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Batch Conversion of .psd files to .jpg

Discussion

15 replies
Posted by Howard Cihak on June 5, 2013 at 8:17 AM
I've got a bunch of .psd files I'd like to convert to .jpg files. Is there a way to do that in Bridge?
Posted by David Bostedo on June 5, 2013 at 3:02 PM
It certainly is possible Howard. You can do it in Photoshop actually, under "File->Scripts->Image Processor". I'm not sure of the exact forms that come up, but I can give better instruction once I get to my PC with PS on it tonight.
Posted by Preston Birdwell on June 5, 2013 at 5:18 PM
Here's the Image Processor Script Dialog (from CS6) that David spoke about. It looks pretty straightforward.

Howard,

I have a few suggestions that might make the processing go faster with less impact on system resources. Before using the Image Processor...

1. Flatten each file
2. Resize to the pixel dimensions you want (the script will do this, but if the files are large it could take a while.
3. If the files are 16-bit, set the mode to 8-bit (Image>Mode>8 bits/channel). The script may do this when it converts the file, but I don't know if it does so.
4. Save each flattened *.psd file under a new name.

You may want to run a test on a batch of (say) three files, just to make sure everything goes smoothly. Also, batch processors like this one run better if you keep the number of files relatively small.

--P
Posted by Howard Cihak on June 5, 2013 at 9:42 PM
Unfortunately, I've got CS5, and I don't see this in there.
Posted by David Bostedo on June 5, 2013 at 10:17 PM
There are other ways to do it Howard that should work. The main one I can think of is to make an action in PS that does what you want on one open file (flatten, convert to 8-bit, save as JPG, close file).

The in Bridge you can use "Tools-> Photoshop -> Batch" to assign that action to a group of your files in Bridge. Do you have that menu available?

The other way I can think of right now would be to make an action droplet. (In Photoshop, "File -> Automate -> Create Droplet". This would create a file on your computer that executes the action. Then you can drag and drop files onto it and it will execute. That's a bit less convenient than the Batch option though.
Posted by Harold Ankney on June 5, 2013 at 11:36 PM
Howard..I did a little searching on a couple of techy sites I go to and found out about this program. http://tinyurl.com/d56os59
from what I read, it will do batch converting of psd files, and there are also instructional videos on the site. If you download this just be sure to scan the file before you install it. Best to be safe then sorry.

Harold
Posted by Lon Overacker on June 6, 2013 at 12:30 AM
Along the same lines as David's suggestion, create an Action in PS that flattens, converts to srgb, sharpen, whatever you want to do in the action, including save-as jpg. You can do this entirely without Bridge by going to File>automate>create droplet in Photoshop. Basically this saves a batch script on your desktop. You then "select all" your images either in Bridge or Win Explorer and "drop" all the images on to the "Action" on your desktop. It's more involved than that, but just to illustrate another way to batch process your images. Google creating "droplets" in PS. I'm sure there's a video on Youtube as well.

Lon
Posted by Preston Birdwell on June 6, 2013 at 12:32 AM
Howard,

I still have CS5 (64-bit) on this computer and it has the Image Processor script installed. Look in C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS5 (64 Bit)\Presets\Scripts\ and then look for the file "Image Processor.jsx".

If it's not there, you may have it in C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS5 (64 Bit)\Scripting\Sample Scripts\JavaScript. If it is there, simply copy it to the ...\Presets\Scripts folder. It should then show up when you go to File>Scripts in CS5.

If it's not in either folder, you may need to repair your CS5 installation, being sure the scripts are then installed. You may be able to download the script from Adobe, but I'm not sure this can be done. If you can, be sure to get the correct version.

If you can't make this work, or don't feel comfortable doing it, David's idea to create an Action and then use the batch processor will work.

--P
Posted by David Bostedo on June 6, 2013 at 10:22 AM
...from what I read, it will do batch converting of psd files...

That's true, but many third party programs don't truly handle all of the possible layers and algorithms of a PSD file (which are proprietary to Adobe, so other companies have to try to reverse engineer it). In other words, it will read the format and convert it, but you might not get the same result as doing it in Photoshop if you have a complex PSD.

It would be safer to do it in PS.
Posted by Preston Birdwell on June 7, 2013 at 2:40 PM
Howard,

Just curious, but did you get this sorted out?

Also, I agree with David that it would be best to do this Bridge and PS.

--P
Posted by Howard Cihak on June 7, 2013 at 7:09 PM
After a few minutes of trying without success, I yielded to the pressure of having to get this done quickly (52 images), and just proceeded to do them all one at a time. Took awhile, but it's done. Thanks anyway for the suggestions; I just wish I'd had more time to play around with it.

It was all about providing an insurance agency VP with a selection images to choose from for a couple of big enlargements I'll run up on my Epson 7800.
Posted by Preston Birdwell on June 8, 2013 at 8:07 PM
Hey Howard,

I wrote a Photo Shop Action for you that will save a PSD file as a JPG.

The action duplicates your original file, converts it to 8-bit, flattens the image and converts the profile to sRGB, and then opens the 'Save As...' dialog so that you can save the file as a jpg. I activated the usual dialog boxes so that you can change any settings you like.

Your original file will need to be the correct size, and sharpened, before you run the action.

I sent you an e-mail from NPN. If you'll reply back to me, I can send the action file to you, along with instructions.

If anyone else would like to have this action, send me an e-mail and I'll send it to you. The cost per copy is $1,000.00 (just kidding) :wink:

--P
Posted by Howard Cihak on June 9, 2013 at 6:16 PM
Preston, I'll plead guilty to poorly stating my intent in my original post. I wrote my own conversion action long ago. What I was really looking for was a way to batch process several dozen images simultaneously rather doing each one at a time.
Posted by Preston Birdwell on June 9, 2013 at 10:47 PM
No problem, Howard.

--P
Posted by David Bostedo on June 9, 2013 at 11:12 PM
What I was really looking for was a way to batch process several dozen images simultaneously rather doing each one at a time.


Howard - That can easily be done as stated above by either the "Tools -> Photoshop -> Batch" command in Bridge (if CS5 has that); Or by creating a Droplet in PS using "File -> Automate -> Create Droplet". Either of those will let you pick your existing action, and simply apply it to whatever files you want to. If you have either of those options available, and want further instruction, let me (us) know.
Posted by Howard Cihak on June 10, 2013 at 4:15 AM
Thanks, David. I'll keep this in mind for the next time I'm faced with that sort of task.