P: Export As does not support Actions or scripting

Report · Jun 18, 2015

There is no way to record an action so that I can automate Export As dialogue box. What I want to do is to record an action which will save one image in three formats via the Export As dialogue box and the action should remember the settings i input for each dimension. Previously Save for Web did this, but now you are calling it legacy so i expect Export As to be accessible same way via actions as Save for Web was. Thank you.

Report · Aug 06, 2017

Has this been worked out? Needing to be able to record 'Export As...' in an action.

Report · Nov 14, 2017

I own the last boxed copy of CS, and I thought I'd try the latest and greatest. I came across the need to batch process a bunch of JPEGs to PNGs, and was pulling my hair out not understanding why I couldn't record the export step in my action. Then I found this thread. Am I glad I haven't been wasting hundreds a year for a product that is less useful to me than what I'm still using today. Unbelievable that a feature Fireworks has had for over a decade, which saves TONs of time, is not in the almighty PhotoShop!

Report · Nov 14, 2017

Fortunately, there are better ways than Export As to batch jpg and png.

Image Processor Pro in CC does a fine job.

Report · Nov 14, 2017

Earth Oliver you mentioned this before... Do you mean the File->Scripts->Image Processor? Because that is not the same as being able to record an action with the Export-As or Legacy Save-For-Web with recorded settings or scriptable settings.

It also does not support .png or complex format options.

It's not "better" it's just different. It's really great at batch processing a folder of images into JPEGs with an optional action applied. It's not a panacea for export.

Report · Nov 14, 2017

Image Processor Pro definitely does support png and and save for web... How do you think we managed to do everything before Export As? You can also tell it to run multiple scripts/actions during the conversion process. Are you not using this tool?

Report · Nov 14, 2017

That is *definitely* not the same as the File->Scripts->Image Processor that ships with Photoshop. Looks very useful and I will have to google it. Thanks!

That said, it looks like a 3rd party tool that requires some kind of installation. We are talking about fixing the built-in native photoshop export processes that worked in a certain way before and should have parity with the features they are replacing.

Report · Nov 14, 2017

That's Image Processor Pro from xbytor.

Report · Nov 14, 2017

Jeff, it'd be really wonderful if you all could ditch the old IP and replace with IPP. I've recommended the pro version hundreds of times over the years and it's changed lives!

I'm really worried that at some point, this tool will break and support from xbytor will be dropped... many of us would have a very difficult time coping with that loss.

Report · Jan 26, 2018

Hello Adobe Product Managers, with the ever increasing cost per month of Adobe CC here in Australia, I am disturbed to find out, having wasted hours on this, that Export As is not able to be included in actions, and that we apparently have to find by ourselves a third party open source addon to do the job, while reading constantly from Adobe how great all the new things are that we get with our subscriptions. How hard can it be for a billion dollar company to employ some programmers to make this work? If it is technically impossible, then please put a section in the user guides about what actions are not available for recording, and why. It's really shoddy and disappointing for such a tool, supposed to be for professionals.

Can we please have this made to work?

Report · Feb 25, 2018

Another customer here stumped by being unable to record Actions when it comes to the Export As... functionality.

(And who lost time not understanding why actions wouldn't record, since they obviously should).

Report · Feb 25, 2018

I use use the Image Processor for this:

- create new action
- File > Scripts > Image Processor (may be different path on the mac)
- choose your desired settings
- stop recording
- use and click Enter.

I use this to batch save psd and jpg with copyright mjetadata and my personal border style in one time.

Report · Mar 01, 2018

Hello,

Unfortunately, the Image Processor cannot change the dimensions of a pic without having both the width and height. So using it to make a 500px-wide image is only feasible if one knows beforehand the exact resulting height this width would result in.

Well, unless I missed something. Which is entirely possible, I've had to cut down on coffee.

(Also the .jpg quality is on a 1-10 rather than on a 1-100 scale, but that bit is more of an UX curiosity).

Report · Mar 01, 2018

Sorry, but this is not correct.

