I am slowly building a potential workflow as I plan to move from Lightroom to Aperture.
One of the features I really enjoy in Lr is the fact I can use Photoshop Droplets to apply receptive tasks. For example it only takes a couple of clicks in Lr for me to export a file sized to the desired pixel dimension and resolution to Ps as a 16 bit PSD file, run the specified droplet to apply the desired sharpening for that particular size and resolution then convert to 8 bit CMYK using a custom profile and save the image in the proper file structure my client desires for this particular use.
I'm at a loss as to how best replicate this step in Aperture without having to manually drop the exported images onto the droplet to invoke the action. Are there better, more automated options? Automator? Apple Script? Smart Folder?
Thanks in advance for any input …
If you make a preset for export that includes your size, tif, bit size. you’ll get your images to the desk where the droplet is. May have to add the convert to psd from the image processor script in PS to get that format. Hope that helps
davidbmoore@mac.com
Twitter= @davidbmoore
Scottsdale AZ
Thanks DB …. There isn’t a problem exporting a PSD from Aperture … TIFF would work fine too … either format would do …
My problem is invoking the PS droplet to apply my CMYK action … without having to physically drop the image file onto the droplet to start the process in Ps …
Butch sorry I didn’t read that closely. I know nothing of scripts. So I will bow out…Except for a question. You want to have a script that will take the images and round trip them into ps for sizing, sharpening and cmyk conversion. Or are you not concerned about getting the files back into aperture after the script runs? Ok Ill be quiet now.
davidbmoore@mac.com
Twitter= @davidbmoore
Scottsdale AZ
No, I’m not worried about round tripping back to Aperture … I only retain the CMYK versions until after the presses have stopped rolling, then I purge them … no need to keep them as I have the original and can export again as needed … plus the fact that Aperture and Lr aren’t able to process CMYK … seems moot to keep them for any longer than necessary …
Butch,
How about you export from Aperture to a folder with a Folder Action script on it, that opens new files with the droplet, which is basically an app? This can all be set up in Automator in no time at all.
-Joseph
@PhotoJoseph
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Got any links to good tutorials on that idea … that is exactly what I envisioned … but I am having difficulty in bringing the idea to fruition … ignorance is bliss and all that … :-) …
1. Launch Automator
2. New folder action
3. search for “open”, drag “open finder items” to the action list
4. set “open with” to your droplet (there’s an “other” listing at the bottom)
5. Save; when you do it’ll ask for a folder to attach it to
That should be all it takes. If your droplet creates a new file, I wonder if that will get picked up by the script and throw it back into the loop. If so you should modify your droplet to save to another folder.
-Joseph
@PhotoJoseph
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Butch,
you might want to tie the whole thing into Automator, instead of using a Folder Action.
Aperture has very deep Applescript support and I think PS has some too these days. You could tie all that together within Aperture … but there are also some 3rd party solutions for Automator, which could save a lot of time.
Grant
Thanks Joseph,
That works … I was using the Launch command instead of open command … only problem is it will only address a single image export … not a batch export … something that was very handy in Lr … it could handle one or one thousand images exported to a droplet …
Butch,
The action should open any image dropped in the folder, including multiples. I’ll ask our resident AppleScript guy, Morten, to chime in.
@PhotoJoseph
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Thanks Grant … I was looking at Ben’s Automator actions … even downloaded the free version to test … looks like they will work with multiple versions … though I’ll have to buy the “Pro” set to get the droplet/Ps Actions part … or code it myself …
Oh … and Folder actions ARE Automator workflows … just depends how you save out from Automator … the difference is, any new file saved to the folder with the Automator workflow attached to it is called to action without additional user activity … whereas if you save it as an Automator app … you have to actually drag and drop the files onto the app icon to invoke the workflow …
Sounds great Joseph … I’ve never turned down info/advice from an expert … ;-)
Resident AppleScript guy chiming in.
Regarding the workflow Joseph suggested, which apparently only opens one image with the droplet: My guess is that it’s a limitation (or bug) in the way that the droplet interfaces with Automator. Folder actions automatically pass multiple files down the chain, so the applet probably receives all of them but then decides to only process the first or the last file.
I don’t have this droplet so I can’t test it, but I would recommend the following workflow, which doesn’t need any 3rd party plugins:
1. Create new Folder Action in Automator.
2. Select the target folder from the drop-down at the top.
3. Action: Filter Finder Items (kind - is - image).
4. Action: Run AppleScript (with the following code, which is a shot in the dark since I don’t know exactly how the droplet works).
on run {input, parameters}
tell application "Put the name of the droplet here"
repeat with i from 1 to (count input)
open item i of input
end repeat
end tell
return input
end run
Another possibilty which would require a lot of research, is to use Photoshop’s AppleScript interface. The library of Photoshop commands that can be executed from a script is humbling to a simple Aperture scripter such as myself. I’ve only browsed the commands and my subjective opinion is that it does not look easy.
Thanks a bunch Morten …
The Ps droplet in question is rather simple … it applies sharpening to a 16 bit file, converts to CMYK, converts to 8 bit then saves out a .psd file to a specified folder for uploading to the client’s FTP server ….
I’ll give your script a go and let you know how I make out …
Thanks again!
Morten,
I followed your advice … but when I test the AppleScript I get:
“expected end of line but found unknown token”
with a highlight in the script line following the name of my droplet …
any ideas?
Check that last response … I fixed the syntax … It came from copy/paste … forgot scripting doesn’t like copy/paste from the web …
Now the script runs … though the folder action invokes the Ps droplet, the droplets fails to complete the task before shutting down … Is there a need to pause the AppleScript from ending the Ps droplet prematurely?
Problem solved …
Further testing and searching … I tried invoking Photoshop directly instead of the droplet … now it works great …
Here is the script if anyone else could use the info:
on run {input, parameters}
tell application “Adobe Photoshop CS5.1”
repeat with i from 1 to (count input)
open item i of input
do action “ActionName” from “ActionSetName”
end repeat
end tell
return input
end run
Be sure to enter your own specific Action Name and the Action Set in which it resides in Ps …