3 Correct answers
Why would you want to waste resources with copying and pasting instead of using Calculations straight-up?
You can try the following script.
Images are required to be in three separate folders and are selected by a prompt. A fourth save/output folder can be selected by a prompt.
Example of the folder structure:
Javascript –
/*
Batch Alpha Channel Image Sequence.jsx
Version 1.0 - Stephen Marsh, April 11 2022
https://community.adobe.com/t5/photoshop-ecosystem-discussions/batching-alpha-channel-manipulation-on-image-sequence/td-p/12864593
*/
#target photoshop
if (!app.documents.leThis should work if the Mask-file’s name is the same as the RGB-file’s with »-Mask_« before the numbers.
Edited the Script 2022-04-14:
// insert one channel from file with »-mask_« in otherwise identical name;
// 2022, use it at your own risk;
var theFolder = Folder("/Archiv HD/Pfaffi HD1/pfaffi_privat/photoshop/test/untitled folder 6");
if (theFolder.exists == false) {var theFolder = Folder.selectDialog ("select folder")};
if (theFolder) {
var theFiles = theFolder.getFiles(/\.(tif|psd)$/i)
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Replies
Why would you want to waste resources with copying and pasting instead of using Calculations straight-up?
Sorry, could you please elaborate?
With the files you posted (»Star…«, »Star-Mask…«, »NGon-Mask…«), what would the result be you are looking for?
Star-Mask added as a Channel to Star?
Maybe a screenshot for the intended result for one example (including the Channels and Layers Panel) would help clarify.
Thank you for the requested samples and explanation, it is truly helpful. You obviously understand your workflow and the end result, it is hard for me to understand without details.
What I would propose is the following:
1) All three images are opened (Star0001.tif, Star-Mask_0001.tif & NGon-Mask_0001).
2) With the Star0001.tif as the target, Star-Mask_0001.tif would be added as an alpha channel via Calculations. NGon-Mask_0001 would be subtracted directly from the single alpha in Star0001.tif using Apply Image/Subtract.
There is no need to have two alpha channels in the target document if all three docs are open at the same time.
Here it is in an action to illustrate, however, this would need scripting:
As c.pfaffenbichler shows, this is also possible in a single step with all images open, it would depend on whether shades of gray are handled differently than your simplified black & white example.
Are all three sets of files in a single directory, or do you have the files separated into three separate directories? Although both are possible, three separate input folders may allow better control than relying on filename sorting.
EDIT: Here it is using subtract, the same result as from c.pfaffenbichler, but different settings, so possibly no need for 2 steps for a simple black & white input/output:
You can try the following script.
Images are required to be in three separate folders and are selected by a prompt. A fourth save/output folder can be selected by a prompt.
Example of the folder structure:
Javascript –
/*
Batch Alpha Channel Image Sequence.jsx
Version 1.0 - Stephen Marsh, April 11 2022
https://community.adobe.com/t5/photoshop-ecosystem-discussions/batching-alpha-channel-manipulation-on-image-sequence/td-p/12864593
*/
#target photoshop
if (!app.documents.length) {
try {
var restoreDialogMode = app.displayDialogs;
app.displayDialogs = DialogModes.NO;
(function () {
// Select the secondary alpha folder
var inputFolder1 = Folder.selectDialog('Select the secondary alpha folder:');
if (inputFolder1 === null) return;
// Select the primary alpha folder
var inputFolder2 = Folder.selectDialog('Select the primary alpha folder:');
if (inputFolder2 === null) return;
// Validate the alpha folder selection
var validateAlphaDirs = (inputFolder2.fsName === inputFolder1.fsName);
if (validateAlphaDirs === true) {
alert("Script cancelled as both the alpha input folders are the same!");
