. Set Destination to Folder. Check Override Save As Commands. Click OK. Photoshop processes every image automatically.

Flexible Actions

Use percentages for relative resizing. Insert Stop for visual decisions. Conditional Actions for logic-based processing.

Droplets

File, Automate, Create Droplet. Makes a standalone application. Drag files onto the Droplet icon for automatic processing.

Common Batch Tasks

• Resizing for web upload.
• Adding watermarks.
• Converting RAW to JPEG.
• Applying color grades.
• Renaming files during export.