ImBatch 2 adds even more image processing automation

High Motion Software has announced the release of ImBatch 2.0, its comprehensive image batch processing tool.

As before, you can use the program to resize or rotate photos, tweak colors and contrast, apply effects, set tags and more. But now you’re also able to apply new "AutoEnhance" tasks, which do their best to automatically optimize your target images.

A new Context Menu Editor adds entries to Explorer’s context menus, allowing you to right-click selected images and launch your saved combination of ImBatch tasks.

The Image Monitor can watch your specified folders for images, and automatically process them with your chosen ImBatch commands.

And the program has also seen a range of smaller usability and interface tweaks.

Unsurprisingly, there are one or two minor problems with the new features. For example, the Context Menu Editor allows you to add menu entries even when you’ve not provided a caption for them, or any parameters, leaving you with blank options in Explorer. Annoying, but easily fixed, and we’re sure it’ll be resolved in the next update.

There’s an issue with ease of use, too. The automatic enhancement tasks are labeled "AutoEnhance 1" and "AutoEnhance 2", for instance: so, what’s the difference? It’s not clear, even if you choose them and look at their parameters, and there’s no documentation to help you find out.

ImBatch 2.0.0 is extremely powerful, though, as well as entirely free (not a toolbar in sight), so if you need a capable batch processing tool for your photos then it’s definitely worth a look. Just be prepared to spend some time exploring before you understand how the program works.