return;
}
// Select the image folder
var inputFolder3 = Folder.selectDialog('Select the image folder:');
if (inputFolder3 === null) return;
// Validate the image folder selection
var validateImageDir = (inputFolder3.fsName === inputFolder1.fsName || inputFolder3.fsName === inputFolder2.fsName);
if (validateImageDir === true) {
alert("Script cancelled as the image folder is incorrect!");
return;
}
// Limit the file format input, add or remove as required
var fileList1 = inputFolder1.getFiles(/\.(tif|tiff)$/i);
var fileList2 = inputFolder2.getFiles(/\.(tif|tiff)$/i);
var fileList3 = inputFolder3.getFiles(/\.(tif|tiff)$/i);
// Force alpha-numeric reverse list sort
fileList1.sort().reverse();
fileList2.sort().reverse();
fileList3.sort().reverse();
// Select the output folder
var outputFolder = Folder.selectDialog("Please select the output folder to save to:");
if (outputFolder === null) {
alert('Script cancelled!');
return;
}
var counter = 0;
while (fileList1.length) {
for (var i = 0; i < 1; i++) {
try {
app.open(fileList1.pop());
app.open(fileList2.pop());
app.open(fileList3.pop());
alphaCalc(true, 1, 0, true);
var docName = app.activeDocument.name.replace(/\.[^\.]+$/, '');
var saveFile = File(outputFolder + '/' + docName + '_alpha' + '.tif');
saveTIFF(saveFile);
while (app.documents.length) {
app.activeDocument.close(SaveOptions.DONOTSAVECHANGES);
}
counter++;
} catch (e) {}
}
function alphaCalc(invert, scale, offset, invertSource) {
var alpha1 = app.documents[1].name;
var alpha2 = app.documents[0].name;
var s2t = function (s) {
return app.stringIDToTypeID(s);
};
var descriptor = new ActionDescriptor();
var reference = new ActionReference();
var reference2 = new ActionReference();
descriptor.putClass(s2t("new"), s2t("channel"));
reference.putEnumerated(s2t("channel"), s2t("ordinal"), s2t("targetEnum"));
reference.putProperty(s2t("layer"), s2t("background"));
reference.putName(s2t("document"), alpha1);
descriptor.putReference(s2t("to"), reference);
descriptor.putBoolean(s2t("invert"), invert);
descriptor.putEnumerated(s2t("calculation"), s2t("calculationType"), s2t("subtract"));
descriptor.putDouble(s2t("scale"), scale);
descriptor.putInteger(s2t("offset"), offset);
reference2.putEnumerated(s2t("channel"), s2t("ordinal"), s2t("targetEnum"));
reference2.putProperty(s2t("layer"), s2t("background"));
reference2.putName(s2t("document"), alpha2);
descriptor.putReference(s2t("source2"), reference2);
descriptor.putBoolean(s2t("invertSource2"), invertSource);
descriptor.putObject(s2t("using"), s2t("calculation"), descriptor);
executeAction(s2t("make"), descriptor, DialogModes.NO);
}
function saveTIFF(saveFile) {
tiffSaveOptions = new TiffSaveOptions();
tiffSaveOptions.embedColorProfile = true;
tiffSaveOptions.byteOrder = ByteOrder.IBM;
tiffSaveOptions.transparency = true;
tiffSaveOptions.layers = true;
tiffSaveOptions.layerCompression = LayerCompression.ZIP;
tiffSaveOptions.interleaveChannels = true;
tiffSaveOptions.alphaChannels = true;
tiffSaveOptions.annotations = true;
tiffSaveOptions.spotColors = true;
tiffSaveOptions.saveImagePyramid = false;
// NONE | JPEG | TIFFLZW | TIFFZIP
tiffSaveOptions.imageCompression = TIFFEncoding.TIFFLZW;
app.activeDocument.saveAs(saveFile, tiffSaveOptions, true, Extension.LOWERCASE);
}
}
app.displayDialogs = restoreDialogMode;
app.beep();
alert('Script completed!' + '\r' + counter + ' files saved to:' + '\r' + outputFolder.fsName);
// Open the output folder in the Finder or Explorer
outputFolder.execute();
}());
} catch (e) {
// Restore saved dialogs
app.displayDialogs = restoreDialogMode;
alert('Error:' + '\n' + 'If you see this message, something went wrong!');
}
} else {
alert('Attention:' + '\n' + 'Please close all open documents before running this script!');
}
Instructions for saving the script here:
https://prepression.blogspot.com/2017/11/downloading-and-installing-adobe-scripts.html
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