halek

} Yeah, I just wish somebody was paying me for the hours I've put in on this project! |

ladyfinger007

the procedure I would use is clorse to Docile Bob's procedure:
Duplicate the background layer, and set it to Screen
Then make a selection based on luminosity (in the channels palette, CTRL/command+Click the RGB channel)
Go back to the layers palette, hit the add channle mask button. you now have a luminosity based mask, that you need to invert, as it masks the dark areas. hit CTRL+I to do so.
Now, the dark areas should be revealed.
You can adjust the opacity of the screened layer to fine tune, or even duplicate it for more lightening.
This whole process can be recorded in one action, and be applied as a batch on several files.

As for the noise, have you tried the digital deluxe toolbox set of actions?

wbiss

Brilliant Pierre! I always forget about these 'actions' and, definitely, if I was in halek's position, I would make one for this project! [righton]

You'll be paid 'in kind' one day halek! In the meantime, projects like this (and I do many for family and friends) you just have to consider as the price of 'learning'.

Continued Good Luck with this huge project !

halek

[righton] The actions in the Digital Deluxe Toolbox seem like they might be able to help me. However when I d/l them it said that they were for PS 6.0. I'm using 5.5 and it would not accept them. Do you know if there is a listing of their steps so that I might be able to recreate them in 5.5?

ladyfinger007

They are very long... I barely remember that it was possible to copy the actions in a text file, but can't find the how-to...
Shouldn' teh action just stop where it is not possible? or does it refuse to be loaded on the palette? if it is the first solution, you can expand every step, and try to find a similar filter for V5.5...

OK, I found the how-to at Action FX.com 's FAQ, one of the best references about PS actions...

Can I print an Action as a text file?

Yes you may. When you want to print an action as a text file to read the settings the Action applied (a GREAT learning tool, by the way),select the Action Set in the Actions Palette. Click Command(Mac)/Control(PC)+Alt and, holding those keys down, open the Actions Menu and select 'Save Actions'. When the Save window pops up, you should see the Action has a .txt extension instead of a .atn extension. Save it, print it, and learn from it. NOTE: Unless you want endless sheets printing at a time, be sure to empty the Actions Palette of ALL ACTION SETS except the one you want to save as a text file. If you have more than one loaded, all those loaded will be saved in the same text file.

ladyfinger007

Since I odn't want to break the character limit or make 5 pages with one post, I did the aforementionned procedure and you can find the actions.txt attached...

HUH? the extention .txt was rejected... but it was in the list? [confused]

halek

I appreciate your response. My problem is, as I think you are refering to, that PS5.5 says "Cannot load the actions because they are not compatable with this version of PS".
I will poke around the ActionsFX site and see if anybody has a solution.

Perhaps you or some other good samaritan could generate the text file and attach it to me at halek@charter.net.

I tried openning the atn file in a couple of Word processors, but could not get enough info to be usefull.

ladyfinger007

Halek, I did! just save the file I've attached, de-zip it, and you've got the de-noising action in full text!

halek

[righton] Thanks for your effort. Now all I need to do is alot of construction in "Actions", but I will certainly learn from the experience.