What is the simplest way to batch crop differently sized photos?

Question

I'm new here. I would really appreciate your help. Let's say I have a few hundred photos of a model on infinite background, shot from four different angles: front, back, side and full length. Is there any way to batch crop them so that in every photo the model is in the center? I've already tried using Photoshop batch crop, but it doesn't help since not all photos were shot from the same exact distance.. I think I will have to use some script that can detect the model.. Thanks in advance. Any ideas or advices would be highly appreciated.

Answer 1

There are a lot of ways to automate a given task, but here's my suggestion.

If you have Photoshop, I assume you also have Bridge. If not, if can still be done. (You may have to open one at a time, but at least it can be a push-button process.)

Try with one image first, and if you like the result, you should repeat the process while recording it to the Actions panel.

1. Open your image and create a new action. Name it whatever you want and record.
2. Select the Object Selection Tool from the toolbar.
3. On the top bar, click the Select Subject button. A marquee should appear around the subject of your photos.
4. You'll need some space around your subject. From the menu bar, go to Select > Modify > Expand... and add a defined number of pixels to create as much space as you need.
5. With the selection active, select the Crop Tool from the toolbox. The bounding box should default to selection. You can change this to whatever ratio suits you in the properties bar on top. Once you're satisfied, secure the crop by pressing enter.
6. Save as a copy.
7. Stop recording your action.

Your image should now be cropped with the subject in the center of the canvas. Since you recorded that process through Actions, you can open the folder with your originals in Bridge, select all of the images you want to process, and run your new batch Photoshop actions from the menubar by selecting Tools > Photoshop > Batch... and defining your destination as Folder (make a folder for the copies), overriding the Save As command, and setting up the format for your new document name (name and extension.)

I hope this gets you started in the right direction!