JJMack • Community Expert, Mar 26, 2019Mar 26, 2019
The Frame Tool uses Place therefor you will have Problems populating frames with scripts for its like replacing smart object. The replacement image object image file need to be exactly like the object in the template. Same aspect ratio same number of pixels in the canvas and the same print dpi resolution as the object in the template file. For place resized the object based on the two DPI resolutions the template documents dpi resolution and the object files print resolution.. You only nee
The Frame Tool uses Place therefor you will have Problems populating frames with scripts for its like replacing smart object. The replacement image object image file need to be exactly like the object in the template. Same aspect ratio same number of pixels in the canvas and the same print dpi resolution as the object in the template file. For place resized the object based on the two DPI resolutions the template documents dpi resolution and the object files print resolution.. You only need to use Smart object layers in templates when you need the layer to have perspective, rotation or warping by the layers associated transform which does not change when you replace the smart object layer object using replace content or edit the smart object. You can use Place to populate templates that do not have Smart object in the template and adjust the placed image size and location by adjusting the Layers associated transform and masking the image to shape. I would not know how to add rotation perspective or warping populating a template using place. I would need to use a mockup Template that had image distorted via the smart object layer transforming perspective rotation and warping. This requites either using Replace content with correct size objects or editiing the smart object to change images. You may want to look at the scripts in my toolkit.
I just hid the Frame tool in the Toolbar and disabled its shortcut. I have been framing Image in collages since CS2 without the need of a tool that has issues.
Photo Collage and Mockup Toolkit
Photoshop scripting is powerful and I believe this package demonstrates this. Here is a video showing a 5 image collage PSD template being populated with images
The package includes four simple rules to follow when making Photo Collage Template PSD files so they will be compatible with my Photoshop scripts.
Size the photo collage templates for the print size you want - width, height and print DPI resolution.
Photo collage templates must have a Photoshop background layer. The contents of this layer can be anything.
Photo collage templates must have alpha channels named "Image 1", "Image 2", ... "Image n".
Photo collage templates layers above the background layers must provide transparent areas to let the images that will be placed below them show through.
There are eighteen scripts in this package they provide the following functions:
HelpPhotoCollageToolkit.jsx - Online Help
TestCollageTemplate.jsx - Used to test a Photo Collage Template while you are making it with Photoshop.
CollageTemplateBuilder.jsx - Can build Templates compatible with this toolkit's scripts.
LayerToAlphaChan.jsx - Used to convert a Prototype Image Layer stack into a template document.
InteractivePopulateCollage.jsx - Used to interactively populate Any Photo Collage template. Offers most user control inserting pictures and text.
ReplaceCollageImage.jsx - use to replace a populated collage image Smart Object layer with an other image correctly resized and positioned.
ChangeTextSize.jsx - This script can be used to change Image stamps text size when the size used by the populating did not work well.
PopulateCollageTemplate.jsx - Used to Automatically populate a Photo Collage template and leave the populated copy open in Photoshop.
BatchOneImageCollage.jsx - Used to Automatically Batch Populate Collage templates that only have one image inserted. The Collage or Image may be stamped with text.
BatchMultiImageCollage.jsx - Used to Automatically Batch Populate Any Photo Collage template with images in a source image folder. Easier to use than the interactive script. Saved collages can be tweaked.
PasteImageRoll.jsx - Paste Images into a document to be print on roll paper.
BatchPicturePackage.jsx - Used to Automatically Batch Populate Any Photo Collage template with an image in a source image folder. Images Rotates for best fit.
BatchPicturePackageNoRotate.jsx - Used to Automatically Batch Populate Any Photo Collage template with an image in a source image folder.
PopulatePicturePackage.jsx - Used to Automatically populate a Photo Collage template Fill with the same single image and leave the populated copy open in Photoshop.
PCTpreferences.jsx - Preferences Use in several of the above scripts. Edit this file to change default settings and add layer styles.
BatchReplaceOneObject.jsx - Used to populate simple Mockup templates. Simple Mockup have one rule the top layer must be a Smart Object Layer it contents will be replaced and a Jpeg file saved.
BatchUpdateSmartObject.jsx - Used to populate simple Mockup templates like BatchReplaceOneObject script but can update more than a single smart object layer.
BatchMockupTemplates.jsx - Used to populate mutiple Mockup Template that need to be populated eith the same replacement image objects.
