Hidden Power Support - - Decrack Action

caseyJ · #1 03-27-2003, 09:33 AM

Richard;
Would it be possible for you to convert the "decrack" action, which is available on this site, so that it will work in Elements. I would greatly appreciate it as it looks very promising in restoring old photos. Thanks, CaseyJ

http://www.retouchpro.com/tutorials/decrack/index.html

Richard_Lynch · #2 07-10-2003, 07:16 AM

Don't know how I missed this request. I made the conversion and there seemed nothing to adjust. I'd be interested in hearing about results!

To install into Hidden Power Actions, you'll want to follow the instructions in the advanced.rtf. I can add this to a set later when I have enough requests. Regretfully, easy requests are few and far between...

The original action is by Tim Edwards. Find it attached with just the file names changed.

If anyone is interested in helping to convert actions for Elements and Hidden Power Actions, please let me know!

caseyJ · #3 07-10-2003, 08:05 AM

Thanks Richard. I will download this action tonight when I get home from work. I will try it out when I get a chance and let you know the results. CaseyJ

caseyJ · #4 07-10-2003, 01:48 PM

Richard,
I downloaded the decrack action and installed it. I decided to make sure it was correctly installed by running it on an image. It started properly and ran the highpass filter allowing me to set the strength. After I clicked OK to the highpass filter, I got the following dialog boxes in this order.
The command "make" is not currently available. Continue.
The command "set" is not currently available. Continue.
The command "select" is not currently available. Continue.
The command "delete" is not currently available. Continue.
Final result was a new layer and the image with edges selected with marching ants.
Am I doing something wrong? I tried both on the background layer as well as a layer copy. CaseyJ

Dialogboxes

Richard_Lynch · #5 07-10-2003, 02:12 PM

Did you have an image open at the time?

If so, was it in a color mode that is not compatible with layers?

If not, can you please describe the image you were using?

I ran this successfully. The errors you are getting are based on Elements not being able to perform an action because it is not one that Elements will perform on a specific image. Once the action fails at a step to create something like a new layer, a latter command that selects the layer previous will also fail, for example.

Let me know if that helps.

caseyJ · #6 07-10-2003, 03:01 PM

Richard.
I first tried the action on a RGB color JPG image, one of the sample images that came with MS XP. I have since tried it with grayscale and RGB images in JPG and PSD. See the screenshot of the results of running the action on the first JPG image in RGB color with 84KB of information. CaseyJ

ResultingImage

BobJones · #7 07-10-2003, 11:15 PM

Richard,

I tried the decrack action and had exactly the same results as CaseyJ. I'm using PSE 2.0 on Windows XP.

I used the same image as the tutorial for decrack: http://www.retouchpro.com/tutorials/decrack/index.html

The image mode was RGB.

When running the decrack action, the history palette shows the following steps up to the first error message:

New Layer, Paste, Duplicate Layer, Remove Color, High Pass, Solarize, Auto Levels, Median, Brightness/Contrast, Load Selection, Select Inverse, Delete Layer.

Pressing "continue" adds no steps to the history palette until the very last message when "Minimum" is added to the history palette (it's added before displaying the message).

Hope this helps you to identify the problem.

Bob

BobJones · #8 07-10-2003, 11:49 PM

Richard,

Played with decrack a bit more. Tried setting playback to stop and pause. Everything seems to be working at each step until the problem occurs. I also went back with the history palette and each intermediate step looks good.

I don't have full Photoshop so I can't view the action but I looked at a dump of the file and it looks like there should be an "Expand" just prior to the "delete layer". That doesn't seem to be showing up. I'll let you worry about cause and effect. I do hope you get this working. If it works decently, I have a use for it.

