Auto contrast question

[Gjbphp]

Ah, my first question on photoshop, I hope it doesn't stump everyone!

I have photoshop CS3 Extended and was wondering if it is possible to have a (or if it already exists) script or plugin that does and "Auto Contrast" (Image > Adjustments < Auto Contrast) on all open images or all images in a folder?

PS I know a lot about programming, so if it is possible to create a script like this, perhaps someone could point me in the right direction.

Thanks

[synthetic]

Hey Greg, there are a couple of ways you could go about it... you could create an action script right in PS to do and then use the batch automation to apply to images in a folder.

you could also create a script from scratch to do this but... it would call for some research to get the syntax correct. I know its possible but would have to dig through the notes I got earlier this year in a class to explain it

easiest way probably is the action script method. Simply open one image in PS... then open your actions window... click the little document like icon in bottom of window to start a new action and it will automatically start recording. Then apply the auto contrast command. Next... save the file using the file format and settings you prefer. Then click the stop recording button at bottom of actions palette.

Now... you can use this action to apply to batches of images from within a folder. To begin... goto File menu at top and select "Automate"... then select "Batch...". It will bring up a dialog box. Basically you want to choose the folder your images are in for source location... then I leave "Suppress File Open Option Dialogs" and "Suppress Color Profile Warnings" checked on and others off. Select the destination... you can choose "Save and Close" to save over old versions but it will likely ask you for each photo. I generally have another folder setup for destination and I choose it... then I have "Override Action "Save As" Commands" checked on and I set my own custom labeling up below to identify the photos as worked and they close and save automatically this way so PS does all the work and you can just watch.

I hope this helps... setting these automation actions up can be tricky as sometimes it doesn't work like you think from the descriptions but... with a little trial and error... you should be able to figure your way out of any little glitches

[Gjbphp]

Hi Dean, thank you very much for your detailed reply. What you suggested with using actions works like a charm! This is a great time saver for me and maybe your reply could even be turned into a tutorial, as I assume it works with any commands that one does.

Thanks again!

[synthetic]

Glad it worked for you. I use this all the time at work. Its a great time saver when I am working on car ads with lots of cars. I get digital photos usually of the cars and just put them in a folder and I have several different actions setup to cover various sizes. My actions just resize the photos and apply a tag line in the metadata so the photos go to the right place in our database when I send them to be processed by our imaging system.

Good idea on the tutorial... I will mark that on a list of tut's I am putting together this fall/winter