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Q: What is EasyBatch?
EasyBatch provides "batch image processing" on your Mac. It allows you to modify large numbers of photos and images at the same time, performing standard tasks like resizing. EasyBatch can scale, rotate, convert file formats, rename, and even watermark images.
Select a folder of images by dragging it to the image list, or by pressing Command-O. Then choose your various batch options. You can do many things with the images all at once, such as resizing them, auto-rotating them, or watermarking them. When you've got your options chosen, select a folder to save the new images into, then click Start to run the batch.
Q: How can I select an input folder?
Simply drag the folder from the Finder onto the image list. Or click the 'Choose Folder' button (or press Command-O). Alternatively, you can type a direct path name and then hit the Tab key to refresh the image list. You'll see a green check mark if EasyBatch finds images it can use inside the folder.
Q: What order are the input images processed in?
EasyBatch reads in all the files of your input folder and then sorts out all non-image files. It uses Apple's file manager to obtain a list sorted by name. Although this basic name sorting should be sufficient for most file name series, it can differ from the order you may see in the Finder.
You can view the actual order the images will be processed in the images list in the lower left area of the window.
Q: What are the checkboxes in the image list used for?
The list in the left-hand side of the window will show you all the images in your input folder which will be processed. Click on an image file from the list to see a preview and a few details about the file. You can exclude images from the batch by unchecking their names in the list. This is useful if you have a few specific images in your folder that you don't want to be modified.
You can also access several useful features by right-clicking (or control-clicking) the list: reveal an image in the Finder, open the image in your default graphics program, view metadata, or check/uncheck many images at once.
Q: What file formats can EasyBatch read?
EasyBatch can read nearly all standard image formats, including JPEG, GIF, TIFF, PNG, PDF, Photoshop (PSD), bitmap, and several RAW formats.
Q: How do I use the scaling options?
EasyBatch provides powerful scaling (resizing) with many options. To enable scaling, click the checkbox (1) (or press Command-1). 
Then choose the option you want from the pop-up menu (2). EasyBatch has several scaling modes, including a fixed scale (all images are adjusted to a specific size), proportionate scaling (where aspect ratio is maintained), and even a no-scale DPI adjustment option. Once you've selected your desired option, enter the destination width (and/or height), and your DPI (3). You may also choose a scale metric, either pixels or inches (4).
You can also choose your interpolation, or pixel smoothing setting (5). This controls to what extent the pixels in your image are smoothed/blended together when scaled. Higher settings take slightly longer to process, but typically produce better output images.
Q: How do I preserve aspect ratio?
Choose one of the 'scale proportionately' options, and enter the measurement for whichever size (width or height) you'd like to have fixed.
Q: Can I scale by percentage?
Choose 'Percentage' from the metric popup menu next to the width and height fields.
Q: How do I use the DPI setting in the scaling option?
DPI determines how many dots-per-inch your final image should be. Standard images used on the web and on computers typically have a DPI of 72. High-resolution photographs that will be printed often have a much higher DPI, which means more pixels/dots of color will be printed or shown in a smaller space, providing a more crisp and detailed image.
If you choose to scale your image by using an 'inches' setting, you must supply an output DPI.
DPI does not affect the actual size of your image when measured in terms of pixels (individual dots of color), however when scaling with 'inches' as a metric, the DPI is important since it determines how many pixels should fit into each inch.
Q: How do I use the rotation options?
You can rotate your input images in several ways. To do so, first enable the Rotate Images checkbox. Then choose your desired rotation type. EasyBatch can rotate 90 degrees clockwise or counterclockwise. It can also auto-rotate images that contain Orientation metadata.
Q: How does the auto-rotate option work?
It is recommended that you leave auto-rotate enabled, since it will only rotate images as needed and will not rotate photos that don't need it. Auto-rotate works by examining the image's metadata - many photos taken with digital cameras contain orientation metadata that indicates whether the image was taken with the camera tilted. These photos may look correct in the finder, but if you view them in a web browser, they'll be rotated incorrectly. EasyBatch's auto-rotate option corrects this problem by rotating the actual image data so it appears correct regardless of where it is viewed.
Q: How do I use the color/brightness filter?
This filter allows you to optionally adjust the saturation, brightness, and contrast of your images. You can use this to, for instance, change your photos to B&W or to make the colors stand out a bit more. Click 'Settings' to choose your options. At any time you can reset these options to their defaults with the 'Default' button.
Q: How do I use the watermarking feature?
EasyBatch provides two kinds of watermarks: you can apply an image to be 'stamped' onto your original photos, or you can generate a text watermark. To choose your watermark type, select it from the popup under the watermark checkbox. If using an image, simply select an image file to be 'stamped', by clicking the Choose button. This image should ideally be one that you have prepared, which is transparent, to allow it to blend nicely with your existing images.
