Batch Image Resize |
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Resize hundreds of images at the click of a button... |
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Whatever the reason, it can be a very boring task! "... Open ... Resize ... Save ... Close ... Open ... Resize ... Save ... Close ..." Sound familiar? Well you needn't waste time resizing files manually anymore, because Photoshop Elements provides a way to make it all quick and painless! |
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| Open the Batch Tool First thing's first, open the Photoshop Elements Batch Tool. To do this, select 'File - Process Multiple Files...' from the menu. A rather large and daunting dialog box will appear, like the one below. Don't worry though, we can ignore most of it, we only need a few small parts! |
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| Two Simple Steps The batch image resizing process basically requires two steps. The first is to select which files are to be resized. The second is to specify the new dimensions and resolution for the images. Selecting the Files If you've already learnt about selecting files in another batch tutorial, then feel free to skip down to the section on 'Resizing the Images', otherwise, read on... Firstly, look for the top left frame titled 'Process Files From:', which is pictured below: |
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| Here you can pick a folder for your batch operation, or use a different image source. The default item
for the drop down box by the title is 'Folder'. If you want to use a different source, change this drop down box to another value, like 'Import', 'Opened Files', or 'File Browser'. All the options require that you to specify an output folder where the processed files will be saved to. Only the 'Folder' option allows you to select the 'Same as Source' check box however. This option will overwrite each file instead of saving it somewhere else. Each source option is explained below: Folder - This option allows you to run a batch process on all the files in one folder. You can also choose to process files in subfolders of the main folder. Beware though. All files, from the folder and all subfolders, will end up in the same single destination folder. Import - This option allows you to import all the images from another document for processing, for example a pdf file. Opened Files - This option simply processes all the documents you currently have open in Photoshop Elements. These are sometimes referred to as being in the 'Photo Bin'. This option is only available if you have at least one document open. File Browser - This option processes all the files selected in the 'File Browser' panel. It is only available if you have the 'File Browser' panel open. Resizing the Images Once you have selected a set of images to batch resize using one of the methods above, you need to refer to the third frame in the box, titled 'Image Size', which is pictured below: |
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| First tick the box that reads 'Resize Images'. This will enable the frame. You now need to tell Photoshop
what dimensions and resolution you would like the new images to have. These options work just like those found in the 'Image Size' dialog box available from the 'Image' menu. Generally I like to specify the width and height in pixels. If you wish to do the same, make sure "Pixels" is selected in both drop down boxes. Then you can enter your values. If the 'Constrain Proportions' check box is not ticked, you will have to specify both dimensions. This will resize all images according to those dimensions, even if this distorts the image. If 'Constrain Proportions' is ticked, then you can only specify one dimension. Using this method, you specify either a width or a height, and each image is scaled so that it matches the dimension you specified, and its other dimension is such that the image is still in proportion. Finally you need to specify a resolution. This is the only noticeable difference from the 'Image Size' dialog box. Here you can only pick from a number of preset resolution values, instead of being able to specify any resolution you like. Remember that the resolution is stated in Pixels Per Inch (ppi) not Dots Per Inch (dpi). You do not need to set the resolution equal to the maximum dpi number of your printer. |
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A Few Cautions There are a few things to remember when doing a batch image resize operation. Firstly, the same restrictions apply as when you are doing it manually. If you make an image much bigger than it was originally, you will notice a quality degradation. Generally there's no problem making images smaller, but a loss of quality when blowing up images is unavoidable, since the image does not gain any new data, it just stretches what's there! Secondly, and especially if you are using the 'Constrain Proportions' option, if you have a mix of portrait and landscape images, be careful! If you specify the width for example, and then set Photoshop resizing, the portrait images will end up larger than the landscape images. It might be an idea to separate out the two types and batch resize them in two separate groups. Lastly, when you hit that 'Ok' button, be prepared to stop using your computer while Photoshop performs the batch resize. To re-dimension the images Photoshop must open each file, and this can be quite a big operation. You can do other things while Photoshop performs a batch image resize, but I've found that if there are a lot of images, especially if they are large files, then it can cause Photoshop to freeze or crash, so it's best just to be patient where possible. |
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Kind Regards
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A page about how to Batch Image Resize
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