Improve file handling for macros and New Batch Job

[LibTechDescent]

Neither batch mode nor macros allow me to do my most common work task. I've been waiting quietly for improved export options in macros since I bought Affinity Photo in 2018 but I still can't do what I need. Here's something I do very often in Photoshop:

• Open Image.jpg from Folder1 resize it proportionally and export it to Folder2,
• Resize the still-open image, crop to a preset size, sharpen, export again to Folder2 to create a thumbnail,
• Close the image, saying "no" to the "save changes?" prompt.

I want to end up with two exported images, with similar names in the same folder, so they sort together in File Explorer. This is easy in Photoshop with two macros and zero intervention. I drag and drop multiples files into Photoshop to open them, then I click the "play" button on two macros and I am done. It's literally a two click operation for each file. I can't even get close to this efficiency with New Batch Job and/or Macros in Affinity Photo. I have to use New Batch Job, add files, select a new folder, select file type, apply macro, then outside Affinity Photo, rename all the files before I do my second batch job or the first processed will be overwritten.

Batch Job is good if you're doing operations on lots of files and want just one file exported for each. I'm doing a few operations on a few files and need multiple versions exported, so its more important to me that the exporting and naming part is efficient.

1. Minimum viable product fix: Add an option "[x] Rename instead of overwrite" in New Batch Job panel. Append "01" or whatever to the file name.
2. Better fix: Do the above and also remember all the last used options in the New Batch Job panel (except applied Macros).
3. Full featured fix: Improve file handling, especially in Macros. Don't make users have to discover the New Batch Job panel when they should be able to specify export options (folder location, file type, autonaming rules) in macros. Not all macros are "things people want to do to lots of files". Sometimes they're "multiple things always done to a few files".

PS:
Please also allow us to specify "percentage" as an option when resizing, it's useful in macros.  I believe my percentage operations get converted to absolute values when saved as macros.
And please let us see what the details of a macro step are in the macro panel. It helps troubleshoot macro errors or adjustments. 

I'm hoping to properly switch over to Affinity someday. I've bought all of the products, but simple things I need to do often are usually more laborious than in Adobe products, so I am still tied to Creative Cloud for now. 

[carl123]

46 minutes ago, LibTechDescent said:

I want to end up with two exported images, with similar names in the same folder, so they sort together in File Explorer.

Can the thumbnail image be a PNG file?

Then you only need to run the batch job once and generate both the JPG & PNG files at the same time

The names will be the same just the extension will be different in File Explorer

[Larslok]

I have a similar requirement for Affinity Photo macros.  The ability to copy a selected portion of an image and create a new image from that selection (i.e., New From Clipboard), and then save the new image.  I currently use a Photoshop macro that does the following:  After loading an image into Photoshop, I run the macro which divides the image into 12 equal segments (by dragging guidelines).  With the rectangle selection tool the macro selects one of the segments, copies it to the clipboard, creates a new image from the clipboard data, then saves it with a file name that I have embedded within the macro.  The macro repeats this process for each of the 12 segments.  When the macro finishes it has created 12 new images, each a segment of the original file.  Ultimately these 12 new files are used as part of a background image in a video editing application.