Use Batch Mode if you already have a predefined set of files, neatly named and organized into directories, and you want to manually select the directory where they are, or the files individually.

In Batch Mode, the screen is divided into two tabs: Batch and Batch Settings. Go to the Batch tab to browse your images and set up the files to be converted. The upper part of the Batch tab is a file browser, where you can navigate on your computer and the network. To view an image file, double click on it. To select files or directories for batch conversion, you have to add them to the Batch Selection List. Simply drag and drop the selected files from the browser to the lower list on the screen. The lower list contains all the raster images that you are going to convert into PDF.

The conversion is governed by several conversion options, most of which are located on the Batch Settings tab. The settings include:

These settings are applied to all the files you convert in a single batch. You can not use different settings for some of the files, and others for the rest. If certain files need different options, you have to convert them separately, then change the settings, then convert the rest of the files; or simply use Watch Mode, which is much more flexible with the settings.

There are, however, some directory and file specific settings that you do not set up on the Batch Settings tab, but on the Batch tab. Drag and drop a few images or directories to the Batch Selection List, and double click on one of the items to change its settings. A dialog box will pop up, where you can configure some file related settings, like:

Note that these settings belong to a specific file or directory. You can do a multiple selection and apply these settings to more than one item at a time, but it is possible to configure every item independently.

We recommend that you select directories in big jobs, instead of individual files. It is much easier to overlook and understand the job settings that way. Only drag and drop files to the selection list if you want to process a couple of them.

We are going to discuss the individual settings in the Settings chapter. It is not important for you to understand everything right away, because ELAN Converter™ has a great deal of options that takes time to get familiar with. If this is the first time you have seen the product, it is enough to remember what the Batch Mode is for, and that some settings apply to the entire job, while others apply to the selected items.

Once you have dragged the directories that you want to convert, you are ready to start the batch. Click on the Convert button (the one with the "ec" in a yellow circle). A progress indicator will show up, and you do not have to do anything but wait until it goes to 100%. Once the conversion is ready, you will have a chance to see the conversion log, which contains the errors that might have come up during the conversion. You will learn more about the log later.

You will also learn how to use the file browser to navigate, how to filter the list, view image files, set up typical and non-typical settings.