Applying crop and rotate using batch "image processor" in PS?

Not usually over in this section of the forum, but hopefully someone can help me. I'm using latest 2022 Photoshop and Camera Raw on Mac OSX (Apple silicon). I have a particular workflow for processing DSLR film scans. I'm working from Olympus "ORF" raw files. Basically my desired process:

* crop and/or straighten
* flip horizontally, (sometimes) rotate
* invert
* apply levels adjustment layer
* adjust levels layer a bit
* save and move onto the next file in the folder

My current process for doing this:
* Run the folder through "image processor"
* Crop as part of camera raw using the "open first image" option
* Create a different action per format to apply a different crop, straighten, rotate, etc
* as part of the above action, also do the invert and levels adjustment

For crop/straighten, each batch is a tiny bit different due to scanner adjustments, format changes, etc. So I can't really consistently put this into an action without creating a new action for each batch, which kinda defeats the purpose.

I'd really like to simplify this process. What I've tried to do:

* Run the folder through image processor
* Crop, flip, and rotate in camera raw as part of the "open first image" option
* Apply a single generic invert-levels adjustment action

Which I would think would work, but surprisingly just doesn't. Specifically what instead happens:

* First image is processed correctly
* Any images with pre-existing .xmp files also processed correctly
* Images without a pre-existing .xmp file will have the action for invert-levels applied appropriately, and will be cropped. However, the image will not be rotated, flipped, or straightened

I feel like I'm losing my mind trying to find out why this happens. Even if I save a preset with all of these orientation changes etc (and using "check all" to make sure every single raw setting is saved in the preset), the flip, rotate, and straighten part of my process is not saved. These actions ARE saved in the .xmp file though! If I have an xmp with rotation, when the raw file is opened, it'll default to being rotated etc.

Is this some kind of bug? Is there a better way I can be doing this!? What is even happening here!?

I didn't know you could do batch processing in CameraRaw - then again I have not updated mine for some time and I have not needed to do this in a while.

Anyway, with the problem at hand, You can try and separate the process into 2 steps. First just do the invert and save - it will create the .xmp's for all files, then run them again with the rest of the steps.

:Niranjan.

nmp said:

I didn't know you could do batch processing in CameraRaw - then again I have not updated mine for some time and I have not needed to do this in a while.

Anyway, with the problem at hand, You can try and separate the process into 2 steps. First just do the invert and save - it will create the .xmp's for all files, then run them again with the rest of the steps.

:Niranjan.

Click to expand...

When running it through an automated batch with image processor, it doesn't create xmp files. It only creates xmp files when I open the file manually in camera raw

grainyvision said:

When running it through an automated batch with image processor, it doesn't create xmp files. It only creates xmp files when I open the file manually in camera raw

Click to expand...

Aha...on a second thought it did occur to me that if it could be done, you would have already tried it.

Are you doing the Image Process thing in Bridge or Photoshop, by the way. I see it in my PS (Version 20) but I don't see it in my Bridge (that is quite outdated now.)

:Niranjan.

nmp said:

Aha...on a second thought it did occur to me that if it could be done, you would have already tried it.

Are you doing the Image Process thing in Bridge or Photoshop, by the way. I see it in my PS (Version 20) but I don't see it in my Bridge (that is quite outdated now.)

:Niranjan.

Click to expand...

In Photoshop. I only rarely use Bridge

It's not exactly an answer, but as an alternative, there is an open source package called "Darktable". The interface is a bit.... unintuitive... until you get used to it, but every thing is done as non-destructive edits (via .xmp files in fact, but I don't know if they're compatible with the ones you already have). Edits can be saved, and then applied in bulk. So you could apply your "usual" crop/rotate settings to one image, save those settings and apply them to the rest in that folder, then go back and tweak the ones that need tweaking.

That includes inversion, levels and color curves as well.

It's a fairly powerful piece of software, and also functions as an image organizer.

I don't know if it handles ORF directly.

Imagemagick on linux can do stuff like that quite well. Probably also can be made to run on Mac. Not a direct answer, but I had good experience with batch processing all sorts of images.