Applying Transparent Background to lots of images in a short time

FF
Posted By
forough_f_shiraz
Nov 2, 2005
Views
426
Replies
9
Status
Closed
Supposedly you have 16000 photos (.jpg) through your digital camera. Each one has a background and you need to open each image; delete its backgrounds; saves it in psd format with transparent background; move them one by one into your InDesign file; and set them up on a new pattern or customized background.
My question: Is there any short cut to get background out of 16000 images and save them on transparent background(.jpeg)as easy and as fast as possible to prepare them for InDesign document? I am working with CS2.
Any help is appreciated.

Flo in vancouver
Nov. 1, 05

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Norbert_Bissinger
Nov 2, 2005
33 Weeks each week 40 hours if it takes 5 minutes per picture.

Depending on the jpgs. If shot against a uni colored background or better Chroma Green or blue and with the proper lighting you can perhaps do it with Batch in 4 weeks.

Is this fast enough?

Post a typical jpg here.It is Free You will get better responses. It really depends on the Background and the subject.
<http://www.pixentral.com/index.php>
I
ID._Awe
Nov 2, 2005
shoulda thot abut tht soooooner!
FF
forough_f_shiraz
Nov 4, 2005
Thanks Norbert. I tried to find any scripting for that purpose. zero nada.
Y
YrbkMgr
Nov 4, 2005
Jpg doesn’t support transparency, so you’re on your own on the format…

What Norbert is suggesting is to automate the process. If it is amenable to automation, it would be a simple process to:

1. Convert the background into a layer
2. Select a color
3. Delete the color
4. Save As PSD

It’s really, really simple. BUT, it all depends on the background and your ability to tweak the Color Range for selection so that the object you want to keep (presumably the subject) is clean when you’re finished.

That said, you just record an action that includes all those steps, and then run that action in batch.

I’m not sure where Norbert got the time to complete this from, but as an automated process, if that’s possible, you could set that baby to run over night or on two PCs and be done in a short period of time – the time it would take would be influenced by file size and your system, but it’s certainly faster than having to touch any images. You’d be down to maybe, 7 seconds per image.

<shrug>

Peace,
Tony
FF
forough_f_shiraz
Nov 4, 2005
Hi Tony,

Actually both Norbert and you are right. According to Norbert, I need to have the objects with a kind of green background photographed and then I can go through the process you mentioned. According to Adobe Expert Centre, it is amenable to automations.

Can one of you guys tell me, " If it is possible to get images from camera in GIF or PNG or whatever format that facilitates action process please? Or it doesn’t matter?
AC
Art Campbell
Nov 4, 2005
The format the image is in when you begin work isn’t important because as you do the work you’re actually working on the file as a .psd. If you’re going to have them photographed, the camera’s RAW format is likely to give you the most detail and the most options.

When you save the finished file, it obviously has to be in a format that supports transparency though .psd, .gif, .png, etc.

Art
EZ
Earl_Zubkoff
Nov 5, 2005
Yes, the background and the kind of subject are critical to the process. But I’m more pessimistic than others here.

Unless your objects are opaque, fairly simple in shape, non-shiny around the edges, and possible to place on an evenly-lighted background with a minimal shadow, no automated selection process will be reliable. I’ve dealt with this on many (though nowhere near 16,000) catalog-type product shots and QuickTime object VR’s, and it’s unusual to not need to refine some selections by hand.

I recommend a big roomful of high school computer jockeys on their holiday vacation, a truckload of pizza and Coke, and a bunch of fully-loaded iPods.
Y
YrbkMgr
Nov 5, 2005
Earl,

But I’m more pessimistic than others here.

I’m not optimistic, it’s just that it’s impossible to say without seeing what he’s got. I meant to suggest that if it were amenable to automation, that’d be one way to do it.

Peace,
Tony
FF
forough_f_shiraz
Nov 10, 2005
Hi Earl,
Thank you. I tried the actions that Tony is talking about and since the objects are all shiny, your points in deleting bkgr color is valid. So the photographer has decided to place objects on an evenly-lighted background with a minimal shadow and I tried running script with different tolerance settings for deleting the bkgrs and still when I deleting the bkgr,it chokes the edges of shiny objects. The program is not very intelligent as I wish to be. If you had success in this, would you be able to be more specific about the process please? I appreciate all your help. It smooth our way to automating and programming later on.

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