Author Topic: Black Preview images in PM 4.4.3.3  (Read 6706 times)

Offline frishphoto

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Black Preview images in PM 4.4.3.3
« on: January 11, 2007, 04:50:08 PM »
I'm new to this forum and completely naive. A quick search of the archives didn't answer this issue, so here's the problem: for about 20% of my images I'm seeing a black box in Preview mode instead of the image.

Careful scrutiny of the images at issue in contact sheet mode reveal that they are not fully rendered. That is to say, they're pixelated when viewed as larger images on a contact sheet.

The files are intact and can be opened fine in CS2. So what's with this?

I'm running PM4433 on a Mac (G4/DP450, if it matters), OS 10.3.9. The images are shot with Nikon D2H and D2X as jpg/NEF.

Rich Frishman

Offline Kirk Baker

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Re: Black Preview images in PM 4.4.3.3
« Reply #1 on: January 11, 2007, 05:54:32 PM »
Rich,

I'm new to this forum and completely naive. A quick search of the archives didn't answer this issue, so here's the problem: for about 20% of my images I'm seeing a black box in Preview mode instead of the image.

Careful scrutiny of the images at issue in contact sheet mode reveal that they are not fully rendered. That is to say, they're pixelated when viewed as larger images on a contact sheet.

The files are intact and can be opened fine in CS2. So what's with this?

I'm running PM4433 on a Mac (G4/DP450, if it matters), OS 10.3.9. The images are shot with Nikon D2H and D2X as jpg/NEF.

Are all of the images that aren't rendering the same file type?  i.e. Are they all NEFs?  All JPEGs?  Or are they a mixture of file types?

-Kirk

Offline frishphoto

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Re: Black Preview images in PM 4.4.3.3
« Reply #2 on: January 11, 2007, 06:35:55 PM »
I'm not quite sure, as I have set PM4433 to render one thumbnail for JPG/NEF files... so the answer is whichever file type it is that PM is using.

Rich

Offline Kirk Baker

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Re: Black Preview images in PM 4.4.3.3
« Reply #3 on: January 11, 2007, 08:37:10 PM »
Rich,

I'm not quite sure, as I have set PM4433 to render one thumbnail for JPG/NEF files... so the answer is whichever file type it is that PM is using.

Well then in that case if there is always a pair of JPEG/NEF for each item then it would be using the JPEGs for each of them.

Do you have a single file that always shows up as black that you could upload to our server so we could take a look at it?  Contact me privately by clicking on my name to the left of this message and I'll give you server information.

Thanks,

-Kirk

Offline dennis

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Re: Black Preview images in PM 4.4.3.3
« Reply #4 on: January 12, 2007, 04:20:03 PM »
Rich,

I looked at the two files you sent and they appear to be OK until the end of the image.  If you view these in Photoshop and zoom down to the bottom right corner of the image, you will see some image corruption (a block about 8 pixels tall which is how JPEG is formatted).  I first noticed some corruption in the file itself in a hex editor, so then I looked at the image in Photoshop and saw the problem visually too.

About 2000 bytes at the end of the image looks like it was overwritten with RAW Bayer CCD data (e.g. from the NEF).  The JPEG has no 0xFFD9 terminating marker.  So somehow this image is corrupted near the EOF.  Although Photo Mechanic does append its image preferences to the EOF, it only appends and doesn't grab Bayer data from somewhere else when it writes.

Photoshop must be ignoring this JPEG corruption (it often does), but PM is getting an error and refuses to show the full resolution image.  I'll see if we can somehow ignore the error we are getting from JPEGLib.

I think you may have an issue with your machine (e.g. memory or disk) especially since this is happening randomly to your photos and we haven't seen this type of problem before.  I would run the diagnostics from your boot CD (if you still have it).

--dennis


Offline frishphoto

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Re: Black Preview images in PM 4.4.3.3
« Reply #5 on: January 18, 2007, 06:04:02 PM »
Dennis -
Thanks for your detailed insights into the underlying causative issues. Aside from the apparent file corruption issue I appear to be experiencing in those last few bytes, I have one other problem: my thick head. I cannot fully appreciate the elegance and wisdom of your comments because "0xFFD9 terminating marker" and "RAW Bayer CCD data" are not in my lexicon. No comprendé. Sorry.

So, here are my top questions at this juncture:
1 - Are you suggesting that the NEFs are also corrupted? Having compromised RAW data would be a lot worse than damaged derivative jpgs.
2 - Are you suggesting the problem is likeliest to begin with the CF card, my download computer's RAM or disks, or my archiving computer's RAM or disk?
3 - When you suggest running a diagnostic, are you referring to something like Disk Utilities, or Norton Disk Doctor or TechToolsPro?

Feel free to contact me offline if you prefer.

Best, Rich Frishman

Offline frishphoto

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Re: Black Preview images in PM 4.4.3.3
« Reply #6 on: January 22, 2007, 01:40:00 PM »
Rich,

I looked at the two files you sent and they appear to be OK until the end of the image.  If you view these in Photoshop and zoom down to the bottom right corner of the image, you will see some image corruption (a block about 8 pixels tall which is how JPEG is formatted).  I first noticed some corruption in the file itself in a hex editor, so then I looked at the image in Photoshop and saw the problem visually too.

