Batch / actions help needed please

[Trev Rich]

I need a speedy way of going through alot of images at the same time, but as an experiment I would like to do it through actions in CS2 instead of using lightroom.
I can make the basic actions, resize, sharpen, copyright etc..

But I want it to open a file from a specified folder.. can do..
automatically open the crop tool.....
but then stop to let me select the crop...
then automatically open sharpen tool.. stop and allow me to sharpen...

Then levels.. and save...

Any ideas?

thanks in advance.

 

[dod]

that's not as easy as it sounds, was just trying to do that using "insert stop" but can't find a way of doing it just before you select the crop size

 

[Trev Rich]

i've been trying all night.
I use a few panos ones and they stop to let you select.
Doing my head in.

 

[dod]

which ones? can you look through them and find out what they're doing?

 

[Trev Rich]

have tried that.. but am not really sure what im looking for.
Im using the "discrete" one to make a border

 

[dod]

If nobody else does it I'll have a look at it tomorrow

 

[Trev Rich]

Thanks
Will be a nice learning tool if anything.. I will keep having a go too.

 

[EOS_JD]

It's actually VERY easy

open a dummy image (doesn't matter which one).

Start to record your action as you normally would.

Go through all the steps and once you stop the action, open it up. Say you call it Action 1

To the left of the word Action you'll see a tick in the box which switches various parts of an action on and off. To the right of tyhe tick is a blank box...... this is where the action will stop if the icon is selected. Click once on each part of your action and viola.

 

[Trev Rich]

oooooohhh nice one Eos!
can't wait to try that out at lunchtime when I go home for an hour..

Thanks alot!

 

[Trev Rich]

Right all works except one thing..
If you use the crop tool in your action, and you select a portrait crop, when you run a batch process and come to the crop part, you cant change it to landscape without stopping the whole process?

 

[EOS_JD]

Have 2 actions..... One for portrait and one for landscape.

Another way is to rotate your crop however this will give you an image that may require rotation to fix at the end.

 

[Trev Rich]

Have sussed it.
when you record the action, click "clear" in the crop tool so it's not fixed to a size.

 

[EOS_JD]

Have sussed it.
when you record the action, click "clear" in the crop tool so it's not fixed to a size.

Cool. Glad to have helped you out.

 

[Marcel]

Moving to post processing