Droplets and Script Events: automation in Paint by Zaweba

Actions make a routine repeatable. Droplets and Script Events make it happen without you even opening a menu. In Paint by Zaweba, File > Automate > Create Droplet turns a saved batch into a desktop shortcut you drop files onto, and File > Scripts > Script Events Manager runs an action or script automatically when certain things happen, such as opening or saving a document.

Droplets: drag, drop, done

A Droplet is a desktop shortcut that runs a saved batch on whatever files or folders you drop on it. Build the batch once, with the action to run and where the results should go, then create the Droplet. From then on, processing a folder of photos is a matter of dragging it onto an icon.

Droplets suit anyone who handles the same kind of files over and over. A shop owner can have one that resizes and sharpens new product shots for the website. A photographer can have one that makes watermarked proofs from a client folder. An office can share a Droplet with colleagues who don't use an image editor at all; they just drop files on it.

Make a few with clear names, one per job, rather than one that tries to do everything. "Web 1200px" and "Proofs with watermark" on the desktop are easy to understand at a glance.

Script Events: things that just happen

The Script Events Manager runs an action or script when an event occurs: on start, new, open, save, export or close. It is automation that waits in the background for the right moment.

Some useful patterns: run an action on new documents that adds your standard guides or a copyright layer. On open, apply a colour profile check or a starting adjustment to every photo. On save or export, add a flattened copy or stamp metadata. On close, tidy up something your workflow always needs.

Because events can run scripts as well as actions, anything a C# script can do in Paint by Zaweba can be tied to these moments. Scripts can work with the document, layers, selection, filters, actions, and open, save and print.

Keeping it under control

Automation that runs silently can surprise you. Keep a short note of which events you have set up, and test them on copies before relying on them. If something odd starts happening when you save, the Script Events Manager is the first place to look.

For Droplets, decide where results go. Writing processed files to a separate folder is safer than overwriting originals, and it means a mistake in the batch costs nothing.

Check the action inside a Droplet before handing it to someone else. If the action has an Insert Stop or Ask When Played step, the person dropping files will be asked to respond, which may or may not be what you want.

The automation chain

The chain runs from small to large. An action records the steps. A batch runs that action across many files. A Droplet puts the batch on your desktop. Script Events trigger actions and scripts at the right moments without a click. Paint by Zaweba keeps all of it on your own PC, offline, so even automated jobs never send your images anywhere.