Automating Adobe PhotoShop

Keywords:   Adobe Photoshop Save As Sendkeysto

PhotoShop is a tricky program to automate. Sending keystrokes to it is problematic, since depending on the state of PhotoShop and which of the multifarious tool windows are open it can respond in different manners.

So we've made a list of alternate ways to perform standard Adobe Menu functions.

The code below will send a File-Save As command to Adobe Photoshop 5.5.

mFileSaveAs=32             ; From the list below
DesiredCommand=mFileSaveAs ; From the list below
WinActivate("Adobe Photoshop")
hwnd=DllHwnd("Adobe Photoshop")
PostMessage=23
wmcmd=273
filesaveas=32
IntControl(PostMessage,hwnd,wmcmd,DesiredCommand,0)

Use similar code, changing only the DesiredCommand variable for the other menu commands. The other commands, from Adobe PhotoShop 5.5 are...

;File Menu
mFileNew=10
mFileOpen=20
mFileOpenAs=21
mFileClose=31
mFileSave=30
mFileSaveAs=32
mFileSaveaCopy=33
mFileSaveforWeb=1695
mFileRevert=34
mFilePlace=1032
mFileImportSelectTWAINSource=48639
mFileImportTWAIN=48638

mFileExportgif89aexport=49151
mFileExportPathstoIllustrator=49150

mFileAutomateBatch=1180
mFileAutomateCondModeChange=62973
mFileAutomateContactSheetII=62972
mFileAutomateFitImage=62971
mFileAutomateMultiPagePDFtoPSD=62970
mFileAutomatePicturePackage=62969
mFileAutomateWebPhotoGallery=62968
mFileFileInfo=1137
mFilePageSetup=176
mFilePrint=178

mFileJumpAdobeIllustrator80=45311
mFileJumpAdobeImageReady20=45310

mFilePrefGeneral=2311
mFilePrefSavingFiles=2317
mFilePrefDisplayCursors=2312
mFilePrefTransparencyGamut=2313
mFilePrefUnitsRulers=2314
mFilePrefGuidesGrid=2315
mFilePrefPluginsScratchDisk=2316
mFilePrefMemoryImageCache=2304

mFilePrefColorRGBSetup=2340
mFilePrefColorCYMKSetup=2341
mFilePrefColorGrayscaleSetup=2342
mFilePrefColorProfileSetup=2343
mFileAdobeOnline=4006
mFileRecentlyused_1=9856
mFileRecentlyused_2=9857
mFileRecentlyused_3=9858
mFileRecentlyused_4=9859
mFileExit=36

;Edit Menu
mEditRedoUndoStateChange=101
mEditCut=103
mEditCopy=104
mEditCopyMerged=1107
mEditPaste=105
mEditPasteInto=1040
mEditClear=106
mEditFill=1042
mEditStroke=1043
mEditFreeTransform=2207

mEditTransformAgain=2217
mEditTransformScale=2201
mEditTransformRotate=2205
mEditTransformSkew=2202
mEditTransformDistort=2204
mEditTransformPerspective=2203
mEditTransformNumeric=2206
mEditTransformRotate180=2208
mEditTransformRotate90CW=2209
mEditTransformRotate90CCW=2210
mEditTransformFlipHorizontal=2211
mEditTransformFlipVertical=2212
mEditDefinePattern=1038

mEditPurgeUndo=2911
mEditPurgeClipboard=2912
mEditPurgePattern=2913
mEditPurgeHistories=2361
mEditPurgeAll=2915

;Image Menu

mImageModeBitmap=1006
mImageModeGrayscale=1007
mImageModeDuotone=1008
mImageModeIndexedColor=1009
mImageModeRGBcolor=1010
mImageModeCYMKColor=1011
mImageModeLABColor=1052
mImageModeMultichannel=1014
mImageMode8bitsChannel=1161
mImageMode16bitsChannel=1162
mImageModeColorTable=1045
mImageModeProfiletoProfile=1212

mImageAdjustLevels=1801
mImageAdjustAutoLevels=1808
mImageAdjustAutoContrast=1810
mImageAdjustCurves=1802
mImageAdjustColorBalance=1804
mImageAdjustBrightnessContrast=1803
mImageAdjustHueSaturation=1805
mImageAdjustDesaturate=1809
mImageAdjustReplaceColor=1806
mImageAdjustSelectiveColor=1807
mImageAdjustChannelMixer=3056
mImageAdjustInvert=1701
mImageAdjustEqualize=1702
mImageAdjustThreshold=1703
mImageAdjustPosterize=1704
mImageAdjustVariations=60141

mImageDuplicate=1134
mImageApplyImage=1153
mImageCalculations=1900
mImageImageSize=1030
mImageCanvasSize=1031
mImageCrop=1044

mImageRotate180=2993
mImageRotate90CW=2991
mImageRotate90CCW=2992
mImageRotateArbitrary=2994
mImageRotateFlipHorizontal=2996
mImageRotateFlipVertical=2997
mImageHistogram=1064
mImageTrap=1093
mImageExtract=64237

