batch upload using Action not working

[bartonlew]

Hi, I am not sure how to post meaningful screen shots of the problem I am having, so I'll describe it:  I am on a trial membership of the Photo Folio website, and they explain how to resize images and batch upload them n Photoshop.  I am following their instructions, which are:

1.  Open photo

2.  Go to New Action, name it, hit Record

3.  Edit>Assign Profile: select Working RGB; Click OK

4.  Image>Image Size: select 72 dpi, make sure Resample box not checked

5.  File>Automate>Fit Image:  fill in dimensions, Click OK

6.  File>Export>Save for Web (Legacy); output as jpg between about 200-900 kb's; hit Save, name

7.  Close image - do not save changes

8.  Hit Stop button to stop recording.

This works for one image but when I do the next one, it saves over it.  And when I do a batch upload - making the output images go to the same folder - it overwrites all but the last image in the batch and saves it.

Why won't the Action save multiple files, instead of just one and overwriting whatever previously output image is in the same folder?

[JJMack · Accepted solution]

I have no idea why you wrote Batch Upload using action is not working.  I see nothing in the action you described that even tries to do an upload.

I see thing in what you describe in the action  the leads me to believe you do not know how Photoshop works well.  You normally do not use assign profile unless you know the colors values in the document are for that color space not the color space Photoshop is currently editing in. Also you use export save for web that does not set any DPI value in files it save for  the web.   So  the Action step settint the print resolution to 72dpi is not needed.  The Fit Image resize may also not be needed for save for web can most likely do the resize you want to do. Save for web can also convert to sRGB colors which which web images should have and is most like what you want to do. Don't use Assign Profile unless you know for sure you want to do that.  It not something you would  regularly batch.

The reason the action is overwriting a file is because when you recorded the Save Web step you changed the file name  presented in the save file dialog.  So the Action Recorder recorder recorded the file name you set into the step.  Had you not change the Name presented recording the step the action recorder would not record any file name into the step and when that step is played the Current document name would be use to save the file.

To do a batch Resize like that you do not even need a action you could use menu File>Scripts>Image Processor...

A more flexible Plug-in Script can be downloaded from the web Image Processor Pro. If you download and install it.  You will find it in menu File>Automate>Image Processor Pro...

To upload files Photoshop is not what you want to use it share feature can not be autometed using Actions and Scripts its an interactive process.

[bartonlew]

Thank you.  You are correct that my posting title did not reflect the problem I was experiencing.  The problem was not with a batch upload but with a batch output.  And while it is true that I do not know how Photoshop works well in all respects, I feel compelled to point out that I was following steps in a video produced by aphotofolio, the premier website for webpages created for professional photographers.  So since you say you normally do not assign a profile "unless you know the colors values in the document are for that color space" I wonder if that's true here, where it's not a document but a web image that is at issue.  As for your statement "Also you use export save for web that does not set any DPI value in files it save for  the web.", I have no idea what this means.  Without meaning to sound impolite, I sometimes have a hard time understanding your instructions.

I followed your directions as to the naming and it worked perfectly.  Not assigning a name to the image in the Action resulted in all the images being exported.  Thank you.

[D Fosse]

• Don't name the file in Save For Web. Just let it use the existing name.
• Never use "assign profile" if the file already has one. If it needs to be a different profile, it's "convert". In any case it's moot if you use SFW, because you need to check "embed profile" there (and also "convert to sRGB" if it isn't already).
• Pixels per inch (ppi) is also completely irrelevant for screen/web. Save For Web will just strip this out of the file anyway.

[bartonlew]

Thank you. I wonder why the folks at aphotofolio tell you to assign a color profile.  I will ask them.  I'll try not doing it and seeing how it compares to the images I have already exported/uploaded doing it.  But regardless, I will stop going forward. 

[Lumigraphics]

"Pixels per inch (ppi) is also completely irrelevant for screen/web. Save For Web will just strip this out of the file anyway."

Quick correction, if you choose "All" or "All Except Camera Info" for metadata, the TIFF namespace is preserved in XMP and the PPI metadata will be preserved. A lot of people don't know that.

[bartonlew]

Thank you.  What's interesting is that when I skipped the steps to change color profile and assign image size, and went directly to the step to File>Automate (step # 5 in my 1st post), the images did not out to the designated folder when choosing the Batch output/upload option in Photoshop.  However, when I went back and completed these steps per the aphotoflio video, they did. 

[D Fosse]

Here's a foolproof action for you, guaranteed to work:

flatten and convert to sRGB (never convert layered files; color will change)

Fit Image to desired pixel size

sharpen for screen at final size

Save For Web - set destination folder but don't rename!

close original without saving

When running this as Batch, set destination to "none". The destination is recorded in the action, and it will use the original file name.

If you need to rename, do it in Bridge later (Tools > Batch Rename).

[bartonlew]

This worked great, thanks very much.

The only departure from your instructions was that I did this on a very large jpg: I export my psd's to approximately 4-5 MB jpg files, since some photo contests accept files that large.  So I performed the Action on this folder as a Batch, sending the files to a different folder to make images in the 500 KB range.

I clicked "convert to sRGB" in the Save for Web (Legacy) step.  But I think the jpg's were already sRGB since I assume that box was checked when I exported them initially.  It occurred to me it might be good to check and know generally how to check what color space a jpg is in.  I tried Googling how to find that out but the posts were all very old and referred to software or plug ins that I didn't research further.

[JJMack]

You do not learn Photoshop is a short period of time.  And many thing done editing digital images is not intuitive and some Photoshop Function names do not reflect well what they do and one function you may feel is the same as an other function.   But there is a big differences  between Assign Profile and Convert to Profile.  New users do not understand that when you do some conversion you can incur quality loss. Which will not be recovered if you convert back to what you converted from.   Newer user do not have a good grip on Color Management or Basic digital image processes.

As far a tutorials on the web goes some are good some are bad and may contain wrong information. Some are easy to follow if you have little knowledge of Photoshop.  There are tutorials for the beginner and tutorials only advance users can follow.

I understand what I write may be hard to understand writing is not one of my strong points.  I have been using Photoshop for more than 20 years and run into many things.   I tend to be very picky about little things the make a big differences for many do not realize what Photoshop does when doing. When you use Photoshop you should try to observe what Photoshop actually does get to know how thing are done.  While its all Ones and Zeros the processing is very complex.    I try to be correct to the best of my knowledge but you should evaluate all you read one the web.  Advance user make mistakes and no one knows and uses all of Photoshop and use all of its features.   

If you find errors in what I post please point them out.  If you have difficulty understanding what I post Please ask for some clarification. I will try to help.  Play with Photoshop treat it like a toy on copies of  image you are not going to destroy anything have some fun.  Try things see with you eyes what is being done what is going on.  You do not need to know the technical details know the math like blending, high pass filtering. lapses, different transforms, interpolation ect. That for the Adobe program.

You need to develop a knowledge for color management and basic Digital Image building blocks. The structure of a digital images.   You need a good foundation to build upon.   Starting from the top of the mountain  you are more likely to fall over a cliff and have a fast downfall.  Climbing the mountain is slow but your less likely to fall  it you do not rush it.

[bartonlew]

Thank you, all you said sounds very sensible and wise.  I agree that I should have a basic knowledge of color management and more generally "the structure of digital images."  I wonder if specifically regarding color management if there are good tutorials or videos online.  Perhaps I will search in the Adobe library to see if there are good articles.  I have found some excellent articles there.  Thanks for letting me you are fine with asking for clarification if I don';t understand something you have said.