Photoshop action help...

First, I only recently began playing with actions, so this is probably a very basic question. Nonetheless, I haven't been able to figure it out, so I'm looking for a bit of assistance...

I created an action to resize portrait images to a max height of 1024 pixels. Somehow during this action I was able to create a feature which I want... When I run the action it prompts me with a Save As window, allowing me to rename the file - I generally append the filename with _Resized. This allows me to save the original and have the resized copy as well. Anyhow, I tried recording a similar action for landscape shots, but cannot figure out how to get the Save As prompt to work. What am I missing?

Hey, you made it!

It's been, well, several years since I've done serious work in Photoshop. I remember there are steps to take with Actions that will help here, I just don't remember them...but let's hope that some of the "Experts" see this and chime in (be patient)!

If you use file -> scripts -> fit image you can tell it to make it a maximum of any number of pixels high or wide, and you can put that in an action.

Not sure how to have it prompt you to save as. Why not just record "open" and "save as" in your actions, run it as a batch, choose a different output directory, and click "override save as" and "override open", then it'll just run your action and put them in a different directory. Just rename them using another tool later. It'll save you HEAPS of time doing it that way.

tim wrote in post #15558973
If you use file -> scripts -> fit image you can tell it to make it a maximum of any number of pixels high or wide, and you can put that in an action.

Not sure how to have it prompt you to save as. Why not just record "open" and "save as" in your actions, run it as a batch, choose a different output directory, and click "override save as" and "override open", then it'll just run your action and put them in a different directory. Just rename them using another tool later. It'll save you HEAPS of time doing it that way.

Thanks for the reply. When I recorded the Actions I recorded the "Save As" part as well. However, for some reason (not sure if there was some additional box that I also clicked when saving the action) the first one prompts me with the Save As dialog when it runs and the second one doesn't (and it writes over the original file with the original filename). I generally don't do this with a TON of images, usually only a few at a time. So to have to use another program/tool for renaming later will just add additional steps to something so small scale (for what I'm doing anyway).

That said, I know that I could easily find a pre-made Action for this... it's certainly nothing special. It was just a way for me to get my feet wet with Actions and begin to understand how they work and how to make my own, but with most of the actions I foresee myself making, I'd really like to know how to get the Save As prompt. I'll give it another go soon...

drvnbysound wrote in post #15559238
Thanks for the reply. When I recorded the Actions I recorded the "Save As" part as well. However, for some reason (not sure if there was some additional box that I also clicked when saving the action) the first one prompts me with the Save As dialog when it runs and the second one doesn't (and it writes over the original file with the original filename). I generally don't do this with a TON of images, usually only a few at a time. So to have to use another program/tool for renaming later will just add additional steps to something so small scale (for what I'm doing anyway).

That said, I know that I could easily find a pre-made Action for this... it's certainly nothing special. It was just a way for me to get my feet wet with Actions and begin to understand how they work and how to make my own, but with most of the actions I foresee myself making, I'd really like to know how to get the Save As prompt. I'll give it another go soon...

You need to tick the box in your action (left side after you expand the action to show all the individual steps) for the step where it would "Save As". That will pause the action to allow you to type in the filename.

solara wrote in post #15560382
You need to tick the box in your action (left side after you expand the action to show all the individual steps) for the step where it would "Save As". That will pause the action to allow you to type in the filename.

Are you referring to pausing the action while creating it (as in after I click the actual Save As option, but before typing in the file name)? Or, are you referring to the boxes in the Actions palette? I've checked both Actions that I created, and the steps in the Actions themselves seem to be identical.

That said, I just realized, that I may have specified a bit wrong... I'm actually creating a Droplet for this. So that I can simply drag-and-drop the images over the droplet and they would be resized. Nonetheless, it's still the Save As dialog box that I'm trying to get.

Instead of a droplet run it as a batch, use override save as. Just as easy really, select the images in bridge, choose photoshop -> batch, and go.

