crop vs image size vs fit

[Yvonn.ie]

Hi Damien

I'm confused (again!) I am working on making actions to save my images in an efficient way. These are for clients who require digitals ready for social media or their website so I'm not watermarking them. I am unpicking your watermark action and your actions tutorial to make ones for myself. But i'm a bit confused as to the difference between cropping and resizing and fit image and what the different circumstances might be, as mentioned in your sharpen for web tutorial: 

"To resize I use either the Crop Tool, the Image Size dialog, or Fit Image, depending on the circumstances"

So I'm thinking I need to record: duplicate image, flatten, crop (with pause to choose the area), fit image, sharpen, save for web 

 

My question is re the crop and the refit - eg

for a web page which has spec of 1200 x 550 px, do I put that ratio in the crop options, and then put 1200 x 1200 in the fit image options? 

 

and I have no idea where image resize dialogue box comes into it (or not!)

 

thanks

[Yvonn.ie]

further to this, if I use Image Processor to automate the saving of a batch of files for the web, and run an action that already has saving built in (like the one I am trying to build above), does it use the pixel settings in the action save as options, as I don't see the option to control this in Image Processor. 

And if I have set the quality as part of the action save as options, what quality should I select in the Image Processor? 

I'm worried about screwing up the quality by inadvertently doing something twice, or is that not possible? 

 

sorry for all the questions, Googling is not really helping.. 

[Yvonn.ie]

I've been trying to figure this out all afternoon, with not much luck, some methods overwrite eachother so that I was left with just one file! Then the next time I set it up there was no crop applied. why knows... hopefully all this time will make me faster in future!!! 

I've attached a screenshot which I really thought might work - action steps shown and save settings in Image Processor. But it goes all the way through, asks me about all the crops, and then gives me an error message at the end saying sorry I couldn't do it 🥴

 

            

[Damien Symonds]

5 hours ago, Yvonn.ie said:

for a web page which has spec of 1200 x 550 px, do I put that ratio in the crop options, and then put 1200 x 1200 in the fit image options?

Of course not.  If you crop to specific dimensions, that trumps everything.  Nothing else is required.

Image size or Fit image are only needed if you haven't cropped at all, or if you've cropped without imposing any dimensions.

3 hours ago, Yvonn.ie said:

further to this, if I use Image Processor to automate the saving of a batch of files for the web, and run an action that already has saving built in

Of course you must not do that.  The whole point of image processor is to do the saving for you.

[Yvonn.ie]

Hi 

thanks for this, ok so I've now left the saving to the Image Processor, but I'm getting an error message at the end. I'm thinking that it's because I'm running image processor on the original file name, but my action involves duplicating the file so it's called something else. I am really stumped with this one! I guess I can leave out the duplicate file stage but I'm really nervous that I'd forget and save the changes to my original file! 

[Damien Symonds]

Yeah, no need to duplicate the file either.

Image Processor always saves into a new folder, it is literally IMPOSSIBLE to save over your files.

[Yvonn.ie]

ok so in running the action during Image Processor, if I haven't duplicated the file in the action, what happens to my original file once Image Processor has done its thing? 

[Damien Symonds]

Nothing.  I just closes as if nothing happened.

[Yvonn.ie]

great that seems to work, thank you so much for your help, I don't know how I would figure these things out by myself, it's sooooo hard when you are still learning!!