Mockup Support Added
I created my Photoshop Photo Collage Toolkit nine years ago and Avoided supporting Templates that used Smart Object layers to warp, to add perspective, to rotate, add any distortion to images. Because replacement Image file needed to have exactly the same Aspect Ratio, Size and Print resolution as the Object in the Template's smart object layers object. Lately there have been some threads in Adobe Photoshop scripting forums dealing with updating/populating products Mockups Templates that have prototype smart object layers that need to be updated to create the output mockup files. These were good threads and prompted me to do some thinking.
So like my Photo Collage Template design has four simple rules. I came up with four simple rules for Mockup templates. I find that I can easily modify Photo Collage Templates and Mockup Template files I download from the web so they comply with my Photo Collage Template rules or my Simple Mockup Template rules. Mockup templates may be far from simple the only simple part is they are easy to update. So I have add support to my Photo Collage Toolkit to support Mockup templates.
Simple Mockup Templates Four Rules
Simple Mockup Templates Only the Smart Object Layer on the top of the Template layers stack will be updated then a Jpeg file saved.
Only Photoshop Objects are support in the top smart objects layers. That is they can not be Object File that are not supported by Photoshop like Camera RAW Files or Illustrator file like .ai, .svg. I suggest these objects should be PSD or PSB that Photoshop creates. Avoid using PNG objects in Mockup template. For when replace content is used to replace .png objects within a .psd template which has your png's object the replace content operation is very slow.
The first None Smart Object Layer near the top of the layer stack Marks the end of Smart Object Layers the will be updated. Lower Smart Object Layers only update if they share top layers objects.
The Replacement Image Collection need to be in sub folders named obj0, obj1, obj2, .... objN. Each folder must contains the same number of replacement Image files.
There are many issues with Adobe Photoshop Frame layers they can be created via the Frame tool or Created from a Layer or Layers. So I guess logically a Frame Layer can have what amounts to four mask. The vector and normal layer mask the were part of the layers the frame layer was created from and the Frame mask and the normal layer mask added to the frame layer created. In which case Layer style add will be for the smart objects shape where frame layer created for image will normally be for the frames shape. Perhaps not if when you add the image you place in a image that has transparency like a PNG or PSD. The there IS replace content. Here I placed in a RAW file. I can only replace the image with and Raw File in with 2:3 Portrait orientation Raw mosaic values or a RGB conversion 300DPI print Resolution The RAW conversion the the same 8.2MP RAG image with different Print resolution are resized net Replace Content image resizing which degrades the images and make it the wrong size. Additional Frame documentation stated the frame tool would scale the image to fit the frame. So I submitted a bug report and Adobe the stated the Frame will not scale an Image up in size. The Problem is Adobe scaled the image down in size first thus made the image small. If I use a low resolution image Adobe scale the image large degrading then it scales the resize image down in size to fit the frames which degrades the image a second time. Frame should just duplicate the image the scale the image for the frame. Frame Tool should not use Place. Place's resizing image because of different Print DPI setting is a mistake Adobe should have not implemented. They may have done that to make Photoshop work like other applications in the market place. IMO its a mistake it does nothing to scale the different image content to the same scale. Camera Image do not have the same scale. Scale is created by Lens Focal Length and distance to the subject. All Image from a camera may all have different image scale. Image from a Camera from a studio setup using the same lens and distance to subject will have the same scale.
When I first start using Photoshop Scripting Place drove me up the wall till I figured out what is was actually doing. The Preference Resize during Place sent me now many a garden Path. That Preference will only effect Smart Object Layers that are created where at least one side is larger then its corresponding canvas side. If set that Smart Object layers Associated Transform Width and Height are adjusted the same Percentage to scale the layer to fit on canvas. The Layer object itself is not resized. The object Image may have been resize by the Place DPI mistake. So I always scale placed image layer to 100% width and 100% height so I can get the actual size of the layer when I get the layers bounds. I do not want its scaled size.
Does Frame tool have any scripting capabilities so that one can make a "bulk place into frames" script?
Is there any other way to place multiple items each one into one of the selected frames at once?
Frame uses Place so the contents of a frame is a smart object. A frame layer is a smart object layer with a frame mask. You would need to use replace content to replace the object or edit the smart object to change a framed image.
You can have a script batch populate a template however the script would change a set of template images for the teplate one image at a time once a set is populated the script would save the populated collage as an image file like jpeg file and then do the next set of images.
If I were you I would not even use the frame tool to create template PSD files. IMO the frame Tool has issues because it uses Place and the developer of the Frame tool did not know how Place works.
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