How to Resize Images Using Automator Quick Action on Mac

While writing an article, I have to oftenscale dozens of images to a specific sizefor uploading. As it’s an integral part of my workflow, I wanted to make the whole process a little bit smoother and also less time-consuming. First, I was looking at somethird-party photo editing appsbut I was not that satisfied with the results. Finally, myproductivity-centric needled me to discover a quick way to resize images using Automator Quick Action on Mac. I am in love with this new hack and want to share it with you guys. So, if your workflow is akin to mine, this is how you can quickly resize images using Automator quick action on your Mac.

Quickly Resize Images with Automator Quick Action on macOS

Quickly Resize Images with Automator Quick Action on macOS

Before diving straight into the whole process, let me briefly discuss the whole process and also spill some beans about the goodies that come attached with this Automator Quick Action.

Sneak-Peek into the Whole Process

As you may have already guessed it, we are first going to set up an image-resizing quick action using the Automator app. As it’s a stock app, you don’t have to take the pain of installing a third-party tool or even spending a few dollars. Talking about reliability, you can use this hack to resize a single or a bunch of images at once on your macOS device with just a couple of clicks. It works as smoothly as thedark/light mode switchthat we build using Automator. What’s more, there is also an option to assign akeyboard shortcutto it for a more simplified experience. As Automator has existed on Mac for years, you won’t face incompatibility issues either. So, what are you waiting for?

Creating Resize Image Automator Quick Action on macOS

  1. Open theAutomatorapp on your Mac.

Note:If the app is not available in the Dock, you can use the Spotlight search to quickly find it.

  1. Now, click on theFilemenu and chooseNew.

  2. Next, select theService/Quick Actionicon.

  3. Next up, click on theService receives selected/ Workflow receives currentdropdown and then make sure to chooseImage Files.

  4. Up next, chooseFiles and Foldersoptions located in the sidebar. After that, drag the“Get Specified Finder Items”to the workflow area.

  5. Now, choosePhotosin theActions sidebar. Then, dragScale Imagesoption to the workflow area.

  6. A popup message will show up on the screen saying,“This action will change the image files passed into it. Would you like to add a Copy Finder Items action so that the copies are changed and your originals are preserved?To keep everything straightforward, selectDon’t Add.(But you can choose to go with Add if you want to.)

  7. Now, enter the desired width in theScale Imagesaction panel. I’m going to enter 640 as it’s the default size of most of the images that I upload.

  8. Finally, click on theFile menuand chooseSave.After that, give the service a suitable name like“Resize Image”and hitSave.

Now that you have created a shortcut, you can resize any image with ease. Read on…

Resizing Images Using Automator Quick Action on macOS

  1. Now,right-click (or Ctrl-click)on the file and chooseResize Imageoption.

Note:If the file is on desktop, right-click on it >Services/Quick Actions. Then, select theResize Imageoption from the contextual dropdown.

If you want toresize multiple images at onceon your Mac, select all the images. Then right-click and chooseResize Image. (If those image files are on desktop, choose Quick Actions > Resize Image.)

Assigning a Keyboard Shortcut to Automator Image Resize Service

If you like to get your work done faster using handyMac keyboard shortcuts, you would be glad to know that there is also an option to assign a keyboard shortcut to the Automator image resize service.

  1. Now, chooseKeyboardpane.

  2. Next, click on theShortcutstab and chooseServicesfrom the sidebar. Then, select theResize Image option.

  3. ChooseAdd Shortcut.Finally, enter a preferred key combination and you are good to go.

Resize Images on Mac with Ease

Resize Images on Mac with Ease

So, that’s the quick way to make an image resizing a painless exercise on macOS. For the folks who often have to upload images to a blog, this can prove to be a boon from a productivity perspective. Though setting up the quick action requires some workaround, the rest process is quite straightforward, isn’t it? Recently, we have covered quite a few helpful guides related to macOS includingchanging the music file location,hiding Apple Music in the Music appandmaking the latest messages to show on top in an email thread. If you haven’t been able to catch up with those articles, do give them a look.

Rajesh Mishra

An old school bibliophile who turned a tech nerd out of obsession. When he is not digging into hacks and tracking down stories that are breaking the internet, you may find him reciting poems.

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