Does such a PS plug-in exist?

"Martin K. R." schreef in bericht

Maybe this is a shot in the dark, but I’ll try anyway:

I’m looking for a Photoshop plug-in (or maybe a separate program) capable

of

reckognizing and enhancing VERY faded – almost invisible – handwritten

text

on old documents (150-200 years old).

I’m aware of a filter plug-in from Reindeer Graphics (the Adaptive Equalization filter), which is a step in the right direction, and I can manually fiddle with the Gamma curves and contrast/brightness controls in Photoshop. This enhances the individual pixels a bit, but I need something to ‘connect the dots’ or to show that ‘these pixels could be part of this line’. Maybe a bit like an OCR program, but more simple – only detecting fractions of lines and curves or similar (because it’s handwriting, not printed text).

Does such a plug-in or program exist?

Links to plug-ins/programs that could point me in the right direction are also highly appreciated.

Thanks in advance,
Martin

Hi Martin,

I’m not sure my contribution will be of any help, but I give it a try. No I don’t know such plug-ins, but in PS there might be some usefull instruments.

If I do understand the problem well, you are searching for a way to see the sometimes nearly not visable difference between something there is and there isn’t.
The first task is to dedect what there is? The second to make what there is better visable?

The first thing I would try is: to scan the originals a few times with different scansettings in contrast and in lightness, trying to get out as sharp as possible what there is clearly in it one time and in a second (perhaps 3th or 4th) try to make something visable of the more difficult stuff. Keep the scansize and resolution the same, so you can layer the different scans in PS later.

By making each usefull scan a different layer on each other and changing the layer modes/opacity (f.e. the difference-mode might be helpfull here) inbetween the layers, there might become more visible. You can clean where is nothing (use the erasor-tool to erase what you don’t want from another layer f.e.) and fill and draw contours to fill where there is something. Also in PS there are filters and instruments to detect and sharpen edges. Look for the treshold-tool under Image > corrections > treshold. By changing the levels here carefully, you can very clean see the differneces inbetween a level of "just visable" and "nothing". You can use it in a layer or make a layer in a set from what you do there.

At first sight, I would say that the scanning-part is the most important for getting anything out. The searching for and filling-in of details might be trying around to find ways and might also be rather handwork (like the writing was ;-). But if you have a lot to do, you might be able to think out some batch-steps by scanning with standard-settings for it and constructing some PS-actions to do some basic things in your work.

I’m aware I can’t give you a receipt, but this is the way I would consider to do this task. Perhaps there is something in for you!

Wino Evertz, The Netherlands

Any chance of geting your local police/university forensics lab to scan it for you? The writing may be all-but-invisible to the naked eye but it may have left behind something which has not faded in the infrared or ultraviolet parts of the spectrum.

Just an idea…

Andrew

I’m looking for a Photoshop plug-in (or maybe a separate program) capable of
reckognizing and enhancing VERY faded – almost invisible – handwritten text on old documents (150-200 years old).

Brightness/Contrast and gamma are not the right way to approach a problem like this; you’d likely be better off using the Levels or Curves command.

—
Rude T-shirts for a rude age: http://www.villaintees.com Art, literature, shareware, polyamory, kink, and more:
http://www.xeromag.com/franklin.html

Any chance of geting your local police/university forensics lab to scan it for
you? The writing may be all-but-invisible to the naked eye but it may have left behind something which has not faded in the infrared or ultraviolet parts of the spectrum.

That’s a brilliant idea. If a local university has a good criminology or forensic science program, that might be another way to go about it.

—
Rude T-shirts for a rude age: http://www.villaintees.com Art, literature, shareware, polyamory, kink, and more:
http://www.xeromag.com/franklin.html

"Tacit" wrote in message

Any chance of geting your local police/university forensics lab to scan it for
you? The writing may be all-but-invisible to the naked eye but it may have left behind something which has not faded in the infrared or ultraviolet parts of the spectrum.

That’s a brilliant idea. If a local university has a good criminology or forensic science program, that might be another way to go about it.

Wino’s suggestion about making multiple images (either with a digital camera or scanner) and adding them together is also good. The same technique is used in astronomy imaging, to bring out details that are otherwise invisible to the naked eye.

Rick

"Martin K. R." wrote:

Maybe this is a shot in the dark, but I’ll try anyway:

I’m looking for a Photoshop plug-in (or maybe a separate program) capable of reckognizing and enhancing VERY faded – almost invisible – handwritten text on old documents (150-200 years old).

I’m aware of a filter plug-in from Reindeer Graphics (the Adaptive Equalization filter), which is a step in the right direction, and I can manually fiddle with the Gamma curves and contrast/brightness controls in Photoshop. This enhances the individual pixels a bit, but I need something to ‘connect the dots’ or to show that ‘these pixels could be part of this line’. Maybe a bit like an OCR program, but more simple – only detecting fractions of lines and curves or similar (because it’s handwriting, not printed text).