;Layer Menu
mLayerNewLayer=1099
mLayerNewAdjustmentLayer=2750
mLayerNewBackground=1950
mLayerNewLayerViaCopy=2970
mLayerNewLayerViaCut=2971
mLayerDuplicateLayer=1135
mLayerDeleteLayer=1100
mLayerLayerOptions=1102
mLayerAdjustmentOptions=1103

mLayerEffectsDropShadow=1391
mLayerEffectsInnerShadow=1392
mLayerEffectsOuterGlow=1393
mLayerEffectsInnerGlow=1394
mLayerEffectsBevelandEmboss=1395
mLayerEffectsColorFill=1399
mLayerEffectsCopyEffects=1396
mLayerEffectsPaste=1397
mLayerEffectsPastetoLinked=1398
mLayerEffectsClear=1380
mLayerEffectsGlobalAngle=1388
mLayerEffectsCreateLayer=1389
mLayerEffectsHideAll=1387

mLayerTypeRenderLayer=1222
mLayerTypeHorizontal=1223
mLayerTypeVertical=1224
mLayerRemoveLayerMask=1150
mLayerEnableDisableLayerMask=1159

mLayerAddMaskRevealAll=1157
mLayerAddMaskHideAll=1156
mLayerAddMaskRevealSelection=1158
mLayerAddMaskHideSelection=1168
mLayerGroupwithPrevious=2972
mLayerUngroup=2973

mLayerArrangeBringtoFront=2711
mLayerArrangeBringForward=2712
mLayerArrangeSendBackward=2713
mLayerArrangeSendtoBack=2714

mLayerAlignLinkedTop=1231
mLayerAlignLinkedVertCenter=1233
mLayerAlignLinkedBottom=1232
mLayerAlignLinkedLeft=1234
mLayerAlignLinkedHorizCenter=1236
mLayerAlignLinkedRight=1235

mLayerDistLinkedTop=1241
mLayerDistLinkedVertCenter=1243
mLayerDistLinkedBottom=1242
mLayerDistLinkedLeft=1245
mLayerDistLinkedHorizCenter=1247
mLayerDistLinkedRight=1246

mLayerMergeDown=1166
mLayerMergeLinked=1166
mLayerMergeVisible=1139
mLayerFlattenImage=1141

mLayerMattingDefringe=1037
mLayerMattingRemoveBlackMatte=2701
mLayerMattingRemoveWhiteMatte=2703


;Select Menu
mSelectAll=1017
mSelectDeselect=1016
mSelectReselect=1951
mSelectInverse=1018
mSelectColorRange=1152
mSelectFeather=1036

mSelectModifyBorder=1035
mSelectModifySmooth=1108
mSelectModifyExpand=1109
mSelectModifyContract=1110
mSelectGrow=1033
mSelectSimilar=1034
mSelectTransformSelection=1971
mSelectLoadSelection=1200
mSelectSaveSelection=1300

;Filter Menu
mFilterArtisticColoredPencil=39423
mFilterArtisticCutout=39422
mFilterArtisticDryBrush=39421
mFilterArtisticFilmGrain=39420
mFilterArtisticFresco=39419
mFilterArtisticNeonGlow=39418
mFilterArtisticPaintDaubs=39417
mFilterArtisticPaletteKnife=39416
mFilterArtisticPlasticWrap=39415
mFilterArtisticPosterEdges=39414
mFilterArtisticRoughPastels=39413
mFilterArtisticSmudgeStick=39412
mFilterArtisticSponge=39411
mFilterArtisticUnderpainting=39410
mFilterArtisticWatercolor=39409

mFilterBlurBlur=39167
mFilterBlurBlurMore=39166
mFilterBlurGaussianBlur=39165
mFilterBlurMotionBlur=39164
mFilterBlurRadialBlur=39163
mFilterBlurSmartBlur=39162

mFilterBrushAccentedEdges=38911
mFilterBrushAngledStrokes=38910
mFilterBrushCrosshatch=38909
mFilterBrushDarkStrokes=38908
mFilterBrushInkOutlines=38907
mFilterBrushSpatter=38906
mFilterBrushSprayedStrokes=38905
mFilterBrushSumie=38904

mFilterDistortDiffuseGlow=38955
mFilterDistortDisplace=38654
mFilterDistortGlass=38653
mFilterDistortOceanRipple=38652
mFilterDistortPinch=38651
mFilterDistortPolarCoordinates=38650
mFilterDistortRipple=38649
mFilterDistortShear=38648
mFilterDistortSpherize=38647
mFilterDistortTwirl=38646
mFilterDistortWave=38645
mFilterDistortZigZag=38644

