6 Replies Latest reply: Jul 9, 2009 5:58 PM by DavidCardillo RSS

    Make Action to Batch process PDF to GIFs

    CharlesBelov Community Member
      Photoshop CS3 Windows

      This is similar to http://www.adobeforums.com/webx/.3c0599eb/5 Make Action to Batch process PDF to JPEGs saved for the web (archived topic)

      I have about 80-100 pdf's that I want to change from 300dpi to 100dpi indexed color and save as gif.

      If I create an action
      Convert pdf to gif
      with steps
      Mode > Indexed Color
      Save as gif

      running this action as a batch only opens the files. I am left with files open in RGB mode, not indexed color. This means the batch processor did not run any of the steps in my action. (Yes, I did make sure in the batch dialog that I specified my action set.)

      Here is my action in the action menu.

      pdf to gif

      Convert mode
      To: indexed color mode
      Pallette: adaptive
      Colors: 64
      Forced: Black and white
      Without transparency
      Matte: None

      Save
      As: Compuserve GIF
      With Interlace
      In: ...

      Here are my steps, using a test folder with 2 pdf's:

      1. Launch Photoshop
      2. File > Automate > Batch
      3. Batch dialog:
      Set [my set]
      Action [pdf to gif]
      Source: Folder
      Choose: [my test folder with 2 pdf's]
      Destination: Folder
      Choose: [my testgif folder, empty]
      File naming: Document name + extension
      Errors: Log errors to file
      File: [my testgif folder, empty]/error.txt
      4. OK
      5. Set resolution to 100dpi.
      6. Click OK for 1st pdf.
      7. Click OK for 2nd pdf.

      Actual result:
      Both files open and stay open.
      Both files are still RGB mode.
      No gif's in testgif folder.
      errors.txt reads:

      Start Batch

      End Batch

      Expected result:
      Files closed (possibly I have to add a Close step)
      2 gifs in the testgif folder.

      Using an action of Save for Web in place of Mode > Indexed color also did not create any gifs.

      I'm wondering whether the PDF dialog on open is throwing a wrench into the works.

      Charles Belov
      SFMTA Webmaster
      http://www.sfmta.com/webmaster
        • 1. Re: Make Action to Batch process PDF to GIFs
          Jack Cates Community Member
          On first (somewhat thorough) look, it's because you aren't telling the action to open any files.

          Also, if you don't want to run into memory issues or the dreaded 400 file limit (or was it 200 or 300?) if you're doing this to a lot of files, you'll want to include 'close' as part of the action, too.
          • 2. Re: Make Action to Batch process PDF to GIFs
            CharlesBelov Community Member
            Thanks, although it didn't solve the problem.

            The action now consists of 4 commands:

            Open
            As: PDF Generic
            Name: [my test file name]
            Crop: Bounding Box
            Resolution: 100 per inch
            Mode: RGB color
            Depth: 8
            With Anti-Alias
            Width: [file width at 100dpi]
            Height: [file height at 100dpi]
            With Constrain Proportions
            Without Suppress Warnings
            Selection: Page
            Number: 1
            [file name]

            Convert mode (as before)

            Save (as before)

            Close

            I closed and restarted Photoshop.

            1. Launch Photoshop
            2. File > Automate > Batch
            3. Batch dialog:
            Set [my set]
            Action [pdf to gif]
            Source: Folder
            Choose: [my test folder with 2 pdf's]
            Destination: Folder
            Choose: [my testgif folder, empty]
            File naming: Document name + extension
            Errors: Log errors to file
            File: [my testgif folder, empty]/error.txt
            4. OK

            Actual result: Open dialog displays with 300dpi, native size of the pdf file.

            Expected result option 1 (preferred): Open dialog doesn't display. Assumes 100dpi and page 1, since that's what I stored with the action.

            Expected result option 2 (2nd best): Open dialog displays with 100dpi, the resolution I stored with the action, and with page 1.

            (By the way, all of the pdf's in the batch only have 1 page each.)

            5. Set resolution to 100dpi.
            6. Click OK for 1st pdf.
            7. Click OK for 2nd pdf.

            Actual result:
            Both files open and stay open.
            Both files are still RGB mode.
            No gif's in testgif folder.
            errors.txt reads:

            Start Batch

            End Batch

            Expected result:
            Files closed
            2 gifs in the testgif folder.
            • 3. Re: Make Action to Batch process PDF to GIFs
              Paul Riggott Community Member
              You could try using my PDF Processor
              The last one will work for CS2 or CS3
              http://www.ps-scripts.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=1882
              • 4. Re: Make Action to Batch process PDF to GIFs
                CharlesBelov Community Member
                Ah, it does appear to be a bug.

                1) Open step is not needed. If I specify a source folder, Photoshop will open each file.

                2) Close step is not needed. If I specify a destination folder, Photoshop will close each file.

                So all I need are the Mode and Save As commands.

                3) However, if Photoshop is opening pdf's, it will only open the pdf's and not run the commands I've specified, so...

                4) After all of the files are open, I just re-run the Action, with Open Documents as the source.

                5) Photoshop correctly runs the script and closes all the files.

                Voila!

                Hope this helps,
                Charles Belov
                SFMTA Webmaster
                • 5. Re: Make Action to Batch process PDF to GIFs
                  Community Member
                  I have a similar situation. I want to make GIFS from Non-PSD PDFs. My Export and Close action/batch runs great for images and PSD-PDFs, just not InDesign exported PDFs. I DON'T want to have to open these all and then run it. Other ideas? Thanks. abp
                  • 6. Re: Make Action to Batch process PDF to GIFs
                    DavidCardillo Community Member

                    someone posted a reply to this thread [http://forums.adobe.com/message/2046550#2046550] where the solution was creating an action in the CS (or older) version.

                     

                    Like everyone, I was perplexed that Photoshop applied the same file name (the one when the action was created) to all the saved JPEGs, no matter if "override action save dialog" was checked or not. (I was using CS2.) The earlier version doesn't record the file name as part of the Open command.

                     

                    Better, part of my action was cropping the PDF to the trim marks, and it appears that the CS version does this "intuitively" (i.e. wrong).