You don’t really want to go this route — fiddling with curves, levels, and brightness/contrast on a scan that has almost no contrast to begin with will introduce a lot of digitally induced artifacts amplified in a "threshold" effect…

Does such a plug-in or program exist?

You can probably create actions out of the tips below…

Links to plug-ins/programs that could point me in the right direction are also highly appreciated.

Thanks in advance,
Martin

3 simple, non-destructive ways to enhance "faded" details:

1)
double-click on the foreground/background color swatch in the main tool palette and restore black/white colors.

at the bottom of the layers palette, click on the half-light/half-dark circle (new adjustment layer) and select "Gradient Map" (NOT Gradient)

from the gradient map popup — click on the gradient itself to pop up the gradient editor

around the gradient, there will be 4 "stops" — one at each corner… click and drag the bottom left stop far to the right and release — observe the effect on the image… keep adjusting until you have a desired setting…

click out of the popups…

You should be able to find the detail you’re looking for… and your original is not altered in any way.

if you can only get the faded text to "come up a little" — then duplicate the gradient map by dragging the layer onto the new layer icon — the difference should be very dramatic.

2)
set the foreground color to black

create a new layer in "front" — set the blend mode to Color Burn

paint over the area (scribble, select & fill, etc…) to bring up the text [option delete on a mac or (probably) ctrl-delete on a pc will fill the layer with the foreground color…you don’t have to select anything]

3)
(similar, but less ugly)–

set the foreground color to black

create a new layer in front — set the blend mode to overlay

paint (or fill) over the area

The effect will be subtle, so…

click on the overlay layer in the layers palette and drag it onto the New Layer icon at the bottom of the pallete… this will produce an exact copy of the overlay layer… Repeat this process until you achieve your desired result.

more tips:

You can combine the multiple duplicates of the adjustment layers by clicking on one in the layers palettes and linking the rest… then from the palette menu, select Merge Linked… If you’re satisfied with the result and want to alter the original image, you can link it in as well.

Instead of increasing the contrast of your original, and if you need to "sharpen" the text a little [or increase a "focus" effect]:

duplicate the original scan layer [drag the layer onto the new layer icon]. Go to Filter/Other/High Pass.

in the popup, start with a value of 1.4 (approximately the square root of 2 — this is the BEST first guess) [or type into the text box:
1.4142]. click okay…

change the blend mode of the layer to overlay… duplicate this layer until you have acquired better edges sharpness (this is very subjective).

You can (and probabaly should) do this step after the adjustment layer trick above and place these layers below the adjustment layers in the "stack".

Using these techniques, you should have considerably LESS threshold-like artifacts in the final image.

if all else fails:
you may need to rescan your images and adjust the hardware (scanner settings) so that the exposure light doesn’t "fade out" the text as much
[this may mean an overall darker original].

"Wino Evertz" wrote in message

Hi Martin,

I’m not sure my contribution will be of any help, but I give it a try. No I don’t know such plug-ins, but in PS there might be some usefull instruments.

If I do understand the problem well, you are searching for a way to see

the

sometimes nearly not visable difference between something there is and

there

isn’t.
The first task is to dedect what there is? The second to make what there

is

better visable?

The first thing I would try is: to scan the originals a few times with different scansettings in contrast and in lightness, trying to get out as sharp as possible what there is clearly in it one time and in a second (perhaps 3th or 4th) try to make something visable of the more difficult stuff. Keep the scansize and resolution the same, so you can layer the different scans in PS later.

By making each usefull scan a different layer on each other and changing

the

layer modes/opacity (f.e. the difference-mode might be helpfull here) inbetween the layers, there might become more visible. You can clean where is nothing (use the erasor-tool to erase what you don’t want from another layer f.e.) and fill and draw contours to fill where there is something. Also in PS there are filters and instruments to detect and sharpen edges. Look for the treshold-tool under Image > corrections > treshold. By

changing

the levels here carefully, you can very clean see the differneces

inbetween

a level of "just visable" and "nothing". You can use it in a layer or make

a

layer in a set from what you do there.

At first sight, I would say that the scanning-part is the most important

for

getting anything out. The searching for and filling-in of details might be trying around to find ways and might also be rather handwork (like the writing was ;-). But if you have a lot to do, you might be able to think

out

some batch-steps by scanning with standard-settings for it and

constructing

some PS-actions to do some basic things in your work.

I’m aware I can’t give you a receipt, but this is the way I would consider to do this task. Perhaps there is something in for you!

