Photoshop

Automating image processing with Camera Raw

You can create an action to automate the processing of image files with Camera Raw. You can automate the editing process, and the process of saving the files in formats such as PSD, DNG, JPEG, Large Document Format (PSB), TIFF, and PDF. In Photoshop, you can also use the Batch command, the Image Processor, or the Create Droplet command to process one or more image files. The Image Processor is especially useful for saving image files in different file formats during the same processing session.

Here are some tips for automating the processing of camera raw image files:

  • When you record an action, first select Image Settings from the Camera Raw Settings menu in the Camera Raw dialog box. In this way, the settings particular to each image (from the Camera Raw database or sidecar XMP files) are used to play back the action.

  • If you plan to use the action with the Batch command, you may want to use the Save As command and choose the file format when saving the camera raw image.

  • When you use an action to open a camera raw file, the Camera Raw dialog box reflects the settings that were in effect when the action was recorded. You may want to create different actions for opening camera raw image files with different settings.

  • When using the Batch command, select Override Action “Open” Commands. Any Open commands in the action will then operate on the batched files rather than the files specified by name in the action. Deselect Override Action “Open” Commands only if you want the action to operate on open files or if the action uses the Open command to retrieve needed information.

  • When using the Batch command, select Suppress File Open Options Dialogs to prevent the display of the Camera Raw dialog box as each camera raw image is processed.

  • When using the Batch command, select Override Action “Save As” Commands if you want to use the Save As instructions from the Batch command instead of the Save As instructions in the action. If you select this option, the action must contain a Save As command, because the Batch command does not automatically save the source files. Deselect Override Action “Save As” Commands to save the files processed by the Batch command in the location specified in the Batch dialog box.

  • When creating a droplet, select Suppress File Open Options Dialogs in the Play area of the Create Droplet dialog box. This prevents the display of the Camera Raw dialog box as each camera raw image is processed.