Automator Workflow Techniques
Creating a Photo Slideshow DVD
Creating a photo slideshow DVD is easy enough with iDVD. But Automator can make it even easier. The following steps will walk you through the process of creating an Automator workflow that will scan through a folder structure of files, extracting any JPEG images, and creating an iDVD slideshow containing those images.
Please note that this workflow makes use of an iDVD Automator action called Create Magic DVD. This action is available for free download from Automator.us and must be installed in order to run this workflow.
Step 1: Launch Automator, located in the Applications folder, and create a new workflow window.
Step 2: Select the Finder category, located in the Library list in Automator. Select the Get Folder Contents action in the Action list, and drag it into the workflow area on the right side of the Automator window. Select the Repeat for each subfolder found checkbox.
Step 3: Locate and select the Filter Finder Items action in the Finder category, and drag it into the workflow area. Configure the action to filter for items whose File Type is JPEG Image File.
Step 4: Locate and select the Create Magic DVD action in the iDVD category, and drag it into the workflow area. Select Reflection Black Main from the iDVD Theme popup, and enter My Photo DVD into the Project Name text field.
Step 5: Select Save as… from the File menu in Automator.
Step 6: Enter Create Photo DVD into the Save As text field, and navigate to a folder in which to save the workflow. Select Application from the File Format popup. Click the Save button to save the workflow.
When an Automator workflow is saved as an application, it automatically becomes a drag and drop application. To run the workflow, drag and drop a folder structure of images onto the saved workflow application.
The workflow will scan through the dropped folder, as well as any subfolders within the dropped folder, and extract a list of files. Next, it will filter the detected files, allowing only JPEG images to proceed through the rest of the workflow. As the workflow runs, its status will be displayed in the menu bar.
Last, the workflow will create a new iDVD project containing a slideshow of any JPEG images within the dropped folder structure.
