I have recently been creating a few droplets for testing, I do use automated batching quite alot in my workflow, but I really never saw the droplet choice as something that would solve any of my needs.
Although they do work great, I was wondering what/why they are really used in someone's workflow to acheive?
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Sure, I use them. I prepare publications for print and for web, and the images are submitted to me from various sources. I use the droplets to convert all to CMYK for printing, and to set resolution to 72 dpi for web use. When I'm printing in black and white, I convert the pics using a droplet as well.
Droplets help me do consistent "last-minute" conversions (is there any minute except for the last one? ). When I'm ready to lay out the publication, I take my selected pictures, copy them to one file as "Originals" (the graphics department wants the originals in case I screw up), then copy all to "Edited"). I run them through the droplets to ensure that all are converted.
I also use droplets for consistency for certain effects -- for instance, I used blurred and faded backgrounds for titles in one publication. A droplet handles the blur and fade and feathered outline, and another sets the size to the width of the column and one inch high.
I find that every once in a while, I consider using a droplet for tasks like shrinking all photos to the same size (for an organization chart, for instance) but I haven't done it, since I prefer to crop and size myself. I suppose if the photos were more consistent (for instance, all head and shoulders not requiring cropping) then I would use it for that. Or if I was doing 100 at a time.
Does it save me a whole bunch of time that I can spend perfecting my backhand or taking up the zither? No. It does ensure that I have done all my conversions correctly and consistently, however, and that does save time.
