Select in an action

[PeteDanes]

I have used simple actions for years, mostly to automate mass file conversions. I now have a task that has me stumped.

There are several hundred files of scanned text, of a quality and layout that defy OCR. The text is purple, ranging from light to dark, and the background is a mottled yellow. What I need to do is remove the background and make the text dark, for easier reading by someone who will subsequently transcribe these texts.

All the color conversions are simple enough, but selecting the areas on which to operate has me stumped. If I click on an area of either purple or yellow, with the appropriate tolerance set, PS nicely selects either the text or the background and I can then do what I need. But I want to automate the SELECTION process, as well as the subsequent color conversion. That is, I need an instruction in my action that says "Select all pixels that are X or more amount of purple (or yellow) for subsequent operations.", WITHOUT me having to select and manually click on such areas in every image file.

Is this even possible in an action? If so, how is it done?

 

[Ross Ozarka]

Have you tried using the "Color Range..." under the Select menu? I'm not sure if I understand your problem, but this is what I do when I need to select areas of color, and it works well for me.

 

[PeteDanes]

Have you tried using the "Color Range..." under the Select menu? I'm not sure if I understand your problem, but this is what I do when I need to select areas of color, and it works well for me.

Thanks Ross, this looks hopeful. I've looked up this function on the net - like many people, I had no idea it even existed, but I'm far from a Photoshop expert. However, this appears to be what I need - a way to select certain areas with a certain color in an action, without having to manually click on them. Appreciate the tip.