FlowBatch

FlowBatch User Guide

Learn how to create visual workflows, process files in batches, and master every feature of FlowBatch.

Licensing: FlowBatch requires a license. Both Personal ($49) and Commercial ($149) licenses include all features. Choose Commercial if you're using FlowBatch for business, client work, or revenue-generating projects. See pricing →

Quick Navigation

→ Getting Started→ Workflow Editor→ Node Types→ Batch Processing→ Presets→ Watch Mode→ Tips & Tricks→ Troubleshooting

Getting Started

System Requirements

  • Windows: Windows 10 or later (64-bit)
  • macOS: macOS 11 (Big Sur) or later
  • Storage: Adequate space for input/output files

All necessary processing tools are bundled with the app—no additional software required.

First Launch

When you first open FlowBatch, you'll see the workflow editor with an empty canvas. You're ready to start building workflows immediately—all media processing tools are pre-configured and bundled with the app.

Interface Overview

  • Canvas: Central area where you build workflows by dragging and connecting nodes
  • Toolbar: Top menu with File, Presets, and Help options
  • Node Panel: Left sidebar with available node types (Input, Output, Resize, etc.)
  • Properties Panel: Right sidebar showing configuration for selected node
  • Action Buttons: Top controls for running workflows and managing processing

Workflow Editor

Creating Your First Workflow

  1. 1
    Add an Input Node: Drag "Input" from the node panel onto the canvas. Click it to configure the source folder path.
  2. 2
    Add Processing Nodes: Add nodes like Resize, Convert, or Watermark to transform your files.
  3. 3
    Add an Output Node: Drag "Output" onto the canvas and configure the destination folder.
  4. 4
    Connect Nodes: Click and drag from the output handle (bottom) of one node to the input handle (top) of another.
  5. 5
    Run Your Workflow: Click the "Run Workflow" button to start batch processing.

Canvas Controls

  • Pan: Click and drag on empty canvas space, or use Space + drag
  • Zoom: Use mouse wheel or trackpad pinch gesture
  • Select: Click a node to select it and view its properties
  • Delete: Select a node or edge and press Delete or Backspace
  • Multi-select: Hold Shift and click multiple nodes

Connecting Nodes

Connections (edges) define the flow of data through your workflow. Each node has input handles (top) and output handles (bottom). Some nodes, like Filter, have multiple output handles for conditional routing.

💡 Pro Tip

You can branch workflows by connecting one node to multiple destinations. This lets you create different versions of the same source files (e.g., web-sized and print-sized exports).

Node Types

Input Node

Defines the source folder for files to process. This is where your workflow begins.

Configuration:

  • Path: Select the folder containing files to process
  • Recursive: Include files from subfolders
  • Filter Type: Process all files, only images, only videos, or custom extensions
  • Custom Extensions: Comma-separated list (e.g., "jpg,png,heic")
  • Watch Mode: Automatically process new files as they arrive
  • Move After Processing: Move source files to "_processed" subfolder after completion

Output Node

Defines where processed files are saved and how they're named.

Configuration:

  • Destination: Folder where processed files will be saved
  • Renaming Pattern: Template for output filenames using tokens
  • Conflict Resolution: What to do if file already exists (skip, overwrite, or auto-rename)

Naming Tokens:

  • {name} - Original filename without extension
  • {ext} - Output file extension
  • {date} - Current date (YYYY-MM-DD)
  • {time} - Current time (HH-MM-SS)

Resize Node

Scale images and videos to specific dimensions or percentages.

Configuration:

  • Mode: Choose resize strategy (percentage, fit width, fit height, or fixed)
  • Percentage: Scale by percentage (1-500%) - maintains aspect ratio
  • Fit Width: Set width, height calculated automatically
  • Fit Height: Set height, width calculated automatically
  • Fixed: Exact dimensions (may distort image)
  • Algorithm: Lanczos (best quality), Bicubic (balanced), or Nearest (fastest)

Max Dimension: 16,384 pixels (encoder limit)

Crop Node

Extract a specific region from images and videos with preset aspect ratios.

Configuration:

  • Aspect Ratio: 1:1 (square), 16:9 (widescreen), 9:16 (portrait), 4:3, 3:2, or free
  • Width/Height: Crop dimensions in pixels
  • Position: Where to extract from (9-point grid: top-left, center, bottom-right, etc.)

Common Use Cases:

  • 1:1 - Instagram posts
  • 16:9 - YouTube thumbnails
  • 9:16 - TikTok, Instagram Reels, Stories

Convert Node

Change file format and adjust quality settings.

Configuration:

  • Format: JPG, PNG, WebP, AVIF, MP4, GIF
  • Quality: 0-100 for lossy formats (JPG, WebP, AVIF)
  • Strip Metadata: Remove EXIF data for privacy

Format Notes:

  • JPG: Universal support, lossy compression
  • PNG: Lossless, supports transparency
  • WebP: Modern web format, excellent compression
  • AVIF: Best compression, limited browser support
  • MP4: Video format
  • GIF: Animated images

Filter Node

Conditionally route files based on their properties. Has two output paths: "pass" and "fail".

Configuration:

  • Condition: File property to check (fileSize, imageWidth, imageHeight, orientation, fileExtension)
  • Operator: Comparison type (greater than, less than, equals, is)
  • Value: Threshold value to compare against

Examples:

  • Route large images (width > 3000px) to high-quality export
  • Separate portrait and landscape photos
  • Process only HEIC files for conversion
  • Handle small files differently (< 1MB)

Watermark Node

Add text or image overlays to protect your content or add branding.