Bob

Susan S. · #9 07-11-2003, 01:21 AM

Richard - same result for me running OS10.1.5 on the mac.(And HPA3, not that that should make any difference!) I used the same image as Bob did. The expand step is working OK for me, it's the make step that the error comes up on that is the problem- it's one of those things that Elements doesn't do directly, and I'm not full-version photoshop literate enough to fully interpret the step myself - it's wanting to make:new channel, at: mask channel; reveal selection(=using the selection to generate a layer mask?). As no mask is created the following steps fail.
Susan S.

Susan S. · #10 07-11-2003, 02:24 AM

Well I think i've rejigged the action to work - I've got a couple of tests to check that it gives the same mask as the original but the results look pretty similar to the tutorial that Bob linked to - the undo history in PS6 proved that what the problem step was, was indeed adding a layer mask revealing the current selection. I replaced this step with a couple of steps: reveal all layer mask (which Elements can handle), activated ithe mask with the selection in place and filled the mask with 50 per cent grey (which seems to give the same or very similar result). The last couple of steps also seemed to result in errors. I think just replacing them with deselect will give the same result. People coming round for dinner in ten minutes so I'll post a tested version tomorow if Richard thinks that what I've done makes sense. I'm sure he can come up with something more elegant!

Susan S

Richard_Lynch · #11 07-11-2003, 12:16 PM

Whoops...I changed the download file, which has been updated. I can't say exactly what I was thinking -- but I think I got confused as to whether I was working in Elements or Photoshop. The two are just about the same to me. In other words, I have the feeling I played back the name-changed action in Photoshop to check it, even though I added it to Elements.

Susan was right, pretty much exactly. There are other ways to re-arrange the steps.

The line you paste in to the HTML is this:

<a href="playaction(decrack.atn,decrack)"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-2">Decrack</font></a>

I'll repost the file here too...but I can't without another name.

HOWEVER, I am also not so happy with the result. This type of correction is NOT the type of thing I like to automate, and I think this can potentially do more damage than good -- It may work on a dark B&W image, but not one with heavy JPEG and probably other anomalies. It also might play fast and loose with a lot of detail. Any time a procedure has to make an artistic judgement, I'd have my doubts about it.

caseyJ · #12 07-11-2003, 01:25 PM

Richard,
The new version works properly. I ran it on the tutorial photo from the decrack action instructions and it did an excellent job. However all the photos that I wish to correct are scanned and the cracks are darker than the surrounding photo. I tried this action on a scanned photo with dark cracks and it only made the cracks worse. The problem is not your conversion, but the action just does not seem to relate to my real world needs. Oh well, back to the clone tool. Thanks for the effort and it may come in handy someday. Thanks again. CaseyJ

Richard_Lynch · #13 07-11-2003, 02:54 PM

This action will tend to darken light areas along edges...which is fine for light cracks and white dust, but not so helpful for the opposite -- and can make those situations worse. Like I said, this isn't the type of correction I like to make in bulk. I'm of the opinion that even the healing tool may wrest too much control from an experienced user -- no matter how dramatic the result might be in specific cases. To prove to yourself the decrack is NOT a cure all, just run it on a perfectly good image...when it changes things that are already correct, that should tell you something.

BobJones · #14 07-11-2003, 06:27 PM

CaseyJ,

There was a step in the original decrack action that photoshop users could enable to handle the dark crack case. That's not an option for use PSE users.

Richard,

I agree with your assessment. I would never run this action on a perfectly good image. Just for fun, I created a before and after layer so I could toggle the "after" on and off to see the differences and there are noticible differences in the "non-cracked" areas. However, for badly cracked images, I might use this in the gentle settings to close up some of the fine cracks and then finish up manually. But, I would want to look at this carefully to see if I can accept the degradation that's introduced on that particular image. I guess that would be similar to making a decision to use the dust and scratches filter to speed up cleanup (I usually don't).

Bob

Wizard Bill · #15 04-05-2004, 02:41 PM

I am trying to install the DeCrack action and when I unzip, there is no read me to tell me specifics on how install properly. Can somebody give me a short tutorial??