Tool for saving manipulation steps for a image in a file?

[lakitod]

Hi photo gurus,

 

Is anybody knows a tool or plug-in for PS or other Image GUI tool (gimp, image

magic) that can record the manipulation steps from raw till final image and

store them in a separate file to execute them latter for each raw image.

 

I not asking you for a macros or similar thing I want to store complete

manipulation recipe/history of a image including filters and plug-ins. The ideal

will be if those tools exists for PS, if not any other tools under Windows or

Linux will be OK.

 

Thanks,

Lazar

[steve_johnston4]

That is a great idea! If no such program exists right now, try what I used to do in the darkroom. Right down the steps you take and keep them in a file jacket. Sounds very untechy, but works for me.

[david lloyd]

If I understand the question correctly - there already is one - it's built into Photoshop CS2 at

least. Go to its preferences and enable the history log.

[shutterdrone]

You can store a history log, but I don't know how you would execute it.

 

This is normally handled by recording an action. You can then save and distribute that action if you please. (I use actions to record common changes all of the time. In fact, it's become hard to manage all of the actions. =)

 

See:

 

Creating Action Tutorial:

http://www.metatitan.com/photoshop/17/automating-photoshop-actions-and-batching-explained.html

 

Saving actions to files: http://www.cellbio.duke.edu/faculty/klingensmith/adobe%20photoshop%207/help/help.html

 

I do not believe that you can save changes in ACR as an action, but you, can, however, using the image processor apply all changes you make to the first file in ACR to all subsequent files, and apply the action you've saved at the same time.

 

!c

[lakitod]

Thanks guys,

 

But what I need is to save manipulation steps for each image, I don't need to save the final pictures. I need to keep original all the time and produce pictures on demand in many versions. I know about actions in PS, but they are designed to automate the same manipulations to more pictures. I also know about scripting possibility, I can also do something with both, but sounds complicated. But what I want to know, is somebody knows, are there tools that do this, because I want to save time if I don't need to invent the wheel again.

 

Archiving the manipulation history is nice to have by product of this operation.

 

I know this sounds crazy, but I hope that there could be someone who can give me useful info.

 

Regards

[shutterdrone]

"I know about actions in PS, but they are designed to automate the same manipulations to more pictures. "

 

I think you are confused. A recorded action is a recording of the exact steps you chose to record, it records everything exactly as you do it.

 

Whether or not it is applied to one or more photos is a decision you make, not the software. (Not to mention, doesn't that very statement you made imply that if it can do it for many things, it can do it for one?)

 

Just hit the record button before you do your edits. Hit stop when you're done, name it after the image - you have exactly what you're looking for, you can replay it back against the same image as many times as you like.

 

Of course, if you're just looking for non-destructive edits and histories of actions, why not use lightroom instead? This is how lightroom works - you make all the edits you like, and then can step forward (to the end) and backward (to the beginning) as you like - and never have to do another thing.

 

!c

[don_e]

"Is anybody knows a tool or plug-in for PS or other Image GUI tool (gimp, image magic) that can record the manipulation steps from raw till final image and store them in a separate file to execute them latter for each raw image."

 

Adobe Lightroom

[bill koenig]

Unless I'm not reading this right, wouldn't saving as a .PSD in Photo shop do this for you? You would have all of your layers in place, all you'd have to do is just open up the file to see what was done.

[bill_d.1]

"You would have all of your layers in place, all you'd have to do is just open up the file to see what was done."

 

In theory maybe, but in practice I have not been able to accomplish this. Maybe you could help me understand what I'm doing wrong. I think it's a workflow issue for me.

 

Here's what I mean... I always wanted to be able to do all my edits in layers and keep all the layers intact so I can go back and tweak just one of the edits without having to do them all over again. But not all editing can be done in adjustment layers. So for example if I have an adjustment layer for levels and another one for hue/sat and then I want to do some final output sharpening in a layer, there is no adjustment layer for sharpening (I'm using Elements 4.0). So I need to create a duplicate layer to do my sharpening in. But if I duplicate the top layer in the stack that doesn't work, I have to flatten the image first and well, there go my layers. If I duplicate the bottom layer (background) for my sharpening layer then in effect I am performing the sharpening before the levels and hue/sat are adjusted and I don't think that's a good idea.

 

I hope I'm not hijacking this thread but I think my problem is related to the original question. Any help would be appreciated.

[kevinconnery]

In Photoshop itself (don't know about Elements), you can merge existing layers--either all of them or just the visible ones--into a new layer.

 

Additionally, in CS3, you can apply many filters, including sharpening, as equivalents to adjustment layers ("smart filters").

[bill_d.1]

Thank you Kevin for your response.

 

I don't know about smart filters, I don't think that's available in Elements.

 

As far as merging layers, again that defeats the purpose. My objective is to save each layer for tweaking later on. I don't see any difference between flattening and merging. Forgive me if I'm not making any sense, I have a feeling that there is some simple concept that I just don't understand.

 

Bill