Overview: While working on digital storefront assets for WB Games, I quickly realized how much time was being consumed by manual tasks, especially exporting, quality assurance, and file finalization. Each title required dozens of exports tailored to platform-specific guidelines across PlayStation, Xbox, Steam, Epic, and Nintendo. These repetitive tasks scaled quickly and introduced a high risk of human error, especially during peak cycles like Mortal Kombat 1 DLC drops.
The Solution: To streamline our workflow, I developed seven custom Photoshop scripts from scratch using JavaScript. With ChatGPT as a coding partner and a Photoshop debugging tool for console access, I built each tool to solve a specific production bottleneck:
Save for Web PNG / JPG: Prompts for and remembers the user’s export path while enforcing constraints like PlayStation’s 2MB file limit.
QA One / QA All: Identifies hidden or un-rasterized linked layers, highlighting them non-destructively in red for easy review and fix.
Finalize One / Finalize All: Preps files by rasterizing what’s needed while preserving smart objects, text, and shape layers. "All" applies across all open files.
Replace Linked Layers (MK1 Metadata): Built specifically for Mortal Kombat 1, this tool replaced character images across dozens of files using a reference name and new image path.
QA One | Finalize One
Export JPG | Replace Linked Files
Implementation: I tested each script on dummy files, validated stability, and created tutorial videos to onboard the team. I showed how to install, assign shortcuts, and integrate them seamlessly into our workflow. The tools were quickly adopted and became integral to our metadata production pipeline.
Impact: These scripts dramatically increased production speed. Tasks that used to take hours, such as asset swaps, QA, and prep, were completed in minutes. Total turnaround time for metadata creation dropped to about one-fourth, leading to faster delivery, fewer mistakes, and less fatigue.
Reflection: This experience taught me to approach creative work with a systems mindset. Rather than power through inefficiencies, I looked for ways to eliminate them. By breaking down problems and building scalable tools, I not only sped up production but also freed up more time for creativity. If I could go back, I would have started this process even sooner.