PSP8 Script - Batch Conversion/Rename

Since I have a 128mb card for my digicam, I take all my shots at the highest resolution. I download them to my pc as Tiff to avoid artifacts caused by Jpg compression in case I want them printed. Needless to say, these are some whopping big images LOL

I don't have as much RAM as I'd like, and I have difficulties getting through all of my Tiffs before having to reboot. I'll usually begin by resizing, unsharp mask, photo enhancing if required, and maybe framing it.

If they weren't such large files (almost 10mb), then I could open up all the images, and apply one command, then use Ctrl+Y to apply the same command to the rest of the opened images, but like I wrote, I don't have that kind of memory to have that many large images opened all at once. Oh, if there was only a way to automate..........HEY, now PSP8 beta can do that!! (If changes are made to the final release of PSP8, there's a chance that some of this may be affected.)

Before I describe how I recorded my script, then ran it through batch converter, I'd like to discuss PSP8's appearance. The toolbars and palettes take up more room than previous versions. Many of us will likely shut down some of these un-needed areas as we're doing our stuff.

I'm going to reset to factory default for my screenshots, so that there will be consistancy.
File | Preferences | Reset Preferences
will open a new dialog box. Reset workspace to default configuration is the first option, and that's what I'm pressing to get my screenshots from. I close'd out Learning Center, and Overview.

Ok, time to start. I want to know what settings will look good, so I'll make a practice run before I start recording. I opened an image from my digicam folders (duplicated it of course, & closed out original...all in the same ways we've been doing it from earlier versions). I decided how much of each effect I wanted, and the amount of my settings would remain in each of the settings when I recorded my script.

Click here to see more details if you don't know how to resize or sharpen at all. The frames are under the Image menu *S*

Ok so I have my settings I want from my practice run. I closed out that image, re-opened the original from Recent Files, duped it again-close original (just in case LOL). Then I clicked on my Start Script Recording button.

I resized it, sharpened it with UNsharp, then put a frame on it from the new frames that look like masks (all the same things I'd done in my practice run, with the same settings).

Next I stopped the recording by clicking on the Save Script Recording button (if you make a mistake, click on the X to stop recording, and start over with the original image's duplicate).

• Save in - There's 2 trusted areas; one is under your PSP8 folders (wherever you installed PSP8), the other is wherever you told the PSP8 installer to store your files (C:\My Documents is default I believe). I originally put my first test script into the restricted folder...it wouldn't run (assuming a security measure). So put your script into one of the Scripts-Trusted folders.
• File name - Whatever you'd like; the extension will be PspScript
• Save materials - Was checked by default; I left it alone
• Save dialog positions - This *might* not be a good thing to check, since I read on the PSP8Beta Newsgroup that someone using a script they'd recieved from that Newsgroup experienced difficulties since their resolution was different. They reported that their dialog boxes were cropped, and the only way to correct this was to reset PSP8.
• Description - Allows you to write a short note describing what this script will perform

Ok, now if you were to run the script on an image (feel free to test it out now by finding it in the Script Pulldown area, then clicking on the blue arrow button), the dialog boxes for Resize, Unsharp, & Frame will all pop open as the script executes them, confirming the amounts, allowing you to make changes.

A note from Joe Fromm of JASC..."The checkmark in batch conversion that reads "Run script in silent mode" will make the default = silent for that run of the script." So these confirmation boxes will not appear if the script is ran through the Batch Converter, as per Joe's note (thanks Joe *S*).
(the checkmark Joe is referring to will be shown further down)

Here's the path to the Batch Converter:

• Look in - Browse to where the files are that you want to be changed
• Optional Script - Browse to where you saved your script
• Run script in silent mode - Enabling this made it ask NO questions of me, it just ran. The stop on error checkbox was checked by default.
• Type - Use the pulldown menu to find what type of file you'd like. I want mine as JPG.
• Type Options button - For JPG's, there's different options. I click on it to make sure I have the compression setting I'd like. I haven't looked into the new JPG options yet.
• Folder - Browse to tell PSP8's Batch Conversion where you'd like your files to be located after they're converted

   

   

   

• New file name - Click on the Modify button if you'd like to have the files renamed. Here's the new dialog box for renaming images.
• Click on an option you'd like from the left pane, then click on the center ADD button. You may repeat with another option if you'd like.
• The new name will appear in the order that the options are from the right pane. You can use the Up/Down arrows to change the order up.
• If you select Custom Text, you'll get a small dialog box to type the text into. I recommend adding Sequence along with this option (I didn't my first try, and it errored due to it over-writing the filename each time). Sequence added a double-digit number to the end (or beginning...however you set it up with the Up/Down arrow buttons) of the Custom Text if both used together.

After setting up your Batch Conversion locations/preferences, you're ready to go. If you'd like every file in that folder to be changed into a jpg, then click on the Select All button. If you only want certain files changed, then hold down the control key while left-clicking on each file, then press the Start button.

Come back in a few minutes, and use your PSP browser to see if your new images all are there, resized, sharpened, and framed...mine were!

Now you're familiar with recording a script, as well as using it in Batch Conversion. I'm sure you'll all come up with many other fun things to use these powerful tools with 8^)

shreela AT softhome.net
OR
shreela2 AT aol.com