Photoshop Actions

[stiney51]

Ok, so I've been using photoshop actions for a few versions now to speed along the process of creating multiple image sizes for the web. I set up actions to take the largest image, then reduce it to any other sizes we might need (usually at least a medium and thumbnail version).

Anyway with CS3 there is either a bug or an "upgrade" that is a bit of a pain that I'm hoping someone has a way around.

I set the action to resize, sharpen and save a copy of the file into a folder. However I usually do these in batches and when I'm done and upload the images I delete them or move them to another folder. Here's the issue, the action automatically follows the images around, so the next time I run it, it saves the images in wherever I moved the last batch to (the trash in some cases).

Anyone know how to avoid this?

[Tamlin]

I don't know a lot about automating Photoshop, but I'm wondering if you might have better control if you used a script rather than an action? That way, you could hard-code in a default "Save" location.

[Jacorre]

When you're recording the process, do you stop the recording before you move them to the trash? I may not be understanding what you're doing sorry!

[stiney51]

Here's exactly what is recorded in the action:

• Open file (so I can batch an entire folder)
• Image size (to reduce the file from 1000 pix wide to 285 pix)
• Image sharpen (to clean up the image from resizing)
• Export (which originally is to a folder called images)
• Image size (to 155 pix)
• Export (again originally to the images folder)
• Close File without saving

Once I run a batch of images I generally move the completed files to a subfolder called "uploaded" or I delete them outright. Then when I go to run another batch (immediately or if days later) the export steps have altered to put the new images into the folder (or trash) where the original images were moved. Or more specifically, the image that was used to setup the action.

Didn't used to do this in CS, but it's rather anoying in CS3.