Tip: XnView output directory relative addressing

[dosdan]

I often use XnView to batch resize large photos so I can send them in emails or upload them to the web. I usually create a subdirectory off the directory where the original files are located called "Processed" or "Resized". Rather than having to adjust the output location each time you work with a different directory of photos, here is a way of using relative addressing. Enter this string in the output directory box (Windows format shown):

$\Processed

If the subdirectory does not exist it will be created. Don't have the "Keep subfolder structure" option selected or it will not work.


If editing an existing batch script, use this line:

output_path( $\Processed )

Once you save a batch script with this, you can easily run a "Web Convert" batch script on any tagged files.

Dan.

[dosdan]

Here's an example of relative addressing in use. You have a directory of photos, some of which you wish to tag & then batch process for a DVD slideshow. TVs do not have square pixels like PCs so you have to account for the PAR (pixel aspect ratio) of the TV medium you wish to create for.

The sizes of photos for the common DV formats are:

Std. PAL (720x576) PAR 1.0926 = 787x576
WS PAL (720x576) PAR 1.4568 = 1049x576

Std. NTSC (720x480) PAR 0.9091 = 655x480
WS NTSC (720x480) PAR 1.2121 = 873x480

The widescreen DV format does not use more horizontal pixels to store the image. It just specifies wider pixels.


Here is an Xnview batch script that does that. You don't normally create these from scratch by writing. Rather you tick the options on the XnView Batch Processing display boxes and then save it. On a PC running Windows each line ends in CRLF so you can edit them in a standard text editor.

PAL Std DV Slide Show Resize.xbs

resize( 1 lanczos 787 576 -1 0 0 )
canvas( 0 787 576 4 0 0 0 0 )
settings( 0 0 0 0 0 1 )
output_path( $\processed for slideshow )
output( jpeg 100 1 1 0 0 0 1 )

You can download Landscape (1500x1000) and Portrait (1000x1500) test images here:

http://users.on.net/~dosdan/landscape%20test%20image.jpg

http://users.on.net/~dosdan/portrait%20test%20image.jpg


The result of running the script is shown below. Both output files in the processed for slideshow subdirectory (automatically created if it does not already exist) are 787x576:







The images may appear a little wide since they are optimised of PAL TV, rather than PC display.

I use the freeware Slide Show Movie Maker 3.7 to produce the slideshow:

SSMM

While I'm a registered owner of Sony Vegas Pro 6, 7, 8, I'm so used to using SSMM that I've only ever used Vegas once to create a DVD slideshow.

Dan.