Automate copy from one file to another

[Desbrina]

I'm trying to automate a task of copying between files to another, combining 20 files into one with the images in a specific location.

The pds file i have is seperated using folders and image masks. At the moment i am manually copying the images from another file, then selecting the group and selecting the area (command + click) then pasting the image into the file.

I've tried to make it into an action. I can create the action, but when trying to run it later i get the message

The command “Copy” is not currently available.

Sometimes the copy command is select instead.

Can anyone give some ideas how i can go about this

[Maiane Gabriele]

For me it seems like when you recorded your action the copy command was applied to an especific layer. Now, when you try to run the action maybe you're trying to copy from a different layer name, it can cause this kind of error. 

If this is not the case I suggest you give us more details, for me it seems nebulous what's you're trying to do. 😞 But the way you said I'm almost pretty sure it has something to do about the layer name when you recorded the action and the one that you use at the time you're running it. 

[Desbrina]

The layer names are the same.

The template: http://card-hoarder.com/test.psd

What i want to do is open the image files and then automatically place them into the empty squares

[silk-m]

 Hi, What you want to do is not as simple as "select all" before "command / copy"?

[Desbrina]

I'm doing a select all and copy but it's not working

[silk-m]

In the action, switching between the file to be placed and the template becomes a bottleneck.

Is it possible with File / Automate / Contact Sheet II?

The above settings are not appropriate. Please adjust to fit. You can place it as a single file in the background.

[Desbrina]

How do i then get the to go into the correct groups?

[silk-m]

I'm not good at English, so I don't know what "correct groups" refers to.

[Desbrina]

The images need to go into the correct groups which have the masks on, as i explained futher down

[silk-m]

Okay, you need card 1, card 2, ... layer. Then you can't use Contact Sheet II.

[Stephen Marsh]

Take a look at JJMack's scripts:

http://www.mouseprints.net/old/dpr/PhotoCollageToolkit.html

[JJMack]

There are two copies  Copy and Copy merge and they have shortcuts. These commands also have dependencies like a layer needs to be targeted and there may need to be an Active selection.  If something a command depends on does not exist the command will not be available. Poorly recorder will often see the error message command not available.  Also Command+Click can make an area selection.  However Past does not paste into an existing layer with a layer mask or into a new layer that is clipped to a layer to clip it to an area.  If  you want a image pasted into an area you need to use Paste into. The new pasted  layer will be positions to that selected area and masked to it so any excess image will be masks off.  The image will not be resized for the area. If the image is small it will not fill the area if larger than the area image content will be masked off.  Actions have a hard time dealing  with varying sizes. Most action deal with know image sizes and files they process must be the correct size.    You most likely need to use Photoshop Scripting if your images sizes differ.

[Desbrina]

How i'm currently doing it manually.

I have groups setup for each image. The group itself has the mask on, this prevents the images from displaying over each other, and keeps the corners transparent as the border for each is curved.

I open the template file, then open all the images needed

I then select the group the image is to be pasted into starting from 1 then working down to 20.

I command click to select the area to paste into.

I move to the next document and do command + a (select all) then command + c (copy). The i close this document which goes back to the template.

I them command + v (paste), which puts it into the selected area.

Repeat for each image

[JJMack]

You can not make a batch action like that or a batch script like that.  You seem to want an  interactive process so you can select images.  Also more then one action would be needed if your templates have a different number of images that need to be populated. A script can use logic loop through Layer groups and layer to  do respective processing.  Actions can not do processing like that. There are just a few conditions actions can test for. 

If all you templates have the same design Layer groups with  the same numbers of layers and layer structure in all groups and all image are the correct size. An Action may be able to do the process. Start at the top of the layer stack play a populate image action that process the a single layer group structure that has the interactive selection step. Then  positions to the next layer which would be the next group to be populated or the background layer. If its not the background Play an identical population action to continues  the population of the template. An Action can not play itself  Photoshop's Action support  does not support recursion,  There must be two identical actions but the last conditional step will play the the other action.

If you look at my package you will see a script has an interactive process like you seen to want "InteractivePopulateCollage.jsx".

There are other script in the package the are fully automated.  You point the script to a template and a folder of images to be populated.  The images names need to sort in the order you want them to be populated in.

IMO you are making the process much more complex then it need be.  If you create a simpler template design it will be easy to populate.   From the screen capture of your template's layers stack. I could create a template like that for my package that would have a Background layer and 20 Alpha channels.

The alpha channels would map the Size, Shape and Position you want images populated over the background layer.  It would only take a few minuets to create that template.