GraphicConverter introduces colour cast?

Tim Wright

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Sep 29, 1997, 3:00:00 AM9/29/97

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Hi all.

I recently needed to convert a large number of files which had been saved
as LZW-compressed TIFF images into uncompressed TIFF images. Naturally my
mind immediately turned to GraphicConverter's batch function, but a few
experimental translations showed the new, uncompressed images exhibiting a
rather unpleasant magenta cast (which was unacceptable as the images are
for publication).

In the end I ended up opening and doing "Save As" for each image in
Photoshop, a distinctly painful method, albeit consistent.

Does anyone have any idea as to why this happens? Is it unique to this
particular translation or is the (excellent) GraphicConverter flawed in the
respect universally?

Cheers,

Tim Wright.
--
ObDisclaimer: This is all my own work. LLP Limited would almost certainly
protest complete ignorance, if they knew about it, which they don't. Okay?
:)

Jonathan Sanderson

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Oct 1, 1997, 3:00:00 AM10/1/97

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Tim Wright <twr...@llplimited.com.spamkiller-remove-me> wrote:

> In the end I ended up opening and doing "Save As" for each image in
> Photoshop, a distinctly painful method, albeit consistent.

Can't help you with the GraphicConverter problem, but could you not
streamline things a little using Photoshop 4's Actions palette? See p355
of the manual for batch processing setup, but thus far eveything I've
wanted to do with Actions has been magnificently straighforward (full
marks, Adobe :).

--
Jonathan Sanderson <jona...@quern.demon.co.uk>
Specialist Researcher, science TV <http://www.quern.demon.co.uk>
If I had more time, I would have written you a shorter letter (Pascal)

Tim Wright

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Oct 2, 1997, 3:00:00 AM10/2/97

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In article <1997100114...@quern.demon.co.uk>,
jona...@quern.demon.co.uk (Jonathan Sanderson) wrote:

> Tim Wright <twr...@llplimited.com.spamkiller-remove-me> wrote:

> > In the end I ended up opening and doing "Save As" for each image in
> > Photoshop, a distinctly painful method, albeit consistent.

> Can't help you with the GraphicConverter problem, but could you not
> streamline things a little using Photoshop 4's Actions palette? See p355
> of the manual for batch processing setup, but thus far eveything I've
> wanted to do with Actions has been magnificently straighforward (full
> marks, Adobe :).

> Jonathan Sanderson <jona...@quern.demon.co.uk>

I would have, but it wasn't immediately obvious how to set the options for
saving. To clarify: We wanted to open an LZW compressed TIFF, and save as
an uncompressed TIFF, without changing the image. (Oh... and we wanted to
do this for about six hundred images)

Actions seems to be useful for changing an image, and resaving it (or
copying it to another folder) in the same format.

If anyone could correct me on this (and preferably throw us a few
pointers!) We'd be eternally grateful!

Cheers,

Tim.

Jonathan Sanderson

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Oct 4, 1997, 3:00:00 AM10/4/97

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Tim Wright <twr...@llplimited.com.spamkiller-remove-me> wrote:

> > streamline things a little using Photoshop 4's Actions palette? See p355

> I would have, but it wasn't immediately obvious how to set the options for

> saving. To clarify: We wanted to open an LZW compressed TIFF, and save as
> an uncompressed TIFF, without changing the image. (Oh... and we wanted to
> do this for about six hundred images)
>
> Actions seems to be useful for changing an image, and resaving it (or
> copying it to another folder) in the same format.

What you're after is just hidden in plain sight :)
Any file settings you make are stored in the Action - including
compression settings.

Here's what ya do (just tried it out, since I've never done this
either):

* Open a graphic (might as well do one of the ones you want)
* Bring up the Actions palette
* Click the 'new Action' button, and name your action
* Click the 'record' button
* Select 'Save As...' from the 'File' menu.
* In the dialog, navigate to a destination folder
* Pull down the file type list, and select 'TIFF'
* Click 'Save'
* in the dialog box, select PC or Macintosh TIFF, and clear 'Compressed'
* Click the 'stop' button on the Actions palette.

If you check the contents of the Action you just made, you'll notice
that it lists 'TIFF: Macintosh' or whatever. If you record another
Action and set compression, you'll see 'With LZW Compression' included
there too.

Finally, on the actions palette there's a little right-pointing
triangle. Pull down the menu from that, and select 'Batch.' In the
dialog, set up your source and destination folders (over-riding the
Action settings if necessary), and click 'OK.'

Now go home for the night, and pray that there isn't a power cut. Or
just background Photoshop, and dream of future Macs with preemptive
multitasking and SMP.

Things to remember:

* Do small-scale tests on a limited number of images, until you're
sure the batch process works
* Do *everything* with backups of your originals, just in case
* Make sure you're enough disk space for the uncompressed TIFFs
* Plan something else to do while Photoshop is munging 600 images!

I hope this helps. If you still have problems, drop me a line and I'll
email you an Action (Or just post me a Jaz cart, and pay for my CPU time
<g>)

Eric Mills

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Oct 6, 1997, 3:00:00 AM10/6/97

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Tim Wright,twr...@llplimited.com.spamkiller-remove-me,Internet writes:
> We wanted to open an LZW compressed TIFF, and save as
> an uncompressed TIFF, without changing the image.

Out of curiosity, why?

Is your printer/imagesetter only PS level 1?

Tim Wright

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Oct 7, 1997, 3:00:00 AM10/7/97

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Presumably. We work with a number of printers, but in this instance we were
informed (after sending over some 200 Mb of data) that they could only deal
with uncompressed TIFF files.