diff --git a/gallery_dl/job.py b/gallery_dl/job.py
index 3a59718b..dddc03af 100644
--- a/gallery_dl/job.py
+++ b/gallery_dl/job.py
@@ -376,17 +376,17 @@ class DownloadJob(Job):
 
     def initialize(self, kwdict=None):
         """Delayed initialization of PathFormat, etc."""
-        config = self.extractor.config
+        cfg = self.extractor.config
         pathfmt = self.pathfmt = util.PathFormat(self.extractor)
         if kwdict:
             pathfmt.set_directory(kwdict)
 
-        self.sleep = config("sleep")
-        if not config("download", True):
+        self.sleep = cfg("sleep")
+        if not cfg("download", True):
             # monkey-patch method to do nothing and always return True
             self.download = pathfmt.fix_extension
 
-        archive = config("archive")
+        archive = cfg("archive")
         if archive:
             path = util.expand_path(archive)
             try:
@@ -400,7 +400,7 @@ class DownloadJob(Job):
             else:
                 self.extractor.log.debug("Using download archive '%s'", path)
 
-        skip = config("skip", True)
+        skip = cfg("skip", True)
         if skip:
             self._skipexc = None
             if skip == "enumerate":
@@ -428,7 +428,10 @@ class DownloadJob(Job):
             category = self.extractor.category
             basecategory = self.extractor.basecategory
 
+            pp_conf = config.get((), "postprocessor") or {}
             for pp_dict in postprocessors:
+                if isinstance(pp_dict, str):
+                    pp_dict = pp_conf.get(pp_dict) or {"name": pp_dict}
 
                 whitelist = pp_dict.get("whitelist")
                 if whitelist and category not in whitelist and \
diff --git a/gallery_dl/option.py b/gallery_dl/option.py
index 6018542e..b1469452 100644
--- a/gallery_dl/option.py
+++ b/gallery_dl/option.py
@@ -335,7 +335,7 @@ def build_parser():
     postprocessor.add_argument(
         "--zip",
         dest="postprocessors",
-        action="append_const", const={"name": "zip"},
+        action="append_const", const="zip",
         help="Store downloaded files in a ZIP archive",
     )
     postprocessor.add_argument(
@@ -362,7 +362,7 @@ def build_parser():
     postprocessor.add_argument(
         "--write-metadata",
         dest="postprocessors",
-        action="append_const", const={"name": "metadata"},
+        action="append_const", const="metadata",
         help="Write metadata to separate JSON files",
     )
     postprocessor.add_argument(
@@ -374,7 +374,7 @@ def build_parser():
     postprocessor.add_argument(
         "--mtime-from-date",
         dest="postprocessors",
-        action="append_const", const={"name": "mtime"},
+        action="append_const", const="mtime",
         help="Set file modification times according to 'date' metadata",
     )
     postprocessor.add_argument(