Configuration:

  • Type: Text or Image watermark
  • Image Path: Logo or image file (for image watermarks)
  • Text: Watermark text (for text watermarks)
  • Position: 9-point grid placement (top-left, center, bottom-right, etc.)
  • Padding: Offset from edge in pixels
  • Scale: Size relative to image (1-100)
  • Opacity: Transparency level (0-100)

Batch Processing

Running a Workflow

  1. 1
    Validate Your Workflow: Ensure all nodes are properly configured and connected.
  2. 2
    Click "Run Workflow": Located at the bottom of the screen.
  3. 3
    Monitor Progress: Watch real-time progress in the processing theater.
  4. 4
    Review Results: Check output folders for processed files.

Processing Theater

The processing theater appears during batch execution and shows:

  • Current file being processed
  • Progress percentage for each file
  • Real-time log messages
  • Success/failure status
  • Overall batch progress

Stopping a Workflow

Click the "Stop" button in the processing theater to halt execution. Files already processed will remain in output folders. In-progress files may be incomplete.

💡 Performance Tip

FlowBatch processes files in parallel for maximum speed. The number of concurrent jobs depends on your system's CPU cores and available memory.

Presets

What are Presets?

Presets are saved workflows that you can quickly load and reuse. Perfect for repetitive tasks like preparing photos for different platforms or standardizing video exports.

Factory Presets

FlowBatch includes built-in presets for common tasks:

  • Social Media Resize: Create multiple sizes for Instagram, Facebook, Twitter
  • Web Optimization: Convert to WebP with optimal compression
  • Photographer Proof: Add watermarks to client proofs
  • HEIC to JPG: Convert iPhone photos to universal format
  • Video Thumbnail: Extract frames from videos

Saving Your Own Presets

  1. Create and configure your workflow
  2. Click File → Save Preset (or Ctrl/Cmd + S)
  3. Enter a descriptive name
  4. Preset saves to your user presets folder

Loading Presets

Click the Presets menu or the folder icon in the toolbar to browse available presets. Click any preset to load it onto the canvas.

⚠️ Unsaved Changes

Loading a preset will replace your current workflow. If you have unsaved changes, FlowBatch will warn you first.

Sharing Presets

Preset files (.flowbatch.json) can be shared with others. Simply copy the file and import it via File → Open Preset.

Watch Mode

What is Watch Mode?

Watch Mode continuously monitors input folders and automatically processes new files as they arrive. Perfect for:

  • Processing files from cameras with auto-upload
  • Monitoring download folders
  • Automated workflow pipelines
  • Real-time conversion services

Enabling Watch Mode

  1. Select your Input node
  2. Check "Enable Watch Mode" in the properties panel
  3. Optionally enable "Move Source After Processing" to organize files
  4. Run your workflow

The workflow will continue running in the background, processing any new files that appear in the input folder.

Watch Mode Controls

While watch mode is active:

  • View active watchers in the Watch Monitor panel
  • See file queue and processing status
  • Stop individual watchers or all at once
  • Check real-time processing logs

💡 Best Practice

Enable "Move Source After Processing" to prevent files from being processed multiple times. Source files move to a "_processed" subfolder after successful completion.

⚠️ Important

Watch mode continues even if you minimize the app. To stop watching, explicitly click "Stop" in the Watch Monitor.

Tips & Tricks

Branch Your Workflows

Connect one input to multiple output paths to create different versions of files in one pass. Example: Create thumbnail, web, and print sizes simultaneously.

Use Filter Nodes for Smart Routing

Automatically handle portrait and landscape images differently, or process large vs. small files with different settings.

Naming Tokens Save Time

Use {date} and {time} tokens in output naming patterns to organize files chronologically and prevent conflicts.

Test with Small Batches First

Before processing thousands of files, test your workflow on a small subset to ensure settings are correct.

Save Disk Space with WebP

Convert JPEGs to WebP format with 80-85 quality for 30-40% smaller files with minimal quality loss.

Keyboard Shortcuts

  • Ctrl/Cmd + S - Save preset
  • Ctrl/Cmd + O - Open preset
  • Delete/Backspace - Delete selected node
  • Space + Drag - Pan canvas
  • Shift + Click - Multi-select nodes

Troubleshooting

Processing Fails for Specific Files

Problem: Some files process successfully but others fail.

Solution:

  • Check file format is supported (JPG, PNG, HEIC, MP4, etc.)
  • Verify files are not corrupted
  • Ensure files are not locked by another application
  • Check processing logs for specific error messages

Workflow Won't Run

Problem: "Run Workflow" button doesn't start processing.

Solution:

  • Verify all nodes are connected (no orphaned nodes)
  • Ensure workflow has at least one Input and one Output node
  • Check that input folder paths are valid and accessible
  • Confirm output folder paths exist or can be created

Output Quality is Poor

Problem: Processed images look compressed or pixelated.

Solution:

  • Increase quality setting in Convert node (try 85-95 for JPG)
  • Use Lanczos algorithm in Resize node for best quality
  • Avoid upscaling images beyond original dimensions
  • Consider PNG for lossless output

Watch Mode Not Detecting New Files

Problem: New files added to watched folder aren't being processed.

Solution:

  • Verify "Enable Watch Mode" is checked in Input node
  • Check file extensions match the filter settings
  • Ensure files are fully copied/moved (not still transferring)
  • Stop and restart watch mode to refresh

Still Need Help?

If you're experiencing issues not covered here:

  • • Check the processing logs for detailed error messages
  • • Visit our GitHub repository for known issues
  • • Contact support at [email protected]