Author Topic: Updating PM preview after ACR edits  (Read 4763 times)

Offline jahern

  • Newcomer
  • *
  • Posts: 3
    • View Profile
Updating PM preview after ACR edits
« on: September 19, 2012, 06:51:17 AM »

I use PM to cull images from a wedding, generate the proofs, make selection and then take the required images into LR for the full editing. I shot Nikon so it is folders of NEF files I'm working with.

For the proofs there is the odd image that need work for the proof stage, so I take the NEF file into Nikon Capture NX2, make some quick edits and save it, the preview is updated in PM to reflect the edits made in NX2.

Can I do the same with Adobe Camera Raw as I do with NX2, I can take a NEF into into ACR that comes with Photoshop, but I can't figure out how to "save" the updates so I see them in PM.
I'm guessing that as ACR can't write directly to the NEF file and has to generate a xmp file and that I need some way for PM to read the xmp file generated?

Offline Kirk Baker

  • Senior Software Engineer
  • Camera Bits Staff
  • Superhero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 24730
    • View Profile
    • Camera Bits, Inc.
Re: Updating PM preview after ACR edits
« Reply #1 on: September 19, 2012, 07:27:54 AM »

I use PM to cull images from a wedding, generate the proofs, make selection and then take the required images into LR for the full editing. I shot Nikon so it is folders of NEF files I'm working with.

For the proofs there is the odd image that need work for the proof stage, so I take the NEF file into Nikon Capture NX2, make some quick edits and save it, the preview is updated in PM to reflect the edits made in NX2.

Can I do the same with Adobe Camera Raw as I do with NX2, I can take a NEF into into ACR that comes with Photoshop, but I can't figure out how to "save" the updates so I see them in PM.
I'm guessing that as ACR can't write directly to the NEF file and has to generate a xmp file and that I need some way for PM to read the xmp file generated?

PM already reads the XMP file which even contains the RAW adjustment settings.  The problem is that we would have to reverse-engineer Adobe's rendering engine in order to provide an updated preview.  A nearly impossible task to get 100% right.

My suggestion would be to either turn the image into a DNG file which Adobe's software will update the embedded preview, or produce a JPEG from the NEF file with the same base name as the original NEF and PM will pair the two together and show the JPEG version which you can use for other purposes such as Save As.

-Kirk

Offline jahern

  • Newcomer
  • *
  • Posts: 3
    • View Profile
Re: Updating PM preview after ACR edits
« Reply #2 on: September 20, 2012, 03:59:13 AM »
Thanks Kirk for the very quick responce, I was hoping that maybe the xmp file contains the updated preview jpeg and that was how bridge updated the preview you see when using that program.
I'll stick with using NX2 for tweeking the odd image to get it ok for proof stage, until of course it falls over again with the next OS update as it seems Nikon has plans to keep it up to date like Camera Bits does with PM.

John


I use PM to cull images from a wedding, generate the proofs, make selection and then take the required images into LR for the full editing. I shot Nikon so it is folders of NEF files I'm working with.

For the proofs there is the odd image that need work for the proof stage, so I take the NEF file into Nikon Capture NX2, make some quick edits and save it, the preview is updated in PM to reflect the edits made in NX2.

Can I do the same with Adobe Camera Raw as I do with NX2, I can take a NEF into into ACR that comes with Photoshop, but I can't figure out how to "save" the updates so I see them in PM.
I'm guessing that as ACR can't write directly to the NEF file and has to generate a xmp file and that I need some way for PM to read the xmp file generated?

PM already reads the XMP file which even contains the RAW adjustment settings.  The problem is that we would have to reverse-engineer Adobe's rendering engine in order to provide an updated preview.  A nearly impossible task to get 100% right.

My suggestion would be to either turn the image into a DNG file which Adobe's software will update the embedded preview, or produce a JPEG from the NEF file with the same base name as the original NEF and PM will pair the two together and show the JPEG version which you can use for other purposes such as Save As.

-Kirk

Offline Kirk Baker

  • Senior Software Engineer
  • Camera Bits Staff
  • Superhero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 24730
    • View Profile
    • Camera Bits, Inc.
Re: Updating PM preview after ACR edits
« Reply #3 on: September 20, 2012, 06:31:51 AM »
John,

I was hoping that maybe the xmp file contains the updated preview jpeg and that was how bridge updated the preview you see when using that program.

It would be nice if they would put an encoded JPEG in the XMP sidecar file, but they don't.  Bridge has access to the same rendering engine that the ACR plugin uses.

-Kirk

Offline Hayo Baan

  • Uber Member
  • ******
  • Posts: 2552
  • Professional Photographer & Software Developer
    • View Profile
    • Hayo Baan - Photography
Re: Updating PM preview after ACR edits
« Reply #4 on: September 21, 2012, 11:31:10 AM »
It would be nice if they would put an encoded JPEG in the XMP sidecar file, but they don't.  Bridge has access to the same rendering engine that the ACR plugin uses.

Yeah, that would e nice, but alas they don't, basically forcing you to go the DNG route (as that does have embedded previews).

I too shoot Nikon (mostly) and the update of the embedded preview to reflect ones editing is one of the many reasons I still prefer Capture NX2 above ACR for my raw edits  :)

Cheers,
Hayo
Hayo Baan - Photography
Web: www.hayobaan.nl