Photoshop is still a standard tool in press photography workflows. Many sports photographers (particularly those covering football, motorsport and rugby) open their selects in Photoshop for final retouching, sharpening and colour correction before delivery. The question is always: how do you get the file to the server without adding a manual upload step?

The answer is the same regardless of which editing tool you use: point Photoshop's save or export destination at a folder that FTPush is watching, and every file you save triggers an automatic upload in the background.

How the Photoshop and FTPush combination works

FTPush watches a local folder on your Mac. When any file appears in that folder (saved from Photoshop, dropped manually, or written by any other app) FTPush uploads it to your configured FTP/SFTP server immediately. The upload is silent and automatic; you do not interact with FTPush during a shoot.

Open and retouch image in Photoshop
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File, Save As (or Image Processor batch)
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File saved to FTPush watched folder
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FTPush uploads automatically
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File arrives at server in seconds

Setting up FTPush

  1. Download FTPush. Available at ftpsuite.com/push/ or as part of the FTPSuite bundle. Free 14-day trial, no card required.
  2. Create a server connection. Open FTPush Settings, go to Connections, add a connection for your delivery server. Choose SFTP for event networks.
  3. Create a dedicated delivery folder. For example: ~/Pictures/PS-Delivery/. This is where Photoshop will save files and FTPush will pick them up.
  4. Set the watched folder. In FTPush connection settings, set Local Folder to ~/Pictures/PS-Delivery/.
  5. Set the remote folder. The destination path on your server. Confirm with your agency.
  6. Test the connection. Save a test file to the watched folder from any app. Confirm it arrives on the server.

Method 1: Save As (single image)

For working on one image at a time (typical for press conferences, podium shots and key moments) use File, Save As (Shift+Cmd+S on Mac).

  1. Open your image in Photoshop and complete your retouch.
  2. Go to File, Save As.
  3. Navigate to your FTPush watched folder.
  4. Choose JPEG as the format. Set quality to match your agency requirements (typically 8–10 in Photoshop's 0–12 scale, equivalent to ~85–95% quality).
  5. Click Save. Photoshop writes the file. FTPush detects it and starts uploading within 1 second.
Keyboard shortcut tip: create a Photoshop Action that runs Save As to a specific folder and assign it to a function key (F2, F3, etc.). During a match, you can retouch and deliver in seconds without touching the menu.

Method 2: Image Processor (batch delivery)

For delivering multiple selects at once (after a half-time break, at full time, or between sets) Photoshop's Image Processor script is the fastest batch method.

  1. Go to File, Scripts, Image Processor.
  2. In "Select the images to process", choose "Use Open Images" (if your selects are open) or "Select Folder" (to process a folder of files).
  3. In "Select location to save processed images", choose "Save in New Location" and navigate to your FTPush watched folder.
  4. Under "File Type", check Save as JPEG and set quality (8–10).
  5. Optionally check "Include ICC Profile" for colour-managed delivery.
  6. Click Run. Photoshop processes each image and saves it to the watched folder. FTPush uploads each file as it appears.

Image Processor can also apply a Photoshop Action to each image before saving: useful for adding a copyright watermark or running a sharpening action in a single pass.

Method 3: Export As

Photoshop's Export As dialog (File, Export, Export As, or Alt+Shift+Cmd+W) gives you more control over file size and dimensions than Save As. It is useful when you need to deliver a specific file size or dimension constraint set by the agency.

The limitation: Export As does not have a persistent destination folder. You choose the destination each time. For repetitive delivery, Save As with a keyboard shortcut or Image Processor are faster.

Using Photoshop Actions to speed up delivery

The fastest Photoshop delivery workflow uses Actions for one-step retouch and save:

  1. Open the Actions panel (Window, Actions).
  2. Create a new Action set called "Delivery" and a new Action called "Save to FTP".
  3. Start recording. Apply your standard retouch steps (Levels, Curves, Sharpening). Then do File, Save As to your watched folder as JPEG.
  4. Stop recording.
  5. Assign a Function Key to the action in the action options.

From that point, you open an image, press your function key, and the retouch runs and the file lands in the delivery folder in under 3 seconds. FTPush handles the upload in the background.

Sports-specific notes

Football (Premier League, La Liga, Champions League, World Cup)

High-volume delivery during the match. Use Image Processor at the end of each half rather than delivering individual files. For the biggest goal or red card, deliver immediately via Save As.

Formula 1 and motorsport

Pit lane and paddock access usually means wired ethernet. Use SFTP for consistent delivery speed. F1 photographers often deliver 10–20 images per session; Image Processor handles this in under a minute.

Rugby (Six Nations, Super Rugby)

Long match with less frequent key moments. Deliver in two or three batches per match. Image Processor with a retouch action applied is the most efficient approach.

NBA and basketball

Court-side positions often have strong WiFi. Action-based delivery per image works well. NBA photographers typically deliver during timeouts and at the end of each quarter.

Tips for Photoshop and FTPush together

For a complete overview covering all editing tools, see: Sports Photography FTP Workflow: The Complete Guide.