dark photos with 4.4.3

[norman heng]

Thanks for the good software!  I enjoy using it.
My photos look fine with the 4.4.2.  Recently I installed the 4.4.3 and the photos look very much underexposed.  Some still look fine.  Those that look underexposed have a very small rectangle appear at the top left corner. I had uninstalled 4.4.3 and reinstalled 4.4.2 and now my photos look fine.  How can I rectify this strange behaviour?
I am shooting with a EOS 10D.  I am using a iBook G4 (1.2GHz) with 256MB Ram and 512MB Ram add on.  The Video Ram is 32MB.
Also how can I make the photos appears faster in the preview mode and when viewing it in 100%?  Will upgrading the 512 MB Ram to 1 Gb Ram help?  Or it is better to upgrade the Video Ram?
Thanks in advance for the solution and advance.

[Kirk Baker]

Thanks for the good software!  I enjoy using it.
My photos look fine with the 4.4.2.  Recently I installed the 4.4.3 and the photos look very much underexposed.  Some still look fine.  Those that look underexposed have a very small rectangle appear at the top left corner. I had uninstalled 4.4.3 and reinstalled 4.4.2 and now my photos look fine.  How can I rectify this strange behaviour?

You are likely running Mac OS X 10.4.6.  The EOS 10D CRW/THM files have fairly low resolution previews in them. 4.4.3 when running 10.4.6 can render the RAW image using Apple's ImageIO and that is the rendering that you are seeing.  4.4.3.1 will have a checkbox to entirely disable RAW rendering.

I am shooting with a EOS 10D.  I am using a iBook G4 (1.2GHz) with 256MB Ram and 512MB Ram add on.  The Video Ram is 32MB.
Also how can I make the photos appears faster in the preview mode and when viewing it in 100%?  Will upgrading the 512 MB Ram to 1 Gb Ram help?  Or it is better to upgrade the Video Ram?
Thanks in advance for the solution and advance.

Once you disable the RAW support, your speed should return.  If it still does not feel fast enough, then yes, adding more RAM can help, but all things being equal a faster CPU will give you the most performance.  I can vouch for a MacBook doing quite well with Photo Mechanic and large images.

In the meantime, go into the Preferences and click on the Preview tab.  Make sure the "For RAW+JPEG:" popup reads "Use JPEG Preview for speed".  Make sure the "For RAW only:" popup reads "Use embedded JPEG Preview for speed".

HTH,

-Kirk

[norman heng]

Hi Kirk,

I am running Mac OS X 10.3.9. Does it make any different? Sorry that I overlook to mentioned this in my question. Thanks.

Norman

[Kirk Baker]

Hi Kirk,

I am running Mac OS X 10.3.9. Does it make any different? Sorry that I overlook to mentioned this in my question. Thanks.

Hmm.  Well there should be no difference in rendering then.  How about posting a screen shot of the "underexposed" images, and another with them looking as you expect?

Is it possible that you have had Color Management turned off and recently turned it on?

-Kirk

[norman heng]

Hi Kirk,

I have just work with 4.4.2 and 4.4.3.  Below are what I found:

1.  4.4.3 raw photos look very much underexposed, not all but a lot of them. 4.4.2 raw photos look just fine.

2.  4.4.3 jpeg and tiff photos look just fine as 4.4.2.

3.  with 4.4.3 sometimes the thumbnails looks totally black ever after 10 minutes but when re-open it look just fine.

How do I post a screen shot?

Usually I will check that the Color Managenment is turn on as the photos will not look nice or will look discolor when it is turn off. Turning the CM off does not render the underexposed look that I see. 

Thanks for the tips in previewing. I had set the Preferences accordingly.

Norman 

[norman heng]

Hi Kirk,

Just found out that when I go to 'Tools' and 'Extract JPEG previews from RAW photos...', the JPEGs look just fine but not the RAWs.

Hope it help your investigation.

Norman

[Kirk Baker]

Hi Kirk,

I have just work with 4.4.2 and 4.4.3.  Below are what I found:

1.  4.4.3 raw photos look very much underexposed, not all but a lot of them. 4.4.2 raw photos look just fine.

2.  4.4.3 jpeg and tiff photos look just fine as 4.4.2.

3.  with 4.4.3 sometimes the thumbnails looks totally black ever after 10 minutes but when re-open it look just fine.

How do I post a screen shot?

When you post, and you are editing your message, just below the editor is a link titled "Additional Options..."  If you click on it, you can upload JPEG images.

I think I am going to need a couple of sample images from you that exhibit the underexposed rendering.  I will need both the CRW and the THM file.  Please contact me privately for server information.

-Kirk

[Kirk Baker]

Hi Kirk,

I have just work with 4.4.2 and 4.4.3.  Below are what I found:

1.  4.4.3 raw photos look very much underexposed, not all but a lot of them. 4.4.2 raw photos look just fine.

2.  4.4.3 jpeg and tiff photos look just fine as 4.4.2.

3.  with 4.4.3 sometimes the thumbnails looks totally black ever after 10 minutes but when re-open it look just fine.

How do I post a screen shot?

When you post, and you are editing your message, just below the editor is a link titled "Additional Options..."  If you click on it, you can upload JPEG images.

I think I am going to need a couple of sample images from you that exhibit the underexposed rendering.  I will need both the CRW and the THM file.  Please contact me privately for server information.

I got your sample images off our server.  The images you sent have very small crops on them.  In the Preview window on 4.4.3 we now have an option to darken the area outside the crop.  You can either disable that feature, or you can preview each image and click on the "Remove crop" button and your images will appear properly exposed again.

HTH,

-Kirk

[norman heng]

Thanks for finding out the cause and the solution. Now my pictures look normal again. Appreciated.

How can I prevent the crop box from appearing? It was there right after opeining a file without selecting the crop tool.

Norman

[Kirk Baker]

Thanks for finding out the cause and the solution. Now my pictures look normal again. Appreciated.

How can I prevent the crop box from appearing? It was there right after opeining a file without selecting the crop tool.

Did you ever use one of the 4.3.3 betas before it went final?
Does this happen with images fresh from the camera?

Thanks,

-Kirk

[norman heng]

No, I did not try out the 4.4.3 betas.  Just did with the 4.4.3.1.  The crop box appear after opening a pic file.  I do not have it with all the file.  Some of them have plenty while some of them only have a few.

I just shot 100+ raw pictures and after ingesting I did not see it in 4.4.3 and 4.4.3.1.

Norman

[Kirk Baker]

No, I did not try out the 4.4.3 betas.  Just did with the 4.4.3.1.  The crop box appear after opening a pic file.  I do not have it with all the file.  Some of them have plenty while some of them only have a few.

I just shot 100+ raw pictures and after ingesting I did not see it in 4.4.3 and 4.4.3.1.

Norman

Thanks for the info, I'll let Dennis know about what you've said.

-Kirk

[norman heng]

Hi Kirk,

you are welcome. Thanks once again for the solution and prompt reply.

norman