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ADJUST LEVELS - MULTIPLE PHOTOS (Need more control than 'process multiple' provides)

New Here ,
Feb 21, 2017 Feb 21, 2017

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I need to lighten a group of photos routinely. I am taking photos for real estate marketing purposes. There are often a group of photos that all need to be lightened slightly. I can them do one at a time and use Ctl-L and moving the middle slider bar to adjust the shadows. I usually wind up adjusting them all about the same since it's the same house, same lighting, etc.

Is there a way to select multiple photos and then adjusting levels manually on all of them the same amount?

I've tried 'process multiple files" processing but the auto-levels doesn't suit my purposes.

I'm using PSE 12.

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correct answers 1 Correct answer

Community Expert , Feb 24, 2017 Feb 24, 2017

brians3344  wrote

So, back to my original question. Is there a way to select multiple .jpg images in Photoshop Elements and adjust the levels?

The answer is no if you don't want to use the ACR module.

I don't want to work with RAW

You don't have to work with RAW. The ACR module works perfectly with jpegs, as already stated. You just use 'Open in Camera raw' (or the equivalent depending on your OS platform) instead of 'Open'. You select your batch and all files are shown in the vertical filmstrip on

...

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Adobe Employee ,
Feb 21, 2017 Feb 21, 2017

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Hi,

Thanks for reaching out to us.

You can upgrade to PSE15 which allows you batch editing of multiple files in Elements Organizer. Refer to corresponding tutorial here:

Fix a batch of photos at once using Photoshop Elements 15 | Adobe Photoshop Elements tutorials

and help text here:

Fixing photos in Elements Organizer

For the time being, you can download the trial version of application from here:

Download Photoshop Elements | 15, 14, 13, 12, 11, 10

Hope this would be helpful to you.

Thanks,

Arshla

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New Here ,
Feb 22, 2017 Feb 22, 2017

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Per my original post, batch editing is not what I'm looking for. I want to be able to adjust levels of multiple photos. Looking to adjust the shadows, not the whole pic.

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Community Expert ,
Feb 21, 2017 Feb 21, 2017

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Yes, the 'Instant Fix' in the Organizer is an excellent new feature in Elements 15.

That said, in other recent versions including PSE12, you could do like me. I now nearly always use the ability to open jpegs as well as raw files by batch in the editor.

Unfortunately you can't choose the option to 'Open in camera raw' in the organizer so you have to use that option from the editor. You can select a batch of files, jpegs or raws in a subfolder and open them all. It's easy to apply selective adjustment to one, several or all opened files in the film strip, do another edit etc. The global edititing possibilities are enough for 95% of my pictures; I select all, click on 'Open' in the editor, and from the editor, I save the files one by one after possible detail or layer edits.

Anyway, for your kind of shooting and lighting conditions, raw editing is much more powerful and flexible than normal editing.

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New Here ,
Feb 22, 2017 Feb 22, 2017

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I've downloaded trial version of PSE 15 and tried "instant fix" in the Organizer. That does lighten the photo, but that's not what I'm looking for. I specifically want to be able to adjust levels so I can adjust just the shadows and mid-tones, not lighten the entire pic.

Is there a way to select multiple photos and then hit "ctl-L" and be able to adjust levels on all the photos at once? Either in PSE 12 or PSE 15?

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Community Expert ,
Feb 22, 2017 Feb 22, 2017

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brians3344  wrote

I've downloaded trial version of PSE 15 and tried "instant fix" in the Organizer. That does lighten the photo, but that's not what I'm looking for. I specifically want to be able to adjust levels so I can adjust just the shadows and mid-tones, not lighten the entire pic.

Is there a way to select multiple photos and then hit "ctl-L" and be able to adjust levels on all the photos at once? Either in PSE 12 or PSE 15?

No, but you can you adjust shadows, highlights and midtones separately with much more control in the ACR dialog.

And that works with several files as well a with a single one. You have to understand the controls in the ACR dialog. They are much more powerful than a levels adjustment, even more powerful than a curve one. As a matter of fact, that acts like a curve with added control on the local contrast. And if you open a single file in the raw converter, you can apply the same edits as the 'last edited' one. Something which is not possible in the editor.

