Workflow Automation

How I Built a Batch System That Processed 500 Product Shots in One Afternoon
Workflow Automation

How I Built a Batch System That Processed 500 Product Shots in One Afternoon

The Friday Afternoon That Changed How I Work A few years back, I took on a rush job for an e-commerce client: 500 product images, all needing background removal, a levels adjustment, a sharpen pass, and export to three different sizes for web, print, and mobile. Deadline was Monday morning. It was Friday at noon. I could have done what I used to do: open each file, run through the steps manually, save, close, repeat.

Photoshop Droplets: The Batch Processing Tool You're Probably Ignoring
Workflow Automation

Photoshop Droplets: The Batch Processing Tool You're Probably Ignoring

A few years back I had a client send over 500 product shots on a Friday afternoon. New colorway launches for an e-commerce catalog, all needing the same sequence: resize to 2000px on the long edge, convert to sRGB, sharpen with a specific Smart Sharpen value, save as JPEG at quality 9 into a web-ready folder. Same thing, 500 times. I had a weekend. I also had a droplet I’d built in about 40 minutes the month before.

How I Built a Batch Automation System That Processed 500 Product Shots in One Afternoon
Workflow Automation

How I Built a Batch Automation System That Processed 500 Product Shots in One Afternoon

The job came in on a Thursday. Five hundred product images, all needing the same treatment: background removal, shadow drop, color correction to a specific brand profile, resize to 2000x2000 at 72dpi, and export as sRGB JPEGs under 500KB each. The client needed them by Monday morning. A few years ago, that would have meant a miserable weekend. Instead, I had them done by 4pm Friday and spent the rest of the afternoon with my kids.