The loss of quality with repeated saves only applies if the image is changed.
If you don't change a JPEG but repeatedly click the Save button, the file
doesn't actually change, so there's no risk.
Because of this behavior, it is quite possible that simply saving the files
as you work on them might be an appropriate solution. Each time you open and
optimize a JPEG image, when you go to save it you can save it as a TIFF or
PSD at that time (there's no risk in making repeated adjustments to a JPEG
you've opened to optimize, as long as you don't save them as JPEG after
adjustments).
If you'd prefer to batch convert, there are a couple ways to approach that.
If you're using Photoshop CS2 you can use the new Image Processor, which can
be accessed from File > Scripts > Image Processor (or from within Bridge at
Tools > Photoshop > Image Processor). In the Image Processor dialog box you
can specify the source and destination folders, then check the boxes for the
desired file formats (in this case TIFF). You can even resize to fit specific
pixel dimensions, but that isn't an issue for your situation.
If you're using an older version of Photoshop, you could create an action to
do the same thing, and then use File > Automate > Batch to apply that action
to a folder full of images.
And, of course, there are a variety of software tools from other third-party
software developers that will give you this same functionality.
Hope this helps!
Tim Grey, Rich Media Group
Microsoft Corporation
(e-mail address removed)
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.