1/ The image processor justs need to know the maximum size you want for width and height. If you fill in, say, 600px wide and 600px height it will not 'square' your image but look at the largest dimension, reduce this to the desired width and adapt the other size appropriately.

2/ The jpg quality goes up to 12. 9 or 10 are best quality settings for web (I see no other use for jpg anyway) .

I searched a video for you. Here's Julieanne Kost, without any doubt the Queen of Photoshop:

Process a batch of files

Report · Mar 01, 2018

A VERY important part of this conversation is that "Export As..." was *supposed* to replace "Save For Web..." and it is the opinion of this thread that the replacement should at least have parity of features with the old version.
An essential part of a professional pipeline is the ability to automate processes to boost productivity.
Image Processor does not support the .png filetype. This is a show-stopper for modern web and mobile development.

Report · Mar 01, 2018

>Image Processor does not support the .png filetype.>

A reason we have kept asking Adobe to license or buy Image Processor Pro. Might be time to ask again?<G>

And yes, I agree about the need to keep SFW at least until Export As has parity with it. I use SFW far more than Export As currently.

Report · May 11, 2018

I agree, has there been any movement on this - it makes Photoshop completely useless as a tool for exporting a large volume of images where automation is vital.

Report · May 11, 2018

Does anyone know if Adobe are doing/looking/considering a fix for this?

It makes Photoshop completely useless as a tool for exporting a large volume of images where automation is vital.

Report · May 11, 2018

it's looking like Adobe has abandoned both Export As and Generator... which is a shame because both these tools have so much potential.

Report · May 11, 2018

Oh man... I really hope Generator isn't dropped like "Device Preview". Generator is an essential part of the workflow at my company since it let's us pre-set layer names in photoshop templates that artists just "Turn on" and it auto-exports.

Report · May 11, 2018

SFW and Save As can be scripted with Extendscript. Export is not listed in the scripting documentation, though.

My suggestion would be to use Image Processor Pro (which must be manually installed, BTW. Extension Manager is obsolete.)

Report · May 11, 2018

Yeah Max, i certainly hope they don't. There was a job i did for Google/Nexus a few years back which would not have been possible without Generator.

I'm only guessing that they're abandoning based on the lack of updates and refinements. I'm not sure what Adobe's focus is these days, but it seems like they're not paying much attention to those of us who make our living using this product.

Report · May 12, 2018

> I'm only guessing that they're abandoning based on the lack of updates and refinements.>

Boy do I hope you're wrong, Earth. I know they do put a lot of features on the back burner, some for so long we can barely expect it to stay supported in its current state, but that's an awful lot to leave behind that is obviously pretty popular, judging from so many comments about the features.

Generator is essential to me since I depend upon Doco, as do many others. But the loss of goodwill if they drop support for Export As and Generator is even more significant than Doco is in my life, I would think.

Report · Oct 01, 2018

This is STILL a very real issue! 3 years later! That it was an intentional omission, but with no explanation as to why such an obviously useful feature would be intentionally omitted is difficult to hear from someone who has used Adobe's products for 15 years and needs to be as productive as possible. In my case the smaller file size and amazing quality of 8 bit pngs in "Export As" is SO much superior to the "Save for Web" 8 bit pngs. It was an amazing, game changing development and I'd love to hear the reasons why we can't use it when batching files. Anything! Such as: It was really difficult to get that to work in actions, and we didn't want to spend any more time on it because hardly anyone uses it, or whatever the reason is. Better than letting this much time go by without any word on this important topic. This feature alone in my particular case would save me several hours a month. I'd appreciate an update on the "progress" that has been made in the 2 years since this post.

Report · Nov 29, 2018

Soooo... 2019 still has no support for this. Just sayin'... Keep the dream (thread) alive!

Report · Feb 25, 2019

There are some actions I want to make that involve a combo of manipulation to a layer and then "export as". I want it to stop performing once the Export As window is up. Currently if I were to make an action with Export As, the action will also keep the knowledge of where the file was saved and the name. I don't want that. I want to choose, every time, where to save the file and what to name it.

My desire is that the action I make will do a maniuplation to a layer and then open the "export as" window and stop.