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brians3344
brians3344
Participant
February 21, 2017
Answered

ADJUST LEVELS - MULTIPLE PHOTOS (Need more control than 'process multiple' provides)

  • February 21, 2017
  • 2 replies
  • 8399 views

I need to lighten a group of photos routinely. I am taking photos for real estate marketing purposes. There are often a group of photos that all need to be lightened slightly. I can them do one at a time and use Ctl-L and moving the middle slider bar to adjust the shadows. I usually wind up adjusting them all about the same since it's the same house, same lighting, etc.

Is there a way to select multiple photos and then adjusting levels manually on all of them the same amount?

I've tried 'process multiple files" processing but the auto-levels doesn't suit my purposes.

I'm using PSE 12.

    This topic has been closed for replies.
    Correct answer MichelBParis

    That doesn't solve my problem. I'm processing images via Photomatix and getting a .jpg as the final result. Most of them are just a little dark for my taste (even after I adjust the brightness in Photmatix). So I'd like to lighten all of them just a little.

    So, back to my original question. Is there a way to select multiple .jpg images in Photoshop Elements and adjust the levels? I don't want to work with RAW and I process multiple images isn't the solution, either, because it's only auto-fix in there.

    Brian


    brians3344  wrote

    So, back to my original question. Is there a way to select multiple .jpg images in Photoshop Elements and adjust the levels?

    The answer is no if you don't want to use the ACR module.

    I don't want to work with RAW

    You don't have to work with RAW. The ACR module works perfectly with jpegs, as already stated. You just use 'Open in Camera raw' (or the equivalent depending on your OS platform) instead of 'Open'. You select your batch and all files are shown in the vertical filmstrip on the left of the ACR dialog. A single button can select all or you simply highlight several items in the filmstrip, you apply your tones correction (much, much better and quicker than the basic tools in the editor), especially for the kind of lighting very common in your photography). Try the process and use the Help button in that dialog to get you started.

    I don't know any faster way to apply advanced or simple corrections to a batch of files. It's a different approach for editing; as a matter of fact, it's the same as in Lightroom. Procedural and non-destructive editing.

    Let's say you have edited a batch of 50 files opened at the same time. You have adjusted white balance, tones, sharpening, noise, cropping, straightening either individually or by smaller batches. When you are satisfied with the result, you press the button to select all (or shortcut Ctrl A) and you have a choice: click

    - 'Done' and the sliders settings are saved as recipes in the metadata header of the jpeg. No duplicates, no change in the original pixels, which are still available. The files open in ACR next time in the editor or the organizer. The organizer shows the resulting edits. You print on your home printer the edited versions.

    If you want to share the resulting edited versions by sending to an external printing service or sharing site, you select all your edited batch in the organizer and you export a publishing version in a temporary folder. The edits will be 'baked in', you'll set the export options for the kind of size, naming required. One temporary export for print, another one for display etc.

    - "Open'= All your files are opened and available in the editor in the photobin. You can add more local edits, layers work and save exactly like you want.

    That doesn't solve my problem.

    It's your choice...

    2 replies

    MichelBParis
    Community Expert
    MichelBParisCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    February 22, 2017

    Yes, the 'Instant Fix' in the Organizer is an excellent new feature in Elements 15.

    That said, in other recent versions including PSE12, you could do like me. I now nearly always use the ability to open jpegs as well as raw files by batch in the editor.

    Unfortunately you can't choose the option to 'Open in camera raw' in the organizer so you have to use that option from the editor. You can select a batch of files, jpegs or raws in a subfolder and open them all. It's easy to apply selective adjustment to one, several or all opened files in the film strip, do another edit etc. The global edititing possibilities are enough for 95% of my pictures; I select all, click on 'Open' in the editor, and from the editor, I save the files one by one after possible detail or layer edits.

    Anyway, for your kind of shooting and lighting conditions, raw editing is much more powerful and flexible than normal editing.

    brians3344
    brians3344Author
    Participant
    February 22, 2017

    I've downloaded trial version of PSE 15 and tried "instant fix" in the Organizer. That does lighten the photo, but that's not what I'm looking for. I specifically want to be able to adjust levels so I can adjust just the shadows and mid-tones, not lighten the entire pic.

    Is there a way to select multiple photos and then hit "ctl-L" and be able to adjust levels on all the photos at once? Either in PSE 12 or PSE 15?

    MichelBParis
    Community Expert
    MichelBParisCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    February 22, 2017

    brians3344  wrote

    I've downloaded trial version of PSE 15 and tried "instant fix" in the Organizer. That does lighten the photo, but that's not what I'm looking for. I specifically want to be able to adjust levels so I can adjust just the shadows and mid-tones, not lighten the entire pic.

    Is there a way to select multiple photos and then hit "ctl-L" and be able to adjust levels on all the photos at once? Either in PSE 12 or PSE 15?

    No, but you can you adjust shadows, highlights and midtones separately with much more control in the ACR dialog.

    And that works with several files as well a with a single one. You have to understand the controls in the ACR dialog. They are much more powerful than a levels adjustment, even more powerful than a curve one. As a matter of fact, that acts like a curve with added control on the local contrast. And if you open a single file in the raw converter, you can apply the same edits as the 'last edited' one. Something which is not possible in the editor.

    A
    Adobe Employee
    arshla jindal
    Adobe Employee
    February 22, 2017

    Hi,

    Thanks for reaching out to us.

    You can upgrade to PSE15 which allows you batch editing of multiple files in Elements Organizer. Refer to corresponding tutorial here:

    Fix a batch of photos at once using Photoshop Elements 15 | Adobe Photoshop Elements tutorials

    and help text here:

    Fixing photos in Elements Organizer

    For the time being, you can download the trial version of application from here:

    Download Photoshop Elements | 15, 14, 13, 12, 11, 10

    Hope this would be helpful to you.

    Thanks,

    Arshla

    brians3344
    brians3344Author
    Participant
    February 22, 2017

    Per my original post, batch editing is not what I'm looking for. I want to be able to adjust levels of multiple photos. Looking to adjust the shadows, not the whole pic.

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