Using custom Actions and Image Processor in Photoshop CS3 you can automate image resizing to save time.

In this tutorial you will see how easy it is to create an Action in Photoshop to resize multiple images and even apply filters.

Before you begin
Please note that to automate image resizing, all your “raw” images have to be the same dimension, meaning width and height is the same for all files to be processed. Pixel dimensions are proportionate to the image size of the input file and any variation in dimensions may output an undesirable distorted new image.

About Actions

Actions in Photoshop are a sequence of steps which you record one by one as you edit an image. An action can then be played back on a single file or a batch of files to apply—menu commands, palette options, tool actions, and so on. You can record, edit, customize, and batch-process actions, and you can manage groups of actions by working with action sets.

About Image Processor

Image Processor in Photoshop converts and processes multiple files. You can do any of the following in the Image Processor:

- Convert a set of files to either JPEG, PSD, or TIFF format; or convert files simultaneously to all three formats.
- Process a set of camera raw files using the same options.
- Resize images to fit within specified pixel dimensions.
- Embed a color profile or convert a set of files to sRGB and save them as JPEG images for the web.
- Include copyright metadata into the converted images.
- Works with Photoshop (PSD), JPEG, and camera raw files.

Let’s begin!

Organize the image files to be resized by placing them in a “source” folder if you havent’ already done so. Launch Photoshop then go to:

Window->Actions or use keyboard shortcut Alt+F9

This will activate the Actions palette in your Workspace so you can begin building an Action.

Click Create New Action from the Action palette and give it an unique name that describes the purpose of this Action.

This will create an Action set under the Default Actions folder of the Actions palette.

Next, open a “raw” sample image from your “source” folder and from the Actions palette, click Record

As the name implies, the Record function will create a record of all operations performed on the image you’ve opened. It is this set of “steps” in form of an action that will be used by Image Processor to resize your images. Next, go to the Image menu and click Image Size, specify the desired Width and Height and click OK

If you would like to apply any filters, click the Filter menu and proceed to edit the image knowing that any filters you use will be recorded and applied to subsequent images. After you finish editing the image, click Stop from Actions palette to halt further recording of operations. Close the image without saving any changes.

Go to File->Scripts->Image Processor…

From the Image Processor window in step 1 click Select Folder… to specify the source folder containing the “raw” images to be processed. In step 2 click the second radio button to activate and click the Select Folder… button to specify the destination folder for your resized images. Next, in step 3 select the output File Type for your images. In this example I am saving all images as JPG with a high quality of 11 (maximum quality is 12). Finally, click the Run Action checkbox and from the second dropdown menu adjacent to Default Actions select the name of the Action you created earlier. Begin the automation process by clicking Run.

Photoshop will now apply the set of Actions you’ve recorded in form of Image Resize and Filters (if any) to your “source” folder images and output JPGs to your specified “destination” folder, leaving the originals untouched.