How can I separate a text from the rest of the picture?

PL
Posted By
pol_Lop
Sep 18, 2006
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4988
Replies
11
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Closed
I regularly take photographs of old texts, written on (bad)-coloured papers. The characters are nearly always in black but the background can be yellow, orange-gray etc.
If the text could be separated from the background colour, it would be a great help for me. How can I realize this with photoshop?
Thanks
Pol/Brussels/Belgium
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how picture separate text

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AC
Art Campbell
Sep 18, 2006
Select by color?
Then copy & save to another layer…
Art
Y
YrbkMgr
Sep 18, 2006
If it’s just text on paper, desaturate, run levels, tweak for white background and black text.
P
Phosphor
Sep 18, 2006
AFTER you get it "separated," what do you want to do with it? And by "separated" does that mean you want the text on its own layer?

The final use could well determine how you proceed.
K
Kingdom
Sep 18, 2006
wrote in
news::

I regularly take photographs of old texts, written on (bad)-coloured papers. The characters are nearly always in black but the background can be yellow, orange-gray etc. If the text could be separated from the background colour, it would be a great help for me. How can I realize this with photoshop? Thanks
Pol/Brussels/Belgium

Menu Select>Color Range,

Click on back ground color, play with the slider, select ok and background should be selected hit backspace and delete it. text should be ok, mayme a little faint, if you need to make it stronger duplicate the layer.

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PL
pol_Lop
Sep 19, 2006
Thanks for all the replies.
I would like to have the text "separated" (I mean :just the text, and nothing else) to be able to read it more easily (no OCR, they are in old languages and nearly never in capital letters). On its own layer ? Why? Why not?? Please, explain?!
Thanks
Pol/Brussels/Belgium
CN
Cybernetic Nomad
Sep 19, 2006
Using curves to increase the contrast should do it
PL
pol_Lop
Sep 19, 2006
Again thanks for your answers..
But, if you could give me more detailed answers, this would be great! I am -not- a Photoshop specialist!
Pol/Brussels/Belgium
CN
Cybernetic Nomad
Sep 19, 2006
Open the image

Go to image -adjustment -curves

Draw an S-shaped curve to increase the contrast (experiment!)
Y
YrbkMgr
Sep 19, 2006
The answer is in post number 2, although a curves layer would work. The result of what I had posted will be black text on white background. Based on what you’re asking, I can’t see that you need more than that.

I do this all day long, fwiw.
PL
pol_Lop
Sep 20, 2006
Well well thanks a lot, YrbkMgr!
What you show me in your examples is exactly what I need ! Lop in Belgium
PL
pol_Lop
Sep 20, 2006
OK YrbkMgr, it worked great! But, will you believe it, I had to ask this question 4 times (in different forums) to have an appropriate answer. And I think that Photoshop should have a function to perform this automatically! (a ‘very’ old software :PagisPro 3.0 does (did) this very well, but Win 98 is necessary!!)
Thks again.
Lop, Brussels, Belgium

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