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I am trying to remove the background from 300 images. The images are pretty much identical.
First I tried setting up a batch procedure where I manually unlocked the background, used the quick selection tool to select the background and then finally deleted the background. But when I run the batch thing on the folder with the images it immediately returns the error "the command Delete is not currently available". I also tried running the same with the image processor. Same error.
Then I tried recording a batch operation with the "Remove background" tool built into Photoshop - that does work, but it removes way too much of the background.
I have attached a sample image.
Can anyone help with this?
Thanks!
Is »Allow Tool Recording« enabled?
Edit:
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Could you please post a meaningful screenshot with the pertinent Panels (Toolbar, Layers, Options Bar, …) and the fully expanded Action in the Actions Panel visible at the time of the error being thrown?
»I manually unlocked the background«
Why did you not make that part of the Action?
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Still getting the error, but didn't know about these settings so will have to look more into those. Thanks!
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Still getting the error, but didn't know about these settings so will have to look more into those. Thanks!
By @MartinNP
You have been hinted that you should recreate the Action with this option enabled. Did you do it?
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Yes, I enabled as shown in the screenshot but still getting the same error.
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Looks like that was the issue. I have no idea why the selection wasn´t included the first times I tried. Maybe because the selection button was activated in advance and the actual selection can´t be recorded unless the button click is recorded. Anyway, looks like it works now. Thanks!
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The first answer of jazz-y showed what was the problem.
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That Layer is not a Background Layer so the Action cannot perform the task.
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This may be a dumb question - but I unlocked the bg layer because otherwise I'm not able to remove to delete the background once selected with the quick selection tool. What am I missing here?
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Was finally able to solve it - thanks for the help!
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On the .gif it happens too fast to see if the second image used a background.
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All the images are used as background, but my problem is that I don't know how to delete the background unless the batch is set to unlock the bg layer.
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From the .gif it looks like that certain image has no background but regular layer.
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When I open them individually they all have a locked background, but the batch process unlocks them and then the error comes.
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Please fully expand your Action so all steps and there setting are visible and post a screen capture of your action. There is most likely some dependency that failed to work or record correctly.
Try this action: RemoveBG.atn
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I was able to solve it - thanks for the suggestion, will definitely also try out the tool you sent! Thanks.
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@MartinNP , if you have difficulties with the background layer, it is better to create a mask - this is guaranteed to work in any case (the conversion of the background layer to a regular layer will done automatically). In this case, the action can be reduced to just 2 commands: creating a selection with "allow tool recording" enabled and creating a mask (hold alt key, to create inverted mask).
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Interesting, will definitely look into that method as well. I was able to make it work though, but that you very much for the help.
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I am recording a set of tasks as an action, but for some reason the quick selection tool task is not recorded (before this task I have recorded a task setting the canvas size and adding a solid color background so the problem is not that the selection is happening outside of the canvas).
The issue results in the error message that the command "smooth" is not currently available (this is because no selection is recorded).
I attach a list of the tasks in the recorded action.
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Is »Allow Tool Recording« enabled?
Edit:
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Thanks! That was the problem! I thought I had managed to record selection before, but wasn't sure - now I realised that that was done on my other computer 🙂
I am so grateful, you made my dag 🙂
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As c.pfaffenbichler has replied you can enable Tool Recording to record the use of brush type tools. The implementation of tool recording is not the greatest all changes to the tool options during use may not be recorded. Action that record tool usage need to be used on documents that have the same canvas size that have similar content.
You can also use the quick selection in Actions without enabling all brush type tools recoding. Create a Path then stroke the Path with the quick selection tool set with the option you want use. Myself I would use Stroke Path over tool recording.