Luminosity selection in a macro?

[webb]

If I'm not recording a macro, I can get a luminosity selection (which I can easily turn into a luminosity mask) by shift-ctl-left click on the layer icon.  This is very handy.

But when I try to do this in a macro, it tells me that it cannot record a selection from the layer. 

However, the macro recorder *does* let me select a tonal range (highlights, midtones, shadows) from the layer if I do it from the Layer menu.   I don't want a limited tonal range, though--I'd like to select luminosity from the whole range of the image. 

Is there a straightforward way to make the luminosity selection (the equivalent of shift-ctl-left click on the layer icon) in a macro?

[carl123]

Highlight/select your layer

Start Macro Recording:
Select > Selection From Layer

You will have a cog next to the macro step recorded above
Click the cog and tick Use Luminosity

Stop recording:
When you next run the macro it will create a luminosity selection

[webb]

Thank you, @Carl123! That works.

It is interesting that I don't get the selection until the next time I run the macro (meaning those steps can't be literally embedded in a bigger macro), but saving the macro separately as Luminosity Selection means I can call it from a bigger macro, so everything works out.

 

[carl123]

You can record all the steps prior to the luminosity selection in the one macro then do the instructions above and then stop the recording.

Reset the document to the beginning (history panel)

Replay the macro.
Hit record to continue recording from that point.
Record the steps you need to do after the luminosity selection, then stop recording.

Your macro should now be complete and you can save it to the macro library as just the one macro

[webb]

Thanks again, @carl123!  It sounds like that will work.

For my workflow, it is actually useful to have a stand-alone Luminosity Selection macro, so the way it worked out the first time works well for me.

[Polygonius]

41 minutes ago, webb said:

...the next time I run the macro (meaning those steps can't be literally embedded in a bigger macro)...

Well you can save macros as parts/segments/fragments... and build bigger ones. But there are some handicaps/bugs.

1.

You have to assign/rename...  all "GUI-elements" again (its nasty, but to solve, with doublework).

2.

If you use two (or more) filters/adjust... where tweaking-elements uses the same name, ALL elements inside that "master-macro" which uses a common name (like radius).... will show in that master-macro as seperate slider. If you change ANY of this name, all others will take the same name. Its a really (not fixable) nasty bug! 

 

3. 

You cannot anymore activate/deactivate steps of the macros when using "fragments"... 

 

There are some bugs,  "missing things", strange... in the macro-question, however, for a version point 1 they are really great. I´m 70% happy with it!

BTW: there is also already a great collection of LMs in the resources-section. In booth tastes: as layer, or as just-selection -outgive. I prefer booth;-) 

 

[smadell]

You can try these...

https://forum.affinity.serif.com/index.php?/topic/27214-luminosity-masks/&tab=comments#comment-132021