Wino Evertz, The Netherlands

Great idea! I never thought of combining different scans of the same original.
I’ll add the idea to my toolbox.
Thanks!

Martin

http://www.v-d-l.com/up.html
unplugged , colors , split contrast.
freeware filter can make the darks darker without overall contrast change. Found it real helpfull putting some life back in very yellow faded letters from my grandfather.

"Martin K. R." wrote in message

Maybe this is a shot in the dark, but I’ll try anyway:

I’m looking for a Photoshop plug-in (or maybe a separate program) capable

of

reckognizing and enhancing VERY faded – almost invisible – handwritten

text

on old documents (150-200 years old).

I’m aware of a filter plug-in from Reindeer Graphics (the Adaptive Equalization filter), which is a step in the right direction, and I can manually fiddle with the Gamma curves and contrast/brightness controls in Photoshop. This enhances the individual pixels a bit, but I need something to ‘connect the dots’ or to show that ‘these pixels could be part of this line’. Maybe a bit like an OCR program, but more simple – only detecting fractions of lines and curves or similar (because it’s handwriting, not printed text).

Does such a plug-in or program exist?

Links to plug-ins/programs that could point me in the right direction are also highly appreciated.

Thanks in advance,
Martin

Not sure if this is what you’re looking for but try this site

http://www.dexadine.com/pi.html

"RickT" wrote in message

"Tacit" wrote in message

Any chance of geting your local police/university forensics lab to scan it for
you? The writing may be all-but-invisible to the naked eye but it may

have

left behind something which has not faded in the infrared or

ultraviolet parts

of the spectrum.

That’s a brilliant idea. If a local university has a good criminology or forensic science program, that might be another way to go about it.

Wino’s suggestion about making multiple images (either with a digital camera or scanner) and adding them together is also good. The same technique is used in astronomy imaging, to bring out details that are otherwise invisible to the naked eye.

Rick

Strange… for some odd reason my newsreader doesn’t show the to messages you’re replying to…

But yes, I did think about methods used in crime investigation, but I just assumed that the material was too old (150-200 years old). But it’s worth a try, so I’ll get in touch with them.

Thanks,
Martin

"Fox" wrote in message

"Martin K. R." wrote:

Maybe this is a shot in the dark, but I’ll try anyway:

I’m looking for a Photoshop plug-in (or maybe a separate program)

capable of

reckognizing and enhancing VERY faded – almost invisible – handwritten

text

on old documents (150-200 years old).

I’m aware of a filter plug-in from Reindeer Graphics (the Adaptive Equalization filter), which is a step in the right direction, and I can manually fiddle with the Gamma curves and contrast/brightness controls

in

Photoshop. This enhances the individual pixels a bit, but I need

something

to ‘connect the dots’ or to show that ‘these pixels could be part of

this

line’. Maybe a bit like an OCR program, but more simple – only detecting fractions of lines and curves or similar (because it’s handwriting, not printed text).

You don’t really want to go this route — fiddling with curves, levels, and brightness/contrast on a scan that has almost no contrast to begin with will introduce a lot of digitally induced artifacts amplified in a "threshold" effect…

Yes, you’re probably right about that.

<snip

3 simple, non-destructive ways to enhance "faded" details:
1)
double-click on the foreground/background color swatch in the main tool palette and restore black/white colors.

at the bottom of the layers palette, click on the half-light/half-dark circle (new adjustment layer) and select "Gradient Map" (NOT Gradient)
from the gradient map popup — click on the gradient itself to pop up the gradient editor

around the gradient, there will be 4 "stops" — one at each corner… click and drag the bottom left stop far to the right and release — observe the effect on the image… keep adjusting until you have a desired setting…

click out of the popups…

You should be able to find the detail you’re looking for… and your original is not altered in any way.

if you can only get the faded text to "come up a little" — then duplicate the gradient map by dragging the layer onto the new layer icon — the difference should be very dramatic.

2)
set the foreground color to black

create a new layer in "front" — set the blend mode to Color Burn
paint over the area (scribble, select & fill, etc…) to bring up the text [option delete on a mac or (probably) ctrl-delete on a pc will fill the layer with the foreground color…you don’t have to select

anything]

3)
(similar, but less ugly)–

set the foreground color to black

create a new layer in front — set the blend mode to overlay
paint (or fill) over the area

The effect will be subtle, so…

click on the overlay layer in the layers palette and drag it onto the New Layer icon at the bottom of the pallete… this will produce an exact copy of the overlay layer… Repeat this process until you achieve your desired result.

more tips:

You can combine the multiple duplicates of the adjustment layers by clicking on one in the layers palettes and linking the rest… then from the palette menu, select Merge Linked… If you’re satisfied with the result and want to alter the original image, you can link it in as well.
Instead of increasing the contrast of your original, and if you need to "sharpen" the text a little [or increase a "focus" effect]:
duplicate the original scan layer [drag the layer onto the new layer icon]. Go to Filter/Other/High Pass.

in the popup, start with a value of 1.4 (approximately the square root of 2 — this is the BEST first guess) [or type into the text box:
1.4142]. click okay…

change the blend mode of the layer to overlay… duplicate this layer until you have acquired better edges sharpness (this is very subjective).
You can (and probabaly should) do this step after the adjustment layer trick above and place these layers below the adjustment layers in the

"stack".