About 2000 bytes at the end of the image looks like it was overwritten with RAW Bayer CCD data (e.g. from the NEF).  The JPEG has no 0xFFD9 terminating marker.  So somehow this image is corrupted near the EOF.  Although Photo Mechanic does append its image preferences to the EOF, it only appends and doesn't grab Bayer data from somewhere else when it writes.

Photoshop must be ignoring this JPEG corruption (it often does), but PM is getting an error and refuses to show the full resolution image.  I'll see if we can somehow ignore the error we are getting from JPEGLib.

I think you may have an issue with your machine (e.g. memory or disk) especially since this is happening randomly to your photos and we haven't seen this type of problem before.  I would run the diagnostics from your boot CD (if you still have it).

--dennis



Dennis et al -
In addition to my previous reply (of 1/18/07... see below), I have observed that the files on my back-up DVD's show no corruption. The JPG and NEF files display properly in both Photoshop CS2 and PM4433. I do not recall the chronology of my back-ups in this case. This is what I usually do: I download my card(s) in the field via my iBook and PM4433 onto a portable LaCie Firewire external drive. I then usually burn a couple DVD's in the field. Upon return to my studio, I usually then copy the respective image folders from the portable Lacie drive onto a desktop LaCie HD.

I need to underscore that I am not sure of the chronology in this case. It might seem that the file corruption was introduced when I copied the portable drive's files to the desktop HD. However, I would really like to understand the problem and when/how it is caused.

What do you think the leading suspects might be?

I have run Disk Utilities and DiskWarrior, but nothing seemed amiss.

Not to digress, but just in case this adds a clue:
I have intermittently experienced some unusual image corruptionwhen editing in CS2. This corruption takes the form of a tiny series of dots or lines only involving a small number of pixels, creating what looks like a tiny bar code somewhere in the image. This is never there when the image is first opened in Photoshop; it is created during editing. Usually (perhaps always) it is only created in the green channel.

Best, Rich Frishman

Dennis -
Thanks for your detailed insights into the underlying causative issues. Aside from the apparent file corruption issue I appear to be experiencing in those last few bytes, I have one other problem: my thick head. I cannot fully appreciate the elegance and wisdom of your comments because "0xFFD9 terminating marker" and "RAW Bayer CCD data" are not in my lexicon. No comprendé. Sorry.

So, here are my top questions at this juncture:
1 - Are you suggesting that the NEFs are also corrupted? Having compromised RAW data would be a lot worse than damaged derivative jpgs.
2 - Are you suggesting the problem is likeliest to begin with the CF card, my download computer's RAM or disks, or my archiving computer's RAM or disk?
3 - When you suggest running a diagnostic, are you referring to something like Disk Utilities, or Norton Disk Doctor or TechToolsPro?

Feel free to contact me offline if you prefer.

Best, Rich Frishman

Offline Kirk Baker

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Re: Black Preview images in PM 4.4.3.3
« Reply #7 on: January 22, 2007, 03:19:06 PM »
Rich,

Dennis et al -
In addition to my previous reply (of 1/18/07... see below), I have observed that the files on my back-up DVD's show no corruption. The JPG and NEF files display properly in both Photoshop CS2 and PM4433. I do not recall the chronology of my back-ups in this case. This is what I usually do: I download my card(s) in the field via my iBook and PM4433 onto a portable LaCie Firewire external drive. I then usually burn a couple DVD's in the field. Upon return to my studio, I usually then copy the respective image folders from the portable Lacie drive onto a desktop LaCie HD.

I need to underscore that I am not sure of the chronology in this case. It might seem that the file corruption was introduced when I copied the portable drive's files to the desktop HD. However, I would really like to understand the problem and when/how it is caused.

What do you think the leading suspects might be?

I have run Disk Utilities and DiskWarrior, but nothing seemed amiss.

Not to digress, but just in case this adds a clue:
I have intermittently experienced some unusual image corruptionwhen editing in CS2. This corruption takes the form of a tiny series of dots or lines only involving a small number of pixels, creating what looks like a tiny bar code somewhere in the image. This is never there when the image is first opened in Photoshop; it is created during editing. Usually (perhaps always) it is only created in the green channel.

I suspect that some of your RAM dimms/simms are bad.  Your Mac came with a grey hardware diagnostics CD-ROM.  With it you can check your RAM and other parts of your hardware.  You just need to boot off of it and follow the prompts.

I once had a Dual G5 that acted like it had bad RAM, but it turned out be be a bad memory controller on the motherboard.  Apple replaced the entire computer since it was under warranty.

Best wishes,

-Kirk

Offline frishphoto

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Re: Black Preview images in PM 4.4.3.3
« Reply #8 on: January 22, 2007, 06:04:37 PM »
Kirk et al -
I ran the Apple hardware diagnostic disk and it indicated a "logic board failure." Error code was "fire/5/49993." At that point it would not test anything else. Thoughts?

Rich

Offline Kirk Baker

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Re: Black Preview images in PM 4.4.3.3
« Reply #9 on: January 22, 2007, 07:03:03 PM »
I ran the Apple hardware diagnostic disk and it indicated a "logic board failure." Error code was "fire/5/49993." At that point it would not test anything else. Thoughts?

I would send it in for repairs.  If you have a local Apple Store you can take it there and have them look at it.

Good luck!

-Kirk