Open multiple images as one layered file

Question

Hi!
I'm doing a gif animation in PS and have five pictures that I need to have as layers on the top of each other. At the moment I'm opening them and copy-pasting them on one of the images to make layers, but this is slow and sometimes confusing with all the images open at the same time.
Is there any way to just tell Photoshop to open all the files so that they are automatically stacked on the top of each other as layers? Please tell me this is possible!
Any help would be highly appreciated! Thanks!

Answer 1

Yes this a CS3 feature, although I remember it being avaiable as a separate download somewhere - it works w/CS2 (and 7 I think).<br />I'll copy it below, save it in Notepad, name it "Load Files into Stack.jsx" (no quotes) and put it in C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS2\Presets\Scripts\<br /><br />// (c) Copyright 2006.  Adobe Systems, Incorporated.  All rights reserved.<br /><br />/*<br />@@@BUILDINFO@@@ Load Files into Stack.jsx 1.0.0.0<br />*/<br /><br />//<br />// Load Files into Stack.jsx - does just that.<br />//<br /><br />/*<br /><br />// BEGIN__HARVEST_EXCEPTION_ZSTRING<br /><br /><javascriptresource><br /><name>$$$/JavaScripts/LoadFilesintoStack/Menu=Load Files into Stack...</name><br /><about>$$$/JavaScripts/LoadFilesintoStack/About=Load Files into Stack ^r^rCopyright 2006-2007 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All rights reserved.^r^rLoads multiple files into a stack object.</about><br /></javascriptresource><br /><br />// END__HARVEST_EXCEPTION_ZSTRING<br /><br />*/<br /><br />// debug level: 0-2 (0:disable, 1:break on error, 2:break at beginning)<br />//$.level = (Window.version.search("d") != -1) ? 1 : 0;     // This chokes bridge<br />$.level = 0;<br /><br />// debugger; // launch debugger on next line<br /><br />// on localized builds we pull the $$$/Strings from a .dat file<br />$.localize = true;<br /><br />// Put header files in a "Stack Scripts Only" folder.  The "...Only" tells<br />// PS not to place it in the menu.  For that reason, we do -not- localize that<br />// portion of the folder name.<br />var g_StackScriptFolderPath = app.path + "/"+ localize("$$$/ScriptingSupport/InstalledScripts=Presets/Scripts") + "/"<br />                                                  + localize("$$$/Private/LoadStack/StackScriptOnly=Stack Scripts Only/");<br /><br />$.evalFile(g_StackScriptFolderPath + "LatteUI.jsx");<br /><br />$.evalFile(g_StackScriptFolderPath + "StackSupport.jsx");<br /><br />$.evalFile(g_StackScriptFolderPath + "CreateImageStack.jsx");<br /><br />/************************************************************/<br />// loadLayers routines<br /><br />loadLayers = new ImageStackCreator( localize("$$$/AdobePlugin/Shared/LoadStack/Process/Name=Load Layers"),<br />                                                    localize('$$$/AdobePlugin/Shared/LoadStack/Auto/untitled=Untitled' ) );<br /><br />// LoadLayers is less restrictive than MergeToHDR<br />loadLayers.mustBeSameSize               = false;     // Images' height & width don't need to match<br />loadLayers.mustBeUnmodifiedRaw          = false;     // Exposure adjustements in Camera raw are allowed<br />loadLayers.mustNotBe32Bit               = false;     // 32 bit images<br />loadLayers.createSmartObject          = false;     // If true, option to create smart object is checked.<br /><br />// Add hooks to read the value of the "Create Smart Object" checkbox<br />loadLayers.customDialogSetup = function( w )<br />{<br />     w.findControl('_createSO').value = loadLayers.createSmartObject;<br />     if (! app.featureEnabled( localize( "$$$/private/ExtendedImageStackCreation=ImageStack Creation" ) ))<br />          w.findControl('_createSO').hide();<br />}<br /><br />loadLayers.customDialogFunction = function( w )<br />{<br />     loadLayers.createSmartObject = w.findControl('_createSO').value;<br />}<br /><br />// Override the default to use "Auto" alignment.<br />loadLayers.alignStack = function( stackDoc )<br />{<br />     selectAllLayers(stackDoc, 2);<br />     alignLayersByContent( "Auto" );<br />}<br /><br />loadLayers.stackLayers = function()<br />{<br />     var result, i, stackDoc = null;<br />     <br />     stackDoc = this.loadStackLayers();<br />     if (! stackDoc)<br />          return;<br />     <br />     // Nuke the "destination" layer that got created (M2HDR holdover)<br />     stackDoc.layers[this.pluginName].remove();<br />     <br />     // Stack 'em up.<br />     if (this.createSmartObject)<br />     {<br />          selectAllLayers( stackDoc );<br />          executeAction( knewPlacedLayerStr, new ActionDescriptor(), DialogModes.NO );<br />     }<br />}<br /><br />// "Main" execution of Merge to HDR<br />loadLayers.doInteractiveLoad = function ()<br />{<br />     this.getFilesFromBridgeOrDialog( localize("$$$/Private/LoadStack/LoadLayersexv=LoadLayers.exv") );<br /><br />     if (this.stackElements)<br />          this.stackLayers();<br />}<br /><br />loadLayers.intoStack = function(filelist, alignFlag)<br />{<br />     if (typeof(alignFlag) == 'boolean')<br />          loadLayers.useAlignment = alignFlag;<br />          <br />     if (filelist.length < 2)<br />     {<br />          alert(localize("$$$/AdobeScripts/Shared/LoadLayers/AtLeast2=At least two files must be selected to create a stack."), this.pluginName, true );<br />          return;<br />     }<br />     var j;<br />     this.stackElements = new Array();<br />     for (j in filelist)<br />     {<br />          var f = filelist[j];<br />          this.stackElements.push( new StackElement( (typeof(f) == 'string') ? File(f) : f ) );<br />     }<br />          <br />     if (this.stackElements.length > 1)<br />          this.mergeStackElements();<br />}<br /><br />if (typeof(loadLayersFromScript) == 'undefined')<br />     loadLayers.doInteractiveLoad();