photoshop batch filing possible?

[mbalensiefer]

Hi!

 I am trying to crop a bunch of photos at 480*640 pixels, exactly.
 I have to select the "best" area within each of my pictures to do this in. This will be the images' "preview." What is the best way to do this with Photoshop?

 So far I've tried making a semi-transparent layer with this W*H resolution as "empty" space in the middle. I then shift this atop my selected photo, then I merge down the two layers to effect a .jpg. I then have to crop it. Is there better way to do this?

Thank you!
Mike B

[Jack Flesher]

Hi!

 I am trying to crop a bunch of photos at 480*640 pixels, exactly.
 I have to select the "best" area within each of my pictures to do this in. This will be the images' "preview." What is the best way to do this with Photoshop?

 So far I've tried making a semi-transparent layer with this W*H resolution as "empty" space in the middle. I then shift this atop my selected photo, then I merge down the two layers to effect a .jpg. I then have to crop it. Is there better way to do this?

Thank you!
Mike B

If I am understanding you correctly, you might try using the rectangular marquis tool, and set it to a fixed dimension of 480x640 px. Then simply click on your image with the marquis tool active and a rectangle of marching ants will appear. You can drag this to position it anywhere on the image you want.  Next, you would copy (it will only copy what is inside the marching ants), open a new file, paste, flatten and re-name the file. You can easily create an action that does all that last bit...

[DiaAzul]

I am trying to crop a bunch of photos at 480*640 pixels, exactly.

Not sure if this helps, but you can set a Crop Tool Preset to 480 px by 640 px. Then every time you want to crop and resize the image to a specific size, select the tool preset, select the area of the image that you want as your preview (Photoshop will maintain the correct image proportions for the crop) and then crop the image. Photoshop will then automatically resize the post cropped image to the size that you have set in the Width and Height for the tool (in this case 480px by 640px). Save the image and then move on to the next.

[mbalensiefer]

Thanks, both!!

 How can I get the tool to stay "fixed"?

~Mike

[Jack Flesher]

Thanks, both!!

 How can I get the tool to stay "fixed"?

~Mike

With the Marquis tool, when you set it under "Fixed Size," the last size entered sticks until changed. With the Crop tool, you can save a size as a preset, and call it up any time you need it.  

The problem with using the crop tool for your described process -- assuming I understood it properly -- is it does not lock at a fixed pixel dimension, but will rather scale to the set pixel dimension and resize the selected area to that target pixel dimension.

[mbalensiefer]

Thanks!!!

 I cannot find "fixed size" as an option for either the Marqee or the Crop tool though...

I am on CS4.

[Jack Flesher]

Thanks!!!

 I cannot find "fixed size" as an option for either the Marqee or the Crop tool though...

I am on CS4.

It is under the "Style" tab on the tool's top bar:

[mbalensiefer]

Alright. I am pretty bad at this. I am in Standard screen mode. I have changed my workspace views to Basic to Advanced 3d. I am on the PC and I do not have this as far as I can see. Any hints?

Thanks much!!
Michael

[Jack Flesher]

Alright. I am pretty bad at this. I am in Standard screen mode. I have changed my workspace views to Basic to Advanced 3d. I am on the PC and I do not have this as far as I can see. Any hints?

Thanks much!!
Michael

Sigh... ()

In the upper command bar, click on "Window."  In the resulting dropdown make sure that "Application Bar" "Options" and "Tools" are all checked...  Options is the one that allows, well selection of multiple, various options for the tools you have selected.

[mbalensiefer]

Thank you,

This is getting silly but here is a pic of my CS4...perhaps you can show me I am missing something here?

[Jack Flesher]

Thank you,

This is getting silly but here is a pic of my CS4...perhaps you can show me I am missing something here?

Perfect. See the two boxes in your tool bar labeled "Width" and "Height?"  Enter "640 px" in Width and "480 px" in Height, leave resolution blank.  Now open an image and play around with the crop tool a bit... (Drag your mouse to outline the exact area you want cropped, then double click inside the crop to perform the crop. Voilla, your resulting image will be exactly what you outlined and it will be exactly 640x480 pixels.   )  

Next, select the Rectangular Marquis tool and show us a similar screenshot and we'll walk you through that.  (It should look surprisingly similar to the option bar in the screenshot I posted above.)  

Cheers,

[mbalensiefer]

Great!!

 I am really squeezing this board for info.
I got both tools to work.

Now: I have a .psd (or .jpg) image that I'd like to position as a watermark (and with a slight transparency, if this is possible) in USUUUALLY the same area of each picture that I crop. Is this possible?
It doesn't need to be in the same action as the crop. I am thinking something that measures as a percentage-distance from the sides and then the top and bottom would do the trick...like an "insert in"?

Mind my pictures are of different sizes (but now of the same dimmensions)!

V/R
~Mike

[Jack Flesher]

Great!!

 I am really squeezing this board for info.
I got both tools to work.

Now: I have a .psd (or .jpg) image that I'd like to position as a watermark (and with a slight transparency, if this is possible) in USUUUALLY the same area of each picture that I crop. Is this possible?
It doesn't need to be in the same action as the crop. I am thinking something that measures as a percentage-distance from the sides and then the top and bottom would do the trick...like an "insert in"?

Mind my pictures are of different sizes (but now of the same dimmensions)!

V/R
~Mike

I am going to be as gentle and kind as I can be here...  Yes it can be done, however given the "difficulty" in teaching you how to use the crop and marquis tools, it will be too arduous a task for me to explain it to you online.  So perhaps somebody else is willing to take the time for you on this one...  In the meantime, I will suggest you might want to take a course or workshop in CS processing, or at the very least purchase a good book on the subject.

Best,