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Question

Guide Lines for Print Sizes Action?

Forum|Forum|6 years ago
March 20, 2019
4 replies
5895 views

Hi there,

I was wondering if there was an action or script that could product guide lines based on 4x6, 5x7, 8x10 print sizes? I would like to have this because I do a lot of sports composites with text and graphics and produce packages with wallets, 4x6, 5x7, 8x10. Having the guide lines would allow me to ensure that none of the elements end up off the paper when the printers produce the actual printwork.

Right now I am using a .png that I created as an overlay layer that I can turn off but an actual action with guide lines would be more time efficient and precise.

Anyone able to help?

--Tim

Bojan Živković11378569

Community Expert

I have read entire thread and I am still not sure are you satisfied with answers or not? I have idea how you can solve problem using action but I will need more information's to give you advice or to record action.

Idea for action: create template file with guidelines. Template file should be maximum dimensions that you expect to have. Action can convert layer with image to Smart Object, or template can be created using Smart Object Layer. Edit Smart Object content and place or paste image which you want to use. Action steps depend on what you decide to use: place command or open image, copy to clipboard then edit SM object and paste. Both methods should work just fine although placing image is probably more difficult because you must consider default options when placing images and some additional step(s) and changes in Preferences may need to be done to place image with actual pixel dimensions. After updating content of Smart Object layer you will have what you want. The next step can be to duplicate document then to trim it if there is extra space around image or even to use Reveal command if you cannot figure out what is biggest dimension you will have to work with.

Another option that you have is to work with template and to use Image > Variables and Data Sets. Define Pixel Replacement variable for layer with image and set Method to As Is. Use manual method to import image. Importing image into template cannot be automated with action as far as I know, the rest after importing image into templte can be automated: duplicate document, trim/reveal all as needed and that should do the job.

Conrad_C

Community Expert

Bojan Živković wrote

Idea for action: create template file with guidelines. Template file should be maximum dimensions that you expect to have. Action can convert layer with image to Smart Object, or template can be created using Smart Object Layer. Edit Smart Object content and place or paste image which you want to use. Action steps depend on what you decide to use: place command or open image, copy to clipboard then edit SM object and paste. Both methods should work just fine although placing image is probably more difficult because you must consider default options when placing images and some additional step(s) and changes in Preferences may need to be done to place image with actual pixel dimensions.

I like that and was thinking along the same lines. You could simply create a vector-based template using Photoshop shape tools, and just place that file. It didn't take long to work this out, and I think I resolved the resizing issue that Bojan mentioned so that it works right with different images, in one quick step that can easily be recorded as an Action if you want.

You can make this even simpler by skipping the Place Linked dialog box step, by simply Alt-dragging the template from the desktop and dropping it into the Photoshop document. (Dragging is the same as the Place Embedded command, while Alt-drag (Option-drag on Macs) is the same as Place Linked.)

It just doesn't get any simpler than a single drag-and-drop that resizes itself.

There are two things that must be set up for this to work.

1. Create an aspect ratio guide template. The Image Size must be larger than the largest image that you use it with (I'll explain why soon). Use the vector shape tools in Photoshop so that it's resolution-independent, unlike a PNG. This is what my quick-and-dirty one looked like:

2. In Photoshop preferences, General pane, make sure the Resize Image During Place option is selected. This ensures that the oversized template will always be scaled down to fit the Image Size of the document as it's being placed. This is why the template size must be larger than your largest image size, so it will always be scaled down to fit no matter what the size of the document is. A smaller template size doesn't work because Resize Image During Place only scales down to fit, not up.

That's it, no programming needed.

T

timd94211753Author

Known Participant

Conrad C are you willing to post the aspect ratio guide template that you that you showed in your post above (reply #20)? That would be very helpful. Thanks!

Stephen Marsh

Community Expert

Just curious, as the crop tool has the ability to work with various aspect ratios, how would/could it fit into your workflow? Or is it just that you wish to “visualise” the different possibilities up front?

T

timd94211753Author

Known Participant

Exactly - its for previsualization. I used the crop tool to drag guides into the document and then painted a thin line over the guides when I created my overlay.

Kevin Stohlmeyer

Community Expert

Record using the View/New Guide Command and enter your values.

T

timd94211753Author

Known Participant

Something similar to this...

JJMack

Community Expert

This could be automated with a Photoshop script. Image sizes have and Aspect Ratio you show a Landscape image with a 3:2 aspect ratio. And seem to want to crop this image to various Portraits aspect ratios. 8x10 4:5, 5:7 and 4x6 2:3 Asoect ratios. Normally this will not work well for too much image content will be cropped off.

A script could create cropping guide lines or better yet set a Aspect Ratio Portrait selection that you could position for the best composition then use image crop. The cropping guides you showed in the other thread you started were way off the mark.

Red 4:5 8x10, Green 5:7 and Blue 2:3 4x6,

your jpeg

JJMack

Stephen Marsh

Community Expert

@Stephen_A_Marsh do you care to share your hack?

Sure!

However to be clear, all it does is add guides to the bounds of an active selection. You first have to install and record JJMack’s script into an action to create the various aspect ratio selections, before recording the process of adding guides or converting the selection to a path (as originally detailed in my post #21).

The link to the action is here:

Dropbox - Guides from Selection (CC2014).atn

Addendum:

I eventually found a script solution after hacking the action to do the same!

// Add Guides to Selection Bounds.jsx

// https://feedback.photoshop.com/conversations/photoshop/photoshop-add-guides-to-a-selection-a-javascript-solution/5f5f45304b561a3d423ab501

#target Photoshop

main();

function main(){

if(!documents.length) return;

var startRulerUnits = preferences.rulerUnits;

try{

preferences.rulerUnits = Units.PIXELS

var SB = activeDocument.selection.bounds;

}catch(e){return;}

guideLine(SB[1].value,"Hrzn");

guideLine(SB[3].value,"Hrzn");

guideLine(SB[0].value,"Vrtc");

guideLine(SB[2].value,"Vrtc");

preferences.rulerUnits = startRulerUnits;

}

function guideLine(position, type){

var desc = new ActionDescriptor();

var desc2 = new ActionDescriptor();

desc2.putUnitDouble( app.charIDToTypeID ('Pstn'), app.charIDToTypeID('#Pxl'), position );

desc2.putEnumerated( app.charIDToTypeID('Ornt'), app.charIDToTypeID('Ornt'), app.charIDToTypeID(type) );

desc.putObject( app.charIDToTypeID('Nw '), app.charIDToTypeID('Gd '), desc2 );

executeAction( app.charIDToTypeID('Mk '), desc, DialogModes.NO );

};

Further to my previous reply:

Here is the action to add aspect ratio guides – 2:3 (4:6), 4:5 (8:10), 5:7 & 9:16 portrait docs, with the same options for landscape docs. All you need to do is play the “Conditional Run” and it will apply the appropriate orientation actions. As there are no labels, it could be confusing as to which set of guides is which. This action is more of a “proof of concept” than anything else, but if it works for you that is great!

Dropbox - Add Aspect Ratio Guides.zip

Prepression: Downloading and Installing Adobe Scripts

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