How to Batch process photos in photoshop

I have wasted so many hours in my life doing redundant processes to massive groups of photos in photoshop. No longer!!! Photoshop does this thing where you can batch process entire folders of images in one go- with very little effort from it's human counterpart. I realize this isn't exactly news to the tech savy, but in case you are computer challenged [like me] I bring you the beauty that is batch processing.

Step 1: Create an Action in Photoshop. 

I found this TUTORIAL on About.com to be incredibly clear and helpful. Here's the transcript from their video: (But I do recommend following along with the video.)

"Use the Actions Window in Photoshop

The first step to using actions in Photoshop is to make sure you have the Actions window open, so go up here to Window. Then choose the Action option. Now that you have your list of Actions open we can start. In this example, I want to make an action that resizes my photo by 50 percent and desaturates it but you can make an action out of almost any process you use in Photoshop.

Record the Action for Repetitive Photoshop Edits

First, I’ll press the New Action button right here. I’ll give it a descriptive name like “Half Size / Desaturate” and press record. Now, Photoshop is watching everything that I do - THIS is how you create actions. Now, I’ll reduce the size by 50% and now I’ll desaturate. Done! As you can see, Photoshop took note of everything I did. Then press stop and I have a new action. Now, I can go to this other image - press the Play button while my action is selected and the process is repeated. Be sure to play with actions to make working with a lot of photos and processes easier!"

Step 2: Batch Process Those Bad-Boys

Follow  this TUTORIAL I found on dummies.com about how to batch process. Here are the slimmed down bullet points from their site: (For a more though break down pop on over there.)

1. Make sure that all the files are in a single folder of their own. Because the subfolders will be included in the process.
2. Click on File pick Automate from the drop-down menu and then select Batch.
3. This opens the Batch dialog box.
4. Select the set that contains the action you want to apply.
5. In the Action pop-up menu, select the action that you want to apply.
6. In the Source pop-up menu, select Folder.
7. Click the Choose button, navigate to the folder that you want to use, and click OK (in Windows) or Choose (in Mac OS).
8. In the Destination area, tell Photoshop what to do with each file after the action has been applied to it.
9. Choose one from the drop-down menu.
10. Specify how you want Photoshop to create the filenames for the new, processed files by selecting options from the drop-down menus.
11. In the Errors pop-up menu, select whether you want Photoshop to stop processing a batch when it encounters an error or whether you want it to simply continue and list the errors in a file. If you select the latter option, click the Save As button and, in the Save dialog box, specify a name and location for the log.
12. When you finish selecting options in the Batch dialog box, click OK to start the batch processing.

Step 3: Sit Back and Relax while Photoshop Takes Care of The Rest.