photoshop-batch-shadow

name	photoshop-batch-shadow
description	Batch apply drop shadow effects to product/SKU images via Photoshop MCP. Auto-apply when the user asks to add shadows to multiple images, batch process product photos, apply layer effects to SKU images, or automate Photoshop layer styles across files. Requires the Photoshop MCP proxy to be running on port 3001 with the UXP plugin connected.
metadata	{"author":"jiahui","version":"1.0"}

Photoshop Batch Shadow

Apply consistent drop shadow effects to batches of product images via the Photoshop MCP proxy.

Prerequisites

Before running, verify:

1. Proxy is running: lsof -i :3001
2. UXP plugin is loaded and connected in Photoshop
3. Python venv exists at ~/.00bx-photoshop-mcp/mcp/.venv/

If not set up, see photoshop-mcp-setup/README.md for installation instructions.

How it works

The batch script connects to Photoshop via a WebSocket proxy and for each image:

1. Opens the image in Photoshop
2. Expands the canvas (to prevent shadow cutoff)
3. Applies the drop shadow via batchPlay
4. Saves as PSD and PNG to separate output folders
5. Closes the document

Default shadow settings

These settings were extracted from the reference file Abalone Yu Sheng (shadow).psd:

Setting	Value
Blend Mode	Normal
Color	Near-black (RGB ~0.8, 1.1, 1.1)
Opacity	80%
Angle	130° (not global light)
Distance	150px
Spread	0px
Size (blur)	50px
Noise	3%
Contour	Linear
Layer Effects Scale	400%

Running the batch

Folder structure

<working-dir>/
├── input/           ← source images (any subfolder structure)
├── output-psd/      ← PSD outputs
├── output-png/      ← PNG outputs
└── batch_shadow.py  ← the batch script

Execution

~/.00bx-photoshop-mcp/mcp/.venv/bin/python batch_shadow.py

Customizing

To change shadow settings, modify the DROP_SHADOW_SETTINGS dict in batch_shadow.py.

To change the canvas expansion (default +1000px each side), modify the resizeCanvas call width/height values in process_image().

To change input/output paths, modify INPUT_DIR, OUTPUT_PSD, OUTPUT_PNG at the top of the script.

Sending commands to Photoshop

The proxy accepts socket.io connections on ws://localhost:3001. Commands use this format:

command = {
    "application": "photoshop",
    "action": "<action_name>",
    "options": { ... }
}

Key actions

Action	Options	Description
openFile	filePath	Open an image
getLayers	(none)	List all layers
executeBatchPlayCommand	commands, layerId	Run raw batchPlay
resizeCanvas	width, height, anchor	Resize canvas (absolute px)
saveDocumentAs	filePath, fileType	Save as PSD/PNG/JPG
getDocuments	(none)	List open documents

Applying layer effects via batchPlay

commands = [{
    "_obj": "set",
    "_target": [
        {"_ref": "property", "_property": "layerEffects"},
        {"_ref": "layer", "_id": layer_id}
    ],
    "to": {
        "_obj": "layerEffects",
        "scale": {"_unit": "percentUnit", "_value": 400},
        "dropShadow": { ... }
    }
}]
send_command("executeBatchPlayCommand", {"commands": commands, "layerId": layer_id})

Reading layer effects from a reference file

To extract shadow settings from an existing PSD:

commands = [{
    "_obj": "get",
    "_target": [
        {"_property": "layerEffects"},
        {"_ref": "layer", "_id": layer_id}
    ]
}]
result = send_command("executeBatchPlayCommand", {"commands": commands})
# result["response"][0]["layerEffects"]["dropShadow"] contains all settings

Troubleshooting

• Timeout on canvas resize: Use resizeCanvas action (built-in) instead of batchPlay canvasSize
• Shadow cutoff: Increase canvas expansion before applying shadow (default 1000px each side)
• "No clients registered": Reload the UXP plugin and click Connect in the PS panel
• Plugin crash after close: The close command may error after saveDocumentAs changes the doc name — this is harmless and handled by the script