is there a way to count the unique colors in an entire image ?

[JohnVo]

hi

is there a way to count the unique colors in an entire image like a photo?

i know there is a plugin Color Counter Photoshop Stuff

but it doesn't work correctly under ps cc 2017 & 2015 and it can't read 16bit color images

i run w10 pro and there is irfanview that can do it , but i would like to do with photoshop

thanks

[bzareenk]

If there are less than 256, choosing image>mode>indexed color... will give you a count.

[JohnVo]

hi

no sadly they are more ,in this case there is no way?

thanks

[c.pfaffenbichler]

What exactly are you trying to evaluate and to what good?

A Scripting solution is theoretically possible but if I remember correctly it would be impractically inefficient for all but extremely small images.

[JohnVo]

hi

just know how many unique colors does contain an image (in my case a photo)

for example under windows irfanview can do it

i would like to know the number of unique colors

after my second porpouse is to print

thanks

[c.pfaffenbichler]

just know how many unique colors does contain an image (in my case a photo)

Even if each pixel in a photographic image should have a unique combination of R-, G- and B-values (within the image) that is generally hardly relevant.

What good is it to you to know that number and what good is it supposed to be with regard to print?

Are you intending to print with Spot Colors?

[JohnVo]

What good is it to you to know that number and what good is it supposed to be with regard to print?

hi  yes  , i would like to know it

Are you intending to print with Spot Colors?

and yes , i'm intending to print with spot colors

thanks pfaffenbichler

[c.pfaffenbichler]

hi  yes  , i would like to know it

Why? With photographic images it is usually irrelevant in my opinion.

Maybe the disconnect between what you seem to be looking for and what I consider meaningful image editing- or prepress-wise stems from the fact that »Color« can have multiple meanings – any distinct RGB-values-combination could be called a Color, a combination of Hue and Saturation can be called a Color, the physical substance used in a printing press to print a separation is a Color, …

and yes , i'm intending to print with spot colors

Separating Spot Colors from a photographic images is fairly problematic and may necessitate some »finagling«.

How many Spot Colors do you want to use in one print and do you want to combine them with process colors (CMYK)?

[K´mo]

Are you intending to print with Spot Colors?

and yes , i'm intending to print with spot colors

____

There is no way anybody prints with so many spot colors that normal photograph has. You mentioned earlier that there is more than 256 colors and you would want to print them separately with spot colors??

But if you want to use few spot colors and mix new colors from them, you need to do color separation. Like the you do CMYK-colors which is really easy. But for use of different spot colors you need to make a new color channel for each of them.

What exactly is your goal here?

[D Fosse]

it can't read 16bit color images

Good luck counting colors in a 16-bit image...

[Jeff Arola]

Here is a Count Colors filter

http://telegraphics.com.au/sw/product/CountColours

[JohnVo]

hi

thanks does it work on 2017 to you?

[Jeff Arola]

Yes the Count Colors filter works here in photoshop cc 2017.1.1 running on a x64 windows 10.

http://telegraphics.com.au/sw/product/CountColours

The other color counter filter linked in your top post is 32 bits and if you running a 64 bit version of windows 10, then photoshop 2017 needs 64 bit filters.

[janw91182828]

Any Idea how to get it work on Mac?

[Jeff Arola]

Won't work on the 64 bit mac photoshop versions cs6 thru cc 2018.

Only 32 bit mac photoshop versions.

If your trying to get 256 colors or less in your image you can use the Index Color Mode.

Image>Mode>Index Color