How to batch-process images in Photoshop

Opening images one at a time to repeat the same editing and export steps can turn a small finishing task into a long session. Photoshop offers ways to repeat those steps across a folder, but a good batch starts with a tested setup.

There are two useful approaches: run a recorded action, or use a script when the job needs more control over templates, filenames and folders.

Choose an action for a repeated sequence

An action records a sequence of Photoshop operations. It is a good fit when the same editing steps can be applied to each input without choosing different settings every time.

Adobe’s batch-processing instructions use File → Automate → Batch. Choose an action, a source and a destination. Review recorded Open and Save commands so the batch processes the intended files and saves to the correct location.

Use a separate output folder while testing. “Save and Close” can overwrite originals; choose it only when that is what you intend.

Choose a script for a template-based job

A script can handle details that would be awkward to repeat manually. TheProvenLab’s finishing script reads upscaled files, inserts each one into an IMAGE FILTERS PSD, preserves the filter group and exports a finished JPG.

The included script uses a layer called INSERT ABOVE HERE as its insertion marker. It reads from 2. UPSCALED and writes to 3. FINISHED. Keeping those boundaries clear lets you retain the source images while checking the outputs.

This is a specific finishing workflow. It is not a general fix for every image or a replacement for individual retouching where that is needed.

Check the canvas before running anything

A template’s canvas determines the finished image dimensions. If the PSD is smaller than the upscaled image, the export will use the smaller canvas. Increasing resolution earlier in the process does not change that.

The supplied script scales images to fill the canvas. An input with a different aspect ratio can lose content at its edges. Check a test export for cropped hands, products, text or other important details before processing more files.

Use a template whose shape and dimensions suit the batch, and inspect how its filters affect a range of images rather than just one convenient example.

Keep file paths explicit

For the supplied script, TEMPLATE_PSD points to the actual PSD file. BATCHES_ROOT points to the parent directory containing the batch folders. It should not point directly to an individual batch or its upscaled subfolder.

If you edit a JSX file, use a plain-text editor and preserve the .jsx extension. Check spelling and quotation marks in paths, then save your changes.

Test with a small selection

Choose a few images that represent the differences in your batch: lighter and darker scenes, busy details and subjects near the edge. Run those first, then check:

• The exports are in the intended folder.
• Filenames still match the metadata.
• The dimensions and colour settings are suitable.
• The filters do not introduce distracting artefacts.
• Important content has not been cropped.

Only move on to the larger batch once that test behaves as expected. Keep your original inputs and template.

Read the completion message and export log

In TheProvenLab’s workflow, wait for Upscayl to finish before launching the Photoshop stage. In Photoshop, use File → Scripts → Browse, select the supplied finishing script and enter the batch number.

The script skips existing finished JPGs by default. That makes a rerun useful for missing outputs, but it also means a changed filter setup will not replace earlier files unless you deliberately change the overwrite setting.

Check the completion message and the export log in 3. FINISHED. A finished run can still contain individual failures that need attention.

Automate the repeatable part, then review the result

A batch is valuable when it repeats a process you have already checked. Review finished files at 100% zoom, and keep manual decisions for images that need a different treatment.

For the larger file structure, read how to organise an Adobe Stock workflow. The Adobe Stock Workflow includes the finishing script and PSD alongside the earlier stages.