FlexSHARP: Modify for CS4?

This is kind of a shot in the dark as I can find very little info on this great sharpening action. I'd been using it extensively for my 1DMkII files until I upgraded to Photoshop CS4 64-bit. Now it hangs when selecting all for its masks (something the geniuses at Adobe thought to hobble) and I'm not sure how to accommodate these changes. Has anyone adapted FlexSHARP to work with Photoshop CS4? I notice that PIXmantra posts here but couldn't find any info on a search. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Mashuri wrote in post #8607428
This is kind of a shot in the dark as I can find very little info on this great sharpening action. I'd been using it extensively for my 1DMkII files until I upgraded to Photoshop CS4 64-bit. Now it hangs when selecting all for its masks (something the geniuses at Adobe thought to hobble) and I'm not sure how to accommodate these changes. Has anyone adapted FlexSHARP to work with Photoshop CS4? I notice that PIXmantra posts here but couldn't find any info on a search. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Mashuri:

Please, explain me what's the problem with CS/4.

I do warn you, though, that FlexSharp got progressively loaded with exotic gizmos right up to v2.9, always with PS CS/2 backward compatibility in mind. This would certainly impose a more careful / consuming approach to troubleshooting compatibility issues rooted in inter-versions of PS/CS.

I do need to understand, speficically what the issues are. A screen shot would certainly help.

Please, be patient, as I am currently on a business-trip, overseas.

Kind regards,

PIX

Thanks for looking into this, Ferenc. I will get a screen shot up tonight for you.

Ok, here's a screen shot. CS4 no longer allows contracting a mask selection.

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You are in quick mask mode. (or showing the mask as a rubylith overlay) So there is no selection to contract.

René Damkot wrote in post #8619240
You are in quick mask mode. (or showing the mask as a rubylith overlay) So there is no selection to contract.

I believe it was a layer select that was then being contracted. FYI, this action worked perfectly in CS3.

You did the "Color range" command while you had the layer mask active. Gave it a try, and in PSCS4 that means that the selection got applied as a mask. Not sure if PSCS3 works different in that respect, but that's how CS4 does it. Not sure why either, since it doesn't do that when loading a selection for instance.

So there is no selection now, thus nothing to contract.
Edit: Gave it a try in PSCS2, which acts more logical: It runs the color range command on the mask instead of on the layer as CS4 does. And you do end up with a selection of the 'shadows' in the mask.

Must be either a bug or a feature in PSCS4...

Not sure what the action does, but maybe insert a step to select the layer before "color range" and see what happens.
Edit: Seeing how PSCS2 works, I don't think that will do what you want.

If that doesn't work, post a step by step of what you did and what the action does. Probably is another way to get it done.

Edit2: I only now notice what thread I'm in I'd think Pix will know what the action is supposed to do

Bump....

PIX? I know you're busy so I'll try not to be a pest.

Mashuri wrote in post #8661583
Bump....

PIX? I know you're busy so I'll try not to be a pest.

...Not a prob... I have been truly busy, over here.

I checked your problem, here, and it is image-specific.

Please, send me a link with the file, because FlexSharp is scanning for something it is not finding (in your image), and I need to reproduce it here, in order to either a) send you an update/fix, or b) explain you the simplest workaround.

Thanks,

PIX

PIXmantra wrote in post #8681106
...Not a prob... I have been truly busy, over here.

I checked your problem, here, and it is image-specific.

Please, send me a link with the file, becuase FlexSharp is scanning for something it is not finding (in your image), and I need to reproduce it here, in order to either a) send you an update/fix, or b) explain you the simplest workaround.

Thanks,

PIX

I don't believe so as I've tested this and other images in CS3 where FLEXsharp works fine. In CS4, FLEXsharp hits the same error on all images I try it with, including all that I have successfully sharpened on CS3 before. I've searched around and found that contracting a "Select All" in CS4 is "buggy" but that it may have a workaround. I'd like your thoughts if this can be integrated into your action without affecting its results (make sure to read the comments):

http://help.adobe.com …3e41001031ab64-76e7a.html

BTW, let me know if you would still like my image. It's a 50+MB TIFF so I figured I'd ask before sending.

So it's not the fact that "color range" behaves different in PSCS4 then it did in PSCS2?
In that case I'm curious what it is.

Bump...

Mhmm...

Mashuri wrote in post #8727148
Bump...

Mashuri:

I would need your file, anyway. If you have a .CR2 or .JPG, or a .TIFF crop from it with as much tonality as possible. Please, let me know.

I have to modify FlexSharp's core-logic during its mask-combing stage. In other words, I have to try to make it run without the contracting-a-mask-selection. And I would like to run/test such new approach with that image and all its intermediate by-products while running FlexSharp.

Thanks,

PIX

Ok, PIX. I just emailed you my CR2 file. Thanks again for your help!

Bump...