Using these techniques, you should have considerably LESS threshold-like artifacts in the final image.

if all else fails:
you may need to rescan your images and adjust the hardware (scanner settings) so that the exposure light doesn’t "fade out" the text as much
[this may mean an overall darker original].

Thans a LOT for these suggestions! I’ll certainly give it a try. I’m actually a bit surprised about the amount of suggestions from all of you in this NG, so THANKS to you all!

Martin

"Harkord F." wrote in message

http://www.v-d-l.com/up.html
unplugged , colors , split contrast.
freeware filter can make the darks darker without overall contrast change. Found it real helpfull putting some life back in very yellow faded letters from my grandfather.

Great, thanks! I just downloaded it, and will give it a try as soon as possible.

Martin

"PyThoN" wrote in message

Not sure if this is what you’re looking for but try this site
http://www.dexadine.com/pi.html

Excellent, thanks!

Martin

On Fri, 20 Feb 2004 14:57:34 +0100, "Wino Evertz" reverently intoned upon the aether:

"Martin K. R." schreef in bericht

Maybe this is a shot in the dark, but I’ll try anyway:

I’m looking for a Photoshop plug-in (or maybe a separate program) capable

of

reckognizing and enhancing VERY faded – almost invisible – handwritten

text

on old documents (150-200 years old).

I’m aware of a filter plug-in from Reindeer Graphics (the Adaptive Equalization filter), which is a step in the right direction, and I can manually fiddle with the Gamma curves and contrast/brightness controls in Photoshop. This enhances the individual pixels a bit, but I need something to ‘connect the dots’ or to show that ‘these pixels could be part of this line’. Maybe a bit like an OCR program, but more simple – only detecting fractions of lines and curves or similar (because it’s handwriting, not printed text).

Does such a plug-in or program exist?

Links to plug-ins/programs that could point me in the right direction are also highly appreciated.

Thanks in advance,
Martin

Hi Martin,

I’m not sure my contribution will be of any help, but I give it a try. No I don’t know such plug-ins, but in PS there might be some usefull instruments.

If I do understand the problem well, you are searching for a way to see the sometimes nearly not visable difference between something there is and there isn’t.
The first task is to dedect what there is? The second to make what there is better visable?

The first thing I would try is: to scan the originals a few times with different scansettings in contrast and in lightness, trying to get out as sharp as possible what there is clearly in it one time and in a second (perhaps 3th or 4th) try to make something visable of the more difficult stuff. Keep the scansize and resolution the same, so you can layer the different scans in PS later.

By making each usefull scan a different layer on each other and changing the layer modes/opacity (f.e. the difference-mode might be helpfull here) inbetween the layers, there might become more visible. You can clean where is nothing (use the erasor-tool to erase what you don’t want from another layer f.e.) and fill and draw contours to fill where there is something. Also in PS there are filters and instruments to detect and sharpen edges. Look for the treshold-tool under Image > corrections > treshold. By changing the levels here carefully, you can very clean see the differneces inbetween a level of "just visable" and "nothing". You can use it in a layer or make a layer in a set from what you do there.

At first sight, I would say that the scanning-part is the most important for getting anything out. The searching for and filling-in of details might be trying around to find ways and might also be rather handwork (like the writing was ;-). But if you have a lot to do, you might be able to think out some batch-steps by scanning with standard-settings for it and constructing some PS-actions to do some basic things in your work.

I’m aware I can’t give you a receipt, but this is the way I would consider to do this task. Perhaps there is something in for you!

Wino Evertz, The Netherlands

Take a look at Registax if you are going to explore stacking frames to increase image quality.

http://aberrator.astronomy.net/registax/html/download.html

As for topological operations (connecting regions) you will either to explore more technically oriented image processing systems for consumer solutions or you could write plug-ins in C++ for PS. One freeware source for such is NIH Image.

http://rsb.info.nih.gov/nih-image/Default.html

But some judicious work in PS could get you a decent solution, but I fear you will not get an automated solution. But in the end, your brain is an excellent tool to use anyway.

enjoy,

Sean

"In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends."

– Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968)

Photo Archive @ http://www.tearnet.com/Sean