Divide one .tiff file into many, quickly

[Don Chenicek]

I have several thousand large scanned .tiff files that each contain multiple images. I need to find a way to open each large .tiff file, select the individual images on it and save each individual image as its own .tiff file, preferably with a file name as a subset of the original large .tiff file. Given the fact that I have thousands of these large files to divide, I need a solution that is fast. I envision opening each large file, somehow selecting multiple areas (images) within this large file, and then simultaneously saving them as multiple, smaller .tiff files with the file names being a derivitive of the original large file. Can it be done?

[BLUDVLZ]

Don, I don't think so. What you're asking seems to require a great deal of user-intervention to isolate, select, copy and paste specific images into new documents for saving.

There might be a way if the images are easily distinguisable that you create an action that places selections in specific areas and then copies and pastes into new files, and then saves the new images... but all the images would have to conform to the same basic size and layout in order for that to work. And even then it's a crap shoot. If you need anything like backgrounds dropped out you would still need to go in and do it manually--unless of course the backgrounds were a solid white (or something like that) and then you could perhaps automate a selection based on color range and create clipping paths from that... but again, that's a bit of a stretch.

I'd suggest getting yourself a really comfortable chair, a pot of coffee, and clear your schedule for the next few months.

Sorry.