Batch processing from LR to PS

[francisl61708089]

I am taking an on-line class on PS.  THere are a few lessons where they present creating an action (actually a conditional action) in PS.

She then went to Bridge, selected a bunch of files and the "batched" them to PS, where the action was performed.

Is there a way to do something similar from LR? 

Basicallly the actions were rather simple.  It would resize to a fixed image size and in one it added a pattern to the bottom of a horizontal picture. ANother pattern was applied to a vertical picture, that is where the conditional was applied.

ANother example it would resize the image, and then place a template over the image, so the final result was a fixed page size with a border (for printing to a book).

So (for now) just looking to do something similar, could that be done just in LR via presets?  Since it involved masks and layers in PS, I would think not.

TIA

Frank

[john beardsworth]

You do this by saving the Photoshop action as a droplet, which you do in Photoshop. Then take the droplet and put it in the Export Actions folder - you find this in the Export dialog in the Post Processing steps - and call it up as part of an export from Lightroom. Alternatively, you can set up the droplet as an external editor - that's in Lr's Preferences, External Editing.

[francisl61708089]

Okay, so how does a one create a droplet?

From PS, I went to help online help, then searched on create droplet.  The following are the "results" displayed.  The first one is a link to a video but shows exporting via batch from Bridge (which is what I've seen and started this inquiry).  The second is a a description on basic action panel in PS, No where does it say how to create a droplet.  Only mention of droplets is the following: In Photoshop, actions are the basis for droplets, which are small applications that automatically process all files that are dragged onto their icon.

[francisl61708089]

Yet another follow-up.

By downloading and reading the Photoshop reference manual I found that you create a droplet

File -> Automate -> Create Droplet.

This created a .exe file.

When I place this in  C:\Users\frank\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\Lightroom\Export Presets\User Presets It doesn't show up,  Looking at C:\Users\frank\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\Lightroom\Export Presets\Lightroom Presets the file extensions are lrpresets.

I also placed this droplet both

C:\Users\frank\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\Lightroom\Export Actions

C:\Users\frank\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\Lightroom\External Editor Presets

Now at the bottom of LR export, it appears as a post processing after action and then when I run, it opens up the files in PS does what is expected, but would now need to "save" the results. 

Where am I going wrong?

[john beardsworth]

francisl61708089  wrote

Now at the bottom of LR export, it appears as a post processing after action and then when I run, it opens up the files in PS does what is expected, but would now need to "save" the results. 

Where am I going wrong?

You need to include saving in the droplet. In the Create Droplet dialog box, there's a section called Destination.

[francisl61708089]

Okay, that "almost" worked.  Now when it goes to save (since they are going to jpeg) for each picture, I get the save windown where I have to select the resolution and then click okay.  Is there a way to eliminate that?

[john beardsworth · Accepted solution]

Sorry for the brief answers - I'm doing this from my memory - but I may have misled you slightly. In any case, I always have to figure out this each time I set one up!

But it may be that you need to put a Save step in the action, and maybe a Close. That will record the resolution.

In the droplet you then specify the destination folder, and ensure you check the Override Action Save As Commands. This is confusing - because I think it actually respects Save commands in the action. But you'll have to experiment.