Proofing and File Finishing Action (by Trevor Clowes).
In
this workshop Trevor explains how to create a file finishing action, which includes a copyright notice.
Please note: It would be beneficial to read the complete workshop before you attempt to follow the procedure. If you would like a print out to read, please follow the links at the end of this workshop.
1. Introduction
Photoshop Actions are similar to macros in Microsoft Office.
They provide an automated process which can record several functions and when activated the actions will be sequentially applied to one or to a batch of photographic image files.
The following explains the problem areas of image files which are addressed by the File Finishing Action.
2. The Contents of the File Finishing Action
The first action recognizes that image files captured as pixels in a camera or scanned from film are slightly soft. The gentle application of an Unsharp Mask filter pulls the photographs sharpness up. Also included in this action is Fade Unsharp Mask, in the Luminosity Mode. Luminosity in an RGB image is the black, white and gray tones that make up the photograph’s detail. Fading the Unsharp Mask to Luminosity applies selective sharpening only to the details, which is what is normally required.
The second action included is in recognition of the fact that the processor inside a digital camera, integrates the colour in the highlights into RGB (Red, Green, Blue) colours. In the bright highlights the processor has to guess what colour the highlights should be and it often results in aliasing. Strong colours adjacent to the highlight bleed into the highlight, which detracts from the crispness of the image. To counteract this effect the action runs a Gaussian blur filter then fades it to Colour.
The third and last action inserts your personal information and copyright data into the metadata for each image file. It is important to register your ownership of your images, in recognition that the digital age has made it far easier for intellectual property rights to be stolen.
Prior to creating the File Finishing Action, it is necessary to create a Copyright Notice File for inclusion in the Action. Details below.
3. First Task - Produce a Copyright Notice File.
1. Choose File>New from the Photoshop menu.
2. Choose 2 x 3 in the Preset drop down menu as shown below in figure 1.
3. Click OK
.
Figure 1
4. Select File> File Info. The File info dialog opens as shown in Figure 2.
5. Choose Status>Copyrighted.
6. Enter your copyright information in the Copyright Notice section. If you have a web site enter it in the Copyright Info URL window. The copyright symbol is Alt+0169 (Windows). See Figure 2 below.
Figure 2
7. Click the word Advanced. It’s at the bottom of the left hand column in figure 2. A new section of the File info. Dialog box opens, see Figure 3
Figure 3
8. Click the Save button to save the file. The save dialog opens
9. Name your file ©2010.xmp (then make a new one next year and name it ©2011.xmp). Save it to a folder in My Pictures. For instance the folder is called “Photo Copyright” in Figure 4 below.
Figure 4
10. Click OK in the File Info Window. Notice that the Untitled file header now shows a © symbol Choose File>Close.
11. When the Save dialog appears choose Don’t Save