The message "not currently available" usually means a required file is not open, and Apply Image does require at least one file to be open. Apparently, your action is not opening the file(s).
Joe & John,
Thanks for responding. I think the reason it’s not opening the file is that the way I set the Action up was with am image that has a file name. The Action Set works OK if I use that image. As soon as I go to another image it can’t open the image because it only recognizes the original file name and I don’t know how to prepare the Action with a generic file name that will work for all images.
I’m still lost.
Thanks, Bob
Bob, assuming you want to run your action on demand (against one open file at a time), open the Actions palette, locate the Open line and enable the second column (Toggle dialog on/off). That will cause it to prompt you for a file name each time.
I think the reason it’s not opening the file is that the way I set the Action up was with am image that has a file name.
In general, it’s a good idea not to record the opening of a file when creating an action.
Joe,
Couldn’t follow. Could you step me through this. I couldn’t find anything called Open line in Action palette.
Thank you. Bob
If you view all the steps in your action, one of them should be the file opening you recorded when creating yur action. This is the File open line Joe refers to.
<In general, it’s a good idea not to record the opening of a file when creating an action.>
Nomad, I assume you meant that advice for batch processing. I’m guessing that Bob wants to open a single file and Apply Image.
Bob, I think it would be helpful for you to list the steps you now have in your action, and tell us which one of the following scenarios you want to perform:
1. Run your action on a file that is already open.
2. Have the action let you select a file to open, then do Apply Image.
3. Run the action on a folder of files automatically.
Joe,
I open a file in PS. Then I apply an Action that I’ve created to prepare an image for printing. The steps for this are: Duplicate image,Noise removal,Duplicate for copy, Gaussian Blur, Brightness & contrast adjustment, Select Original image, Apply image, Levels adjustment, and finally Layers Blending.
Since last night I’ve been able to get it to work by inserting a stop and performing the Apply Image step manually. This will work but I don’t understand why the Apply Image step won’t work automatically. Thanks for your help on this. The suggestions you all have provided has helped me get this far. Thanks, Bob
Bob, I’ll try to duplicate the problem later today, but for now, let me ask a question. When your action hits the Stop and you manually invoke Apply Image, does the Source field reflect the intended file name, and is that file open at that point? I’m thinking the answer to that may be a clue to the problem.
Also, so I can be sure to do exactly what you do, tell me the exact menu steps you follow to do "Duplicate image" and "Duplicate for copy." I assume the first one is Image>Duplicate, but I don’t know what the second one is.
Finally, list all the options you have set in the Apply Image dialog.
Step:
1)Copy image in Layers Dialog
2)Run Noise Ninja
3)Image>Duplicate Image
4)Blur>Gaussian Blur (2 Pixels)
5)Image>Adjustment>Brightness/Contrast (Use -30 for both)
6)Select Original Copy (as in step 1)(click on image w mouse)
7)Stop
8)Perform Manually Image>Apply Image (Choose file name.copy as source,Choose subtract as Blending and click OK.
9)Run Levels (Cntl L) and adjust image.
10)Choose Layer>Layer Style>Blending Options. Blend If=Gray,Adjust Advanced Blending for degree of sharpening desired.
Whew! Way over my head but it works. Good Luck and Thanks, Bob
Joe,
PS The image that is used does show the file name of the images during Apply Image. I hope this is what you’re after.
Thanks again, Bob
Joe,
PS The image that is used does show the file name of the images during Apply Image. I hope this is what you’re after.
Thanks again, Bob
PS I think I understand now. When I Apply Image, the source field in Apply Image is the filename copy. Then you subtract as indicated above. Thanks, Bob
Bob, I get no error message with the steps you provided. (I assume your step 1 means that, in the Layers palette, you made a copy of the background layer.) However, I found a couple of problems with your action.
First, at your step 6, clicking on the other image does not get recorded as an action step. So instead, click the Window menu item, then click the other image near the bottom of the drop-down.
Second, I cannot make the Apply Image dialog automatically select the image copy (created in step 3) as the Source file. So, when you are ready to record that step, click the flyout triangle at the top right of the Actions palette and click Insert Menu Item. A box will pop up telling you to insert a menu item (duhh!). Ignore that message and click Image>Apply Image. Set the Source and Blending modes, click Ok. Continue adding the remaining steps of the action and click Stop recording.
When you play the action, it will pause with the Apply Image dialog open, allowing you to set the Source and Blending as needed. A minor inconvenience, but workable. I did not record your step 10, but it should work Ok. If not, do an Insert Menu Item on it, too.
Where did you come across this action? If it’s from a tutorial or in a book I own, I would like to check it out to see what its author is telling you to do.
Joe,
I found the basis for this at the astropix.com web site and then I put the Action together. Thanks so much for the help. I will try to incorporate the material that you have provided. Thank you, Bob
Bob…
Click my name above to get my e-mail address and send me an e-mail. I will reply with an action attached (.atn) I wrote based on the astropix.com method. It will work either in batch or on an open image and gets around the having to specify file names in the Apply Image dialog.
If nothing else it will hopefully give you a fresh perspective and enable you to get a little farther along.
Danny, any chance you could share your technique here? I would like to see how you got Apply Image to do your bidding.
Joe,
I sent Danny and email and he sent me the .atn file. I added Noise Ninja and Blending to it and it works. I’m not experienced enough to understand how, but it does the sharpening. I also asked Danny if he would mind if I shared it with others. I would be glad to if he gives his OK. Thanks again. Bob
Joe:
Send me an e-mail, too, and I’ll be glad to send you the .atn. Much easier for me than typing the obscure details. (I have arthritus, so it’s difficult for me to type sometimes, like today.)