For what it's worth, you can do this directly from Bridge by choosing tools/photoshop/image processor and just plug in whatever size you would like. It will resize portrait or landscape photos all in one process and save them in their own file while leaving the original alone.
As far as getting the "save as" prompt, just record it into the action and before saving, stop recording the action. You can also just move the last step from your current action (the "save as" command") to your new action by dragging and dropping it. You can copy it by holding down "alt" as you drag and drop.

jra wrote in post #15562311
For what it's worth, you can do this directly from Bridge by choosing tools/photoshop/image processor and just plug in whatever size you would like. It will resize portrait or landscape photos all in one process and save them in their own file while leaving the original alone.

Understood. As I mentioned above, I was really just trying to find a simple task to start experimenting with creating actions. I know that there are easy ways to do it, and I'm sure I could have found pre-made actions for this as well.

jra wrote in post #15562311
As far as getting the "save as" prompt, just record it into the action and before saving, stop recording the action. You can also just move the last step from your current action (the "save as" command") to your new action by dragging and dropping it. You can copy it by holding down "alt" as you drag and drop.

Oddly, the "Save As" part of the action is identical in both droplets... but I still only get the prompt to enter a filename on the Portrait one.

I just made a test Action and was able to get the action to pause at the Save As dialog so I could type in the name/location for the saved file.

I created the action without doing anything special, including choosing the location/filename. Then I expanded the Action in the Action window and ticked the Toggle dialog on/off box to the left of the Save step of the action.

My guess is that the settings in the Create Droplet dialog box were not consistent when the two droplets were created. Did you have the "Suppress File Open Options Dialogs" box checked when you made the landscape droplet?

drvnbysound wrote in post #15562398
Understood. As I mentioned above, I was really just trying to find a simple task to start experimenting with creating actions. I know that there are easy ways to do it, and I'm sure I could have found pre-made actions for this as well.

Oddly, the "Save As" part of the action is identical in both droplets... but I still only get the prompt to enter a filename on the Portrait one.

solara wrote in post #15563793
I just made a test Action and was able to get the action to pause at the Save As dialog so I could type in the name/location for the saved file.

When you deal with a lot of images, this can be painful.
Include location & also add a close image command on CS at the end in the seqance of action then you are ready to handdle large number of images.

drvnbysound wrote in post #15558556
What am I missing?

Do yourself a favor: Do not include the "Save as" in the action. Use the image processor.
Also, you can do the resizing there, no action needed.
Also also: if you use "Fit image" and enter 1024px in both boxes, it will work for both landscape and portrait

René Damkot wrote in post #15564903
Do yourself a favor: Do not include the "Save as" in the action. Use the image processor.
Also, you can do the resizing there, no action needed.
Also also: if you use "Fit image" and enter 1024px in both boxes, it will work for both landscape and portrait

René, it's been a while since I set up actions and such, so I don't recall:

With the Image processor, should you record the action with no "Open" step? Does the image processor automatically open the image, run a processing action, then Save/close it? I think that's how it works, and it may really benefit the OP to know this ahead of time.

'Course you would expact an action to not do an "Open" to an image that you've already opened, but I also don't recall the specifics of using a PS "droplet", that others have suggested. Does a droplet need an Open step in the action? I don't recall!

And then there is the Batch tool available in Bridge -- that has the option to "Override Action 'Open' Commands" but I don't recall the specifics.

I do know that there are different "designs" for Actions depending on the desired useof the Action -- as in a version that could be used hassle-free via the Image Processor, a droplet, batch processing, or just to run in PS as you are processing an open image without just closing it after the Action is done with the processing (such as a sharpening action that you run but then want to, say, Soft Proof or some other thing.

Anyway, I just thought I'd toss all that out!

You point the image processor at a bunch of files or a folder and let it do it's thing. No need for an "open" or "save" step to mess up your action.
Since I came across the Image Processor (or Dr Browns version), I don't think I've ever used either an open/save in an action, nor mucked around with "batch"…

Been a while since I used droplets, but ISTR that you basically just "drop" files onto them…

On a side note: You can record a lot of stuff in an action. Even for instance settings in the print dialog in PS.

https://photography-on-the.net …p?p=15171921#po​st15171921
http://tv.adobe.com …ory/printing-experiments/ (Scroll to about 21 minutes)