Fit or Scale Overlay Image in Batch Image Export

[BanjoTom]

I would find it very useful if (in Mario's own words) "the Batch Processor somehow stretches the overlay image based on the size of the image to which you apply it, but such a feature does not exist. "   Of course, as it now exists, IMatch loads the overlay, sizes and places it to whatever you specify, but using the Width and Height options to resize your overlay image can be cumbersome if one uses the Batch Processor to produce exported images in many different pixel dimensions with (for instance) a Copyright overlay image. 

[Mario]

So you propose a change which not allows you to specify the width and height of the overlay, but the width and height as a

- percentage?
- of the input image?
- of the output image (can differ from the input image if you use a canvas)?
- what do do it the input image (or output image) has a different orientation than the overlay image?
- should the Batch Processor allow the overlay image to become enlarged, even if this causes a loss in quality?
- How to handle the case where the user specifies a top/left edge to position the overlay?

[BanjoTom]

I would hope for a scaling of the overlay based on a percentage of the image OR canvas of the output image.  Perhaps this is not possible, and I certainly don't mean to request a feature that no one but me might want to use . . .

[Ferdinand]

I would hope for a scaling of the overlay based on a percentage of the image OR canvas of the output image.

FWIW, my Photoshop batch script can do this.

[Mario]

I'm asking these questions because I need answers to them before I can attempt to design this feature.

For example, what I a user specifies X: 100, Y: 100 and a width/height of 80% of the original image for an overlay? Or would we also need percentage X/Y positions? But what if a user wants to fix the overlay at 100/100 (because of his canvas) and scale it anyway to the size of the input file? So we probably need another switch which toggles the X/Y position between pixel position and percentages.

An option to flip rotate the overlay based on the rotation of the input image or the canvas? Or not flip the image itself, but the width/height percentages?

The "fit overlay to image" is easy when you do it, e.g. in a script, exactly for your purposes. But it becomes much more complicated if you plan to add it to the Batch Processor, trying to anticipate and understand the options users will ask for. Asking questions like above and then hopefully getting some answers from users will help me to design it right from the start.
Or, if nobody answers and replies, it shows that the given feature is not considered important for a sufficiently large number of users. I'll may implement it anyway, but later.

How many users are there which produce such a variety of different output sizes in the Batch Processor that such a feature would considered useful? I, for example, produce only two output sizes. One for web and one for printing. I use image overlays (watermarks) only for the web outputs. I hence need two Batch Processor presets for my entire workflow.

[cytochrome]

One batch processor that I find well thought is the one in Irfanview. The resizing part on the left offers all that I ever needed. And it is smart, if X is given it will fix Y according to the proportion rules. It is probably overkill here, but the idea and layout are fine.



Francis

[Mario]

I might be mistaken, but the Batch Processor in IMatch offers about the same functionality already.
What we are discussing here is how to resize/re-position image overlays (!) in response to changing output sizes and dimensions.

[BanjoTom]

I'm beginning to see/guess that (a) this is a much more complicated feature request than I had originally thought, and (b) it may well be that Ferdinand's script, or a simpler one that I may try to build myself, will take care of what I think I'm looking for.

So -- unless a lot of others quickly step forward to ask for a scalable image overlay in the batch export function -- I think I should now WITHDRAW this feature request.   Meanwhile, many thanks for your valuable thoughts on this, Mario et. alia!

[Mario]

The feature request is perfectly OK. I replied in such detail to show what the difference between a purpose-built script and a general feature is, and how I need to think about things when designing them. What to include? What to leave out? Which features and options do we need to this? I cannot always find the answers myself and user feedback is always welcome.

You might say: "Just scale the overlay to the same size as the output file".

The next user says: "Yeah, but I also want to be able to position the overlay at a specific top/left offset in order to not obscure my copyright statement".

And another user requests: "I want the overlay to grow/shrink according to the size of the output image, but also maintain a percentage-based margin left and right. And, oh, I also want to rotate the overlay to match the orientation of the output image".

It's never that easy. If you write a custom script you can write it to do exactly what you need.

[Ferdinand]

My script has some size and position options, but not a complete set.

What a script can do, together with Photoshop, are things that the image libraries behind PS can't (as far as I know).  You can't use .ai or .eps files in the IMatch batch processor.  And you can't create fully transparent watermarks, by embossing the watermark and adding it using an overlay blending mode. 

If these things don't matter then the IMatch Batch processor is certainly far more convenient, and the ability to use a very large transparent watermark file that could be resized down to any size would be a useful feature.