There are other ways this photo effects tool could be extended. Browse the
library of tools in Automator and see what else is available.OncetheAutomatorapplicationhasbeen
saved,theappwillrunonanyMacandit
canbecopiedandgiventootherpeople,
justlikeanyotherapp.Automatoris not
neededanymoreandit canbeclosed.It
doesnotneedtoberunning.Thedesktop
is a convenientplacetokeeptheapp
becauseof thewayit works,butyoucould
moveit totheApplicationsfolderandadd
anicontotheDocktorunit.How to useyour
new filter app
1
Add photos
The Photo Effects app we created is top-
right of the desktop. Open a Finder window,
go to a folder containing photos, drag one and
drop it on the app. Choose where to save it.2
Choose an effect
When the app runs, it shows a small
window containing a thumbnail image and a
menu below. Choose the effect you want.
Click ‘Continue’ to apply it.Step-by-step Use Automator to build a photo tool
1
Start Automator
Open Automator from the Applications
folder and in the file window that appears click
‘New Document’. Select ‘Application’ and click
‘Choose’. We will create an app you can run.4
View your app
This is the whole app and it consists of
two actions, one to copy Finder items and
another to apply Quartz filters. Make sure your
Automator app looks exactly like this.2
Choose an action
Select ‘Library’ at the top of the first
column to show all actions in the second
column, then select ‘Apply Quartz Composition
Filter to Image Files’. Read the description.5
Add app options
Click the ‘Options’ link under both items
and then enable the checkbox ‘Show this
action when the workflow runs’. This means
you will be able to interact with the app.3
Add the action
Click and drag the action to the right and
drop it. It requires input from Finder in order to
work, so Automator asks if you want to add it.
Click the ‘Add’ button to accept.6
Save the app
Go to the File menu and select ‘Save’.
Name it, such as Photo Effects, choose where
to save it, like the desktop, and set the file
format to Application so it can be run.