mFilterNoiseAddNoise=38399
mFilterNoiseDespeckle=38398
mFilterNoiseDustScratches=38397
mFilterNoiseMedian=38396

mFilterPixelateColorHalftone=38143
mFilterPixelateCrystallize=38142
mFilterPixelateFacet=38141
mFilterPixelateFragment=38140
mFilterPixelateMezzotint=38139
mFilterPixelateMosaic=38138
mFilterPixelatePointillize=38137

mFilterRender3DTransform=37887
mFilterRenderClouds=37886
mFilterRenderDifferenceClouds=37885
mFilterRenderLensFlare=37884
mFilterRenderLightingEffects=37883
mFilterRenderTextureFill=37882

mFilterSharpenSharpen=37631
mFilterSharpenSharpenEdges=37630
mFilterSharpenSharpenMore=37629
mFilterSharpenUnsharpMask=37628

mFilterSketchBasRelief=37375
mFilterSketchChalkCharcoal=37374
mFilterSketchCharcoal=37373
mFilterSketchChrome=37372
mFilterSketchConteCrayon=37371
mFilterSketchGraphicPen=37370
mFilterSketchHalftonePattern=37369
mFilterSketchNotePaper=37368
mFilterSketchPhotocopy=37367
mFilterSketchPlaster=37366
mFilterSketchReticulation=37365
mFilterSketchStamp=37364
mFilterSketchTornEdges=37363
mFilterSketchWaterPaper=37362

mFilterStylizeDiffuse=37119
mFilterStylizeEmboss=37118
mFilterStylizeExtrude=37117
mFilterStylizeFindEdges=37116
mFilterStylizeGlowingEdges=37115
mFilterStylizeSolarize=37114
mFilterStylizeTiles=37113
mFilterStylizeTraceContour=37112
mFilterStylizeWind=37111

mFilterTextureCraquelure=36863
mFilterTextureGrain=36862
mFilterTextureMosaicTiles=36861
mFilterTexturePatchwork=38660
mFilterTextureStainedGlass=36859
mFilterTextureTexturizer=36858

mFilterVideoDeInterlace=36607
mFilterVideoNTSCColors=36606

mFilterOtherCustom=36351
mFilterOtherDitherBox=36350
mFilterOtherHighPass=36349
mFilterOtherMaximum=36348
mFilterOtherMinimum=36347
mFilterOtherOffset=36346

;View Menu
mViewNewView=1001

mViewPreviewCYMK=2801
mViewPreviewCyan=2802
mViewPreviewMagenta=2803
mViewPreviewYellow=2804
mViewPreviewBlack=2805
mViewPreviewCMY=2806
mViewPreviewMacintoshRGB=2811
mViewPreviewWindowsRGB=2812
mViewPreviewUncompensatedRGB=2813
mViewGamutWarning=1106
mViewZoomIn=1004
mViewZoomOut=1005
mViewFitonScreen=1192
mViewActualPixels=1190
mViewPrintSize=1191
mViewHideShowEdges=1015
mViewHideShowPath=1193
mViewHideShowRulers=1002
mViewHideShowGuides=2920
mViewSnaptoGuides=2930
mViewLockGuides=2940
mViewClearGuides=2950
mViewHideShowGrid=2960
mViewSnaptoGrid=2962

;Window Menu
mWindowCascade=8195
mWindowTile=8196
mWindowArrangeIcons=8197
mWindowCloseAll=8198
mWindowHideShowTools=1194
mWindowHideShowNavigator=1163
mWindowHideShowInfo=1055
mWindowHideShowOptions=1111
mWindowHideShowColor=1046
mWindowHideShowSwatches=1119
mWindowHideShowBrushes=1025
mWindowHideShowLayers=1098
mWindowHideShowChannels=1021
mWindowHideShowPaths=1065
mWindowHideShowHistory=1199
mWindowHideShowActions=1170
mWindowHideShowStatusBar=9986
mWindowOpenFilefirst=63463
mWindowOpenFilesecond=63462
mWindowOpenFilethird=63461

;HelpMenu
mHelpHelpTopics=10258
mHelpHowtoUseHelp=8962
mHelpAboutPhotoshop=1
;mHelpAboutPlugin ... hundreds all different
mHelpColorManagement=7500
mHelpExportTransparentImage=7501
mHelpResizeImage=7502

Article ID:   W14402

Filename:   Problems Sending Keystrokes to Adobe Photoshop.txt

File Created: 2000:01:21:12:49:52

Last Updated: 2000:01:21:12:49:52

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Automating Adobe PhotoShop