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New Here ,
Feb 23, 2017 Feb 23, 2017

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That doesn't solve my problem. I'm processing images via Photomatix and getting a .jpg as the final result. Most of them are just a little dark for my taste (even after I adjust the brightness in Photmatix). So I'd like to lighten all of them just a little.

So, back to my original question. Is there a way to select multiple .jpg images in Photoshop Elements and adjust the levels? I don't want to work with RAW and I process multiple images isn't the solution, either, because it's only auto-fix in there.

Brian

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Community Expert ,
Feb 24, 2017 Feb 24, 2017

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brians3344  wrote

So, back to my original question. Is there a way to select multiple .jpg images in Photoshop Elements and adjust the levels?

The answer is no if you don't want to use the ACR module.

I don't want to work with RAW

You don't have to work with RAW. The ACR module works perfectly with jpegs, as already stated. You just use 'Open in Camera raw' (or the equivalent depending on your OS platform) instead of 'Open'. You select your batch and all files are shown in the vertical filmstrip on the left of the ACR dialog. A single button can select all or you simply highlight several items in the filmstrip, you apply your tones correction (much, much better and quicker than the basic tools in the editor), especially for the kind of lighting very common in your photography). Try the process and use the Help button in that dialog to get you started.

I don't know any faster way to apply advanced or simple corrections to a batch of files. It's a different approach for editing; as a matter of fact, it's the same as in Lightroom. Procedural and non-destructive editing.

Let's say you have edited a batch of 50 files opened at the same time. You have adjusted white balance, tones, sharpening, noise, cropping, straightening either individually or by smaller batches. When you are satisfied with the result, you press the button to select all (or shortcut Ctrl A) and you have a choice: click

- 'Done' and the sliders settings are saved as recipes in the metadata header of the jpeg. No duplicates, no change in the original pixels, which are still available. The files open in ACR next time in the editor or the organizer. The organizer shows the resulting edits. You print on your home printer the edited versions.

If you want to share the resulting edited versions by sending to an external printing service or sharing site, you select all your edited batch in the organizer and you export a publishing version in a temporary folder. The edits will be 'baked in', you'll set the export options for the kind of size, naming required. One temporary export for print, another one for display etc.

- "Open'= All your files are opened and available in the editor in the photobin. You can add more local edits, layers work and save exactly like you want.

That doesn't solve my problem.

It's your choice...

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New Here ,
Feb 28, 2017 Feb 28, 2017

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Thanks. Didn't realize I could open non-RAW images that way. That solved my problem. Thanks for being patient with me until I got it.

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Community Expert ,
Mar 01, 2017 Mar 01, 2017

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brians3344  wrote

Thanks. Didn't realize I could open non-RAW images that way. That solved my problem. Thanks for being patient with me until I got it.

Glad it works for you.

As a matter of fact, working in batches in the ACR module is not a simple trick for situations like the one you have described.

In my opinion, it's a crucial choice in your general Elements workflow. I have never seen that choice described and stressed enough.

Two obvious problems to make it appear to Elements users, newbies or experienced:

- The ACR editing process needs some learning to begin with, just like people coming from Photoshop to Lightroom. Experienced users will neglect the ability to batch edit in ACR; they ignore that they can edit jpegs as well; new users will start learning the traditional bitmap editing process, and that takes a lot of time.

- There is no reason that Adobe should stress and tout that Elements ability: it's much better for them to suggest upgrading to Lightroom (nothing wrong with that, LR is an excellent choice). For instance, you don't have the ability to open jpegs from the organizer directly in the editor. You have to open the files from the editor.

If I had to teach Elements, I would stress that it is built on three "elements': editor, ACR and organizer. Each one provides the 20% of commands needed to solve 80% of the cases:

- Editor: 20% of the options of Photoshop to to 80% of the job.

- ACR: idem, and what is missing can be done in the editor in 80% of the remaining cases...

- The organizer provides the core functions of Lightroom, anything a serious amateur may need.

I would also recommend learning Elements by first mastering the ACR dialog; much faster, powerful and easier than learning all the traditional editing lessons for lighting and color correction.

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