![\"Use](\"https:\/\/www.intego.com\/mac-security-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Mac-Automator-Resize-Images.png\")
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One of the little known tools available in macOS that can save you lots of time is Automator. This app allows you to create workflows<\/em>, which you can use to \u2014 as its name suggests \u2014 automate certain tasks on your Mac.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re familiar with AppleScript, you might want to think of Automator as being like AppleScript without the need to write any code. You don\u2019t have to know any commands; Automator shows you which commands \u2014 or actions \u2014 are available, and you can drag and drop them to create routines. You can then run these routines in the Automator app, as services via a contextual menu, or in applets that you can save and run by double-clicking or by dragging and dropping files on them.<\/p>\n In this article, I\u2019m going to introduce you to Automator, and I\u2019m going to show you how to quickly and easily create two applets: one converts image files into a pre-determined format, and the other resizes images to a pre-determined size. Here\u2019s how to start working with Automator.<\/p>\n The Automator app is located in your \/Applications\/Utilities folder. Launch it, and you see an open dialog. To create a new Automator workflow, click New Document.\u00a0You\u2019ll see this:<\/p>\n Automator can create a number of different types of documents, including:<\/p>\n The most useful of these are, for most people, services and applications. The term workflow<\/em> best describes what you create within the Automator app, even if you save it as something else. I\u2019ll use that term in the rest of this article to discuss what I\u2019m creating, even though I\u2019ll explain how to create an application.<\/p>\n If you take photos, you may want to share them to your website or to an online gallery. If your images are not in JPEG format, you may need to export them from an image editing app, or you may need to convert them. If you do this often, you may find it easier to use your original images and convert them en masse. This Automator workflow will allow you to do that. Simply\u00a0drag and drop images on its icon, and it converts them in a flash.<\/p>\n Since this is most useful as an application \u2014 on which you can drag and drop files \u2014 let\u2019s start by creating a new application. In the dialog you see in the first screenshot above, click Application, then click Choose. Automator shows you a library of apps and actions on the left, and an empty area on the right. This right-hand section is where you will build your workflow.<\/p>\n Whenever you create an application, it can work by default with drag and drop. You drag one or more items on the applet\u2019s icon, rather than having to select items in an Open dialog. Automator tells you that this workflow receives files and folders as input.<\/p>\n Next, we want to find an action that will convert image files. Click Photos in the Library column, then find the Change Type of Images action.<\/p>\n (You\u2019ll see in my screenshot that there are two versions of this action; one with the iPhotos icon, another with the Acorn icon. Acorn is an image editor that I have on my Mac. Some apps provide Automator actions that leverage the features of their apps.)<\/p>\n When you select an action in the Library columns, a section at the bottom left explains what these actions do. For the Change Type of Images action, it tells you what type of images the action can receive.<\/p>\n Drag the Change Type of Images to the right.<\/p>\n When you add this action, Automator will tell you that it will replace the images you use as input, and ask if you want to add a Copy Finder Items action to keep the originals. I\u2019m going to go ahead without this, but you may want to do this so you have both your original images and their conversions.<\/p>\n You have five choices for the output this action generates. Click the To Type menu and choose what you want; I chose JPEG for this example.<\/p>\n You should now save your workflow. Press Command-S, give it a name, and make sure you save it as an Application.<\/p>\n Now, find a file in one of the formats this workflow can accept; it can be BMP, GIF, JPEG 2000, PDF, PNG, or TIFF. (It can accept JPEGs as well, but it will just convert them to the same format.) Drag the image on the applet\u2019s icon, and you\u2019ll almost immediately see that your image has converted.<\/p>\n You saw above how easy it is to create an application; now, I\u2019m going to create a service. This type of workflow is accessible from the Finder\u2019s contextual menu when you right-click on one or more items.<\/p>\n Create a new document in Automator, but choose Service. At the top of the right hand pane, choose Service receives selected image files in Finder.<\/p>\n Next, in the Photos section of the Library column, choose Scale images. You can tell Automator how to scale the images: either by a number of pixels for the longer side, or by a percentage. If, for example, you want to scale images to 1000px, enter that in the text field.<\/p>\n Save the workflow; press Command-S and choose a name for it. You won\u2019t choose a location, because Automator saves it in the appropriate folder for services.<\/p>\n Go to the Finder and select an image file. Right click, and you\u2019ll see, at the bottom of the menu, the service that you\u2019ve just saved. Select that menu item, and the service runs, scaling your image.<\/p>\n You\u2019ve seen that Automator can be very easy to use, and can save you a lot of time. In future articles, I\u2019ll look at some of the other neat things you can do with this app to make working with files and folders quicker and easier.<\/p>\n New to macOS? Learn\u00a0tips and tricks at Intego’s\u00a0New Mac User Center!<\/strong><\/p>\nWant to get the most out of your new MacBook, iMac or other Apple computer? Whether this is your first laptop or you\u2019ve just switched from Windows, there are a few things you should know about your new Mac, like basic keyboard shortcuts or how to use the various features macOS has to offer. Learn more about what your Mac computer can do for you at the Intego New Mac User Center: Get started now!<\/strong><\/a><\/address>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" One of the little known tools available in macOS that can save you lots of time is Automator. This app allows you to create workflows, which you can use to \u2014 as its name suggests \u2014 automate certain tasks on your Mac. If you\u2019re familiar with AppleScript, you might want to think of Automator as […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":46,"featured_media":69874,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false},"categories":[10],"tags":[287],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\nGetting to Know Automator<\/h3>\n
![\"Getting](\"https:\/\/www.intego.com\/mac-security-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/automator1.png\")
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Creating an Image Conversion Application<\/h3>\n
![\"Automator](\"https:\/\/www.intego.com\/mac-security-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/automator2.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"Convert](\"https:\/\/www.intego.com\/mac-security-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/automator3.png\")
<\/p>\nCreating an Image Resizing Service<\/h3>\n
![\"Image](\"https:\/\/www.intego.com\/mac-security-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/automator4.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"Scale](\"https:\/\/www.intego.com\/mac-security-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/automator5.png\")
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