Using the batch resize Photoshop feature, you can set resize photos images to a uniform size for printing and layout. Here’s how to do it. (These instructions are only for Photoshop. Other image processors may have the same capabilities to resize multiple images, but will require different instructions.)
1. Ensure Your Files are the Right Size
Start by looking at your images in their folder and edit them as needed. Batch resizing is a Photoshop action that works best as the final step in your editing process, so you should do any other editing you need first. Take a moment to make sure every existing file size is larger than the size you plan to change them to.
Some people accidentally save smaller versions of existing pictures, so our goal here is to ensure that doesn’t happen.
2. Open Photoshop and Initiate the Image Processor.
The first step of the process is, of course, opening Photoshop. You can do this from any direct file or shortcut you prefer to use, but if you want to use this program a lot, I recommend leaving a shortcut on your desktop or icon bar.
Once you have Photoshop open, go to File > Scripts > Image Processor. This is a built-in tool in Photoshop we will harness to do all the work of resizing and saving our image.
3. Choose the Folder for Resizing the Images
Select the entire folder you want to resize images in. Clicking and dragging to select all of the images to resize usually works best, since selecting the folder itself doesn’t always tell Photoshop which files you plan to resize.
If the files aren’t in the same folder, go to file folders that contain the pictures and gather them into one folder. Being able to go to files directly is much easier than searching around multiple folders, or even one entire folder with a lot of extra images in it.
Now open one of the files you want to resize.
5. Choose a New Folder for Saving New Files
Now choose where you want to save all of the new files after editing them. This should be a different folder than the originals, which you should keep just in case you need to do further edits later.
4. An Extra Step: Modify RAW Files
This isn’t always necessary for your resizing action, but after selecting the files to change, you can also make other changes to the RAW files. This is especially important if you need to set the files to the same ratio before you change them any further.
6. Know Your File Type
While deciding how to change the size of an image, pick the file type you want to resize. Some files are significantly better than others for specific needs. Don’t be afraid to save in multiple file types when you bulk edit images in Photoshop, either. You can run the resizing image’s script repeatedly to get file types for different situations.
7. Setting Images Size Parameters
After picking the file type for your image resizer action, set the new size parameters that you want all of the images to be. This is the most important part of how to change the size of an image, and your resized images will look strange if the ratios are different. Fortunately, this program helps ensure your resized images look good.
Remember, you do not have to set the image size to what you plan to use. Photoshop is great for getting a uniform image size, but if you want to change the size of images for multiple publications, keeping them as large as possible and resizing as-needed is easier.
8. An Extra Step: Run a New Action While You Resize
If you want to make other changes to your images, you can select a new action to run at the same time as the resizing. This is particularly useful for things like adding watermarks or other notifications to images. Setting up a new action for other tasks is outside the scope of this guide, but a web search can help you find the right instructions for your images.
9. Don’t Forget to Embed Your Color Profile and Consider Adjusting the Copyright
Embedding the color profile can help provide additional information for digital uses, so we recommend this. Adjusting the copyright is essential in some businesses, where you may have to add information such as the rights reserved. Using an image processor does not always remove existing rights, so be sure to check this if needed.
10. Time to Run the Batch Edit
Finally, run the script! That’s really all there is to it.
Steps for Using Photoshop Action to Batch Resize
You can also create your own Photoshop action for batch resizing. We’ve listed the basic procedure involved in a batch resizing in Photoshop.
How to Create a Batch Resize Action with Photoshop
These instructions may vary based on the version of Photoshop you’re using. To use a record button and create a batch resize action, follow these steps:
- Go to the Actions panel
- Click the New Action button
- Set a name for the action
- Press the Record button
- Go to Image, then Image Size
- Resize the image
- Click “Save As,” then select your folder for resized images
- Save it
- Close your image
- Click the Stop button
Using Photoshop Actions or Scripts to Batch Resize Images
Once you have your file scripts image processor set up to automate batch adjustments to images, you’re ready to start resizing things more often.