To use EasyBatch's text watermark, choose the Text type. In the text watermark window you can type any text you like, and adjust font size, style, color, shadow style, and alignment.
Be sure to also choose the alignment/location of your watermark by clicking in the box of arrows. You can place your watermark directly in the center ('X'), or aligned to one of the corners or edges of the original image.
Q: How do I adjust the output file settings?
Click the Settings button next to the destination format pop-up menu. You will only see the settings for the specific file type you've selected. From here you can control some details of the output format. For instance, for JPEG's, you can select 'Preserve EXIF' and EasyBatch will attempt to preserve the original EXIF data (if any) of your original photos. Or you can adjust the JPEG or TIFF compression levels, or specify interlaced PNG's.
Q: Can I do a simple rename with no processing?
Yes, deselect all processing checkboxes (such as scaling, rotation), and enable the rename option. When you click Start, EasyBatch will ask whether you would like to do a convert/rename batch, or a rename-only batch. With most batches, file conversion is included and mandatory, but when only the renaming checkbox is enabled, you can bypass file conversion if you wish, which will not modify your original images in any way, but simply copy them to your new location and rename them.
Q: Can I modify or preserve the ColorSync/ICC profiles?
EasyBatch has basic support for color profile preservation or adjustment. Choose your color profile preference from the Color Profile pop-up menu. There are several options you can choose that include preserving the image's original color profile or embedding a completely new profile of your choice.
Q: What do the Image Settings do?
For JPEG's: You can specify a level of quality/compression for your output images. The higher the quality setting, the less compression that is applied, and thus the larger the file size. Progressive Encoding is useful if you will be placing your JPEGs on the internet, where they will be downloaded. It causes the JPEG to download in progressively-finer detail, so that users can begin to see your image right away. You can even preserve EXIF data, which is 'metadata' included in photos taken with digital cameras.
For TIFF's: You may specify the type of compression used, if any. LZW is a popular lossless compression method.
For PNG's: Interlaced PNGs are useful for PNGs that will be uploaded to websites or downloaded from the internet.
Q: How are the various operations performed?
The various changes that your images go through occur in the same way as they appear in EasyBatch's window, with the first options starting at the top and working down. If you had every option selected, for instance, your images would be processed in this order:
Q: How can I speed up batches?
Register your copy! (No, seriously). Adding the EasyBatch logo and text watermark slow down the batch process slightly. Also make sure that you have 'Use Multi-Core Processing' enabled in the Preferences window. This will allow EasyBatch to take advantage of multi-core processors whenever possible.
If speed is very important, try using Low pixel smoothing instead of High, which may produce acceptable smoothing with a significant speed boost.
Q: How do I remove the white EasyBatch text?
Unlicensed copies of EasyBatch place a watermark ontop of images. To remove this watermark you must purchase a license key for EasyBatch. To do so, click here. Thank you for supporting indie Mac software development.
Q: I'm resizing my images and they look pixelated and jagged.
Try using the 'Edge Smoothing' option. It is near the resizing options and has two choices, low or high. Choose High for the smoothest resizing.
Q: I just selected an input folder but the images aren't appearing in the preview pane list.
EasyBatch will update the list when your insertion cursor / text cursor leaves the input field. So try pressing the TAB key to move to the next input field. The list should update appropriately.
Q: I'm trying to run a batch but EasyBatch is stalling, or crashing.
EasyBatch should never crash, so if it does, please click 'Crash Report...' and email BravoBug the text from the crash log. If you are on a multi-core Mac, you can also try disabling multi-core processing in the Preferences window (in the 'EasyBatch' menu) to see if it fixes the crash. But please be sure to email BravoBug so we can fix any bugs.
EasyBatch contains a number of keyboard shortcuts to make running frequent batches easier. Click the 'Batch' menu in the menubar to see several of the shortcuts (Command-O to select an input folder, Command-R to run, and so on). You can also use keyboard shortcuts to choose your scaling options (click the pop-up menu to see the key commands for the various option)
Need to create a new folder for your processed images? EasyBatch can often create a destination folder even if the path you specify doesn't exist. For instance, if you select your Desktop as your output folder, you can type '/NewImages' at the end of the path and if the folder doesn't already exist, EasyBatch will create it for you before running the batch.
Want to deselect/uncheck all the images in a list? Right-click the image list (or control-click) and a contextual menu will pop up. It also has options for viewing metadata, revealing files in the Finder, and more!
Q: I have more questions.
Email BravoBug at info@bravobug.com. Thank you for trying EasyBatch!