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Known Participant
June 13, 2023
Question

Looking for a script or action to pull off a tricky text function.

  • June 13, 2023
  • 2 replies
  • 905 views

Hello.

 

I localize Asian storybooks/comics for English readers. My client made a mistake with his base files and rasterized all the text layers within a batch of PSD files. I use a separate plugin to translate the text into English but it will not work with rasterized text layers as it needs the standard text to edit.

 

Interestingly, the layer text descriptions still contain the text in Asian characters for each layer. Would there be any way (script??) to somehow take the text description information of each layer and either generate new text layers with this whether they can replace the rasterized layers or create new text layers?

 

I know this is a difficult sort of thing to pull off but I do see similar things being done within this forum. Any help appreciated!

 

2 replies

Zesty_wanderlust15A7
Known Participant
June 14, 2023

The remaining text is just the layer name, so these are easy to get.  You have to wonder if it's usually complete though. Doesn't it get cut off at a certain length?  Anyway, you may be lucky here.

As now you can't simply loop through all true text layers, you may be kind of stuck. And if you do it for every layer, you get a mess and you have to reposition the text anyway.

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It's probably a good practice to rasterize the text layers (you may lose a font, or Adobe drops support for one), but he should have kept the original text layers too...

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As an aside, the free ShareX screen capturing software has OCR built in [uses the internet] for a selection you make, but I don't know if it does Asian languages.

c.pfaffenbichler
Community Expert
Community Expert
June 14, 2023
quote

It's probably a good practice to rasterize the text layers

No, it is not. 

Converting (a duplicate of) a Type Layer to a Shape Layer would at least maintain vector output capabilities. 

 

Edit: A psd/psb with maximized compatibility would contain the pixel data for Type Layers with missing fonts anyway, so rasterizing the Type Layers would offer little benefit. 

Zesty_wanderlust15A7
Known Participant
June 14, 2023

Yes, that would be even better.

I probably didn't know it was easy or possible — thanks 🙂

Convert to Shape — I see it now.

c.pfaffenbichler
Community Expert
Community Expert
June 14, 2023

Please provide (at the very least) a sample file. 

 

How are the other layers (the ones that were non-type to begin with) named? 

Can they definitely be distinguished by name? 

j.cappAuthor
Known Participant
June 15, 2023

I think I can describe that without a sample. When you create a text layer, the layer is named the same in the layers panel (If I typed "Hello" in text the text layer would read "Hello". The client accidently rasterized the text layers but the text information exists within the layer name designations.

c.pfaffenbichler
Community Expert
Community Expert
June 15, 2023
quote

I think I can describe that without a sample. 

You apparently work for a visual medium so you should understand that words may not suffice here … 

»Layer 1« (whether in Japanese or not) is also type content, isn’t it? 

Please provide the requested sample. 

 

How are the other Layers named? 

Can they be unequivocally identified by their names or other properties? 

 

Because otherwise you might end up with a Type Layer for each and every existing pixel Layer. (edited)