How to batch process images

Batch processing lets you apply the same action to many images at once instead of editing them one by one. Whether you need to remove backgrounds from an entire product line, download a set of approved photos, or share a collection with a client, batch processing saves you hours of repetitive work.

This guide walks you through selecting files, choosing an action, and monitoring results — all from within the PixelFiddler dashboard.

How batch processing works

The workflow is straightforward:

1. Select the images you want to work with
2. Choose an action from the batch toolbar
3. Monitor progress as PixelFiddler processes each file

You can continue browsing your files while the batch runs in the background. Each file shows its own processing status so you always know what is happening.

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Selecting multiple files

PixelFiddler gives you several ways to select images depending on how many you need and how they are arranged.

Checkboxes

Every file in the file browser has a checkbox in its corner. Click the checkbox on each file you want to include. This is the simplest method when you need to pick specific images scattered throughout the list.

Ctrl/Cmd + Click

Hold Ctrl (Windows) or Cmd (Mac) and click individual files to add them to your selection. This works the same way as selecting files on your computer — each click toggles that file in or out of the selection.

Marquee (drag) selection

Click and drag across a group of files to select everything within the rectangle. This is the fastest way to select a block of adjacent images.

Select All and Deselect All

Use the Select All button at the top of the file browser to select every file in the current view. If you need most files but not all, select all first and then uncheck the ones you want to exclude. The Deselect All button clears your entire selection in one click.

Combine methods

You can mix and match selection methods. Start with Select All, then hold Ctrl/Cmd and click to deselect a few files you want to skip.

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The batch action toolbar

Once you have selected at least one file, a toolbar appears at the bottom of the screen. This toolbar shows how many files are selected and presents the available batch actions.

The toolbar stays visible as you scroll through your files, so you can always see your selection count and access the actions.

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Available batch actions

Delete

Remove multiple files from your storage at once. After clicking Delete, PixelFiddler asks you to confirm before permanently removing the selected files. This is useful for cleaning up test shots, duplicates, or outdated product images.

Caution

Deleting files is permanent. Make sure you have backups of any images you might need later. Deleted files cannot be recovered.

Invalidate Cache

When you update a file but keep the same filename, the old version might still be served from the CDN cache. Select the updated files and click Invalidate Cache to force the CDN to fetch the latest version. This ensures your customers always see the most current images.

Note

Cache invalidation typically takes effect within a few seconds, but in some cases it may take up to a minute to propagate across all edge locations.

Remove Background (AI)

Strip the background from multiple product photos in one go. Select all the images that need clean, transparent backgrounds and click Remove Background. PixelFiddler uses AI to detect the subject in each photo and remove everything behind it.

This is ideal for product photography where you need consistent white or transparent backgrounds across your entire catalog.

Learn more about AI background removal

AI Edit

AI Edit is available when you have a single file selected. This action opens the AI editing interface where you can describe changes in natural language, such as “make the lighting warmer” or “extend the background to the left.”

Note

AI Edit works on one image at a time. If you have multiple files selected, this option will not appear in the toolbar. Deselect all but one file to access it.

Download

Download all selected files as a single ZIP archive. Click Download, and PixelFiddler packages your chosen images into a compressed file that saves directly to your computer. This is convenient when you need to share images with a teammate, upload them to a marketplace, or create a local backup.

Share

Create a shared collection from your selected files. Clicking Share generates a shareable link that displays the chosen images in a clean collection view. Use this to get approval from clients, share product images with your team, or present a curated set of visuals to stakeholders.

Generate from Template

Generate from Template is available when you have a single file selected. This action lets you use the selected image as input for one of your saved image templates, producing a new composite image with the product photo placed into the template layout.

Note

Generate from Template works on one image at a time. If you have multiple files selected, this option will not appear in the toolbar. Deselect all but one file to access it.

Learn more about image templates

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Monitoring results

After you start a batch action, each file shows a processing status indicator so you can track progress without leaving the file browser.

Status	Meaning
Processing	The action is currently running on this file
Success	The action completed successfully
Failed	Something went wrong with this file

If a file fails, you can hover over the status indicator to see the reason. Common causes include unsupported file formats or files that are too large. You can retry failed files by selecting them and running the action again.

Tip

You do not need to wait for a batch to finish before starting another task. Navigate to other pages or begin a new selection — PixelFiddler continues processing in the background.

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Practical examples

Here are some common workflows that show how batch processing fits into everyday e-commerce tasks.

Prepare new product photos for your store

You just received 50 product photos from your photographer. All of them need clean backgrounds before they go live on your website.

1. Open your storage and navigate to the folder with the new photos
2. Click Select All to select all 50 images
3. Click Remove Background in the batch toolbar
4. Wait for processing to complete — each file shows its status
5. Review the results and re-run any failed files if necessary

What used to take an entire afternoon now takes a few minutes.

Download approved images for marketplace upload

Your manager approved 20 images for listing on an external marketplace. You need to download them all and upload them to the marketplace manually.

1. Select the 20 approved images using checkboxes
2. Click Download in the batch toolbar
3. Save the ZIP file to your computer
4. Extract the archive and upload the images to your marketplace

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Next steps

Now that you know how to work with multiple images at once, explore the individual features in more detail:

• AI Background Removal — Remove backgrounds with precision using AI-powered detection
• AI Auto-Tagging — Generate searchable tags automatically for your product images
• Bulk Download — Learn more about download options and file organization