3 requests

[Serge Nelissen]

Hello Kirk,

3 requests...

1. Make it possible to 'Save As' RAW images (like one can send them by e-mail)
2. Mark the pics when they have been modified by a raw convertor (Capture NX)
3. Can the color class be made compatible with Capture NX ?

Thanks a lot,

Serge Nelissen

[TiggerGTO]

I added the following to my workflow when I use PM as a front end to Capture NX:

• Open apprporiate contact sheet in PM
• Flag "to be worked on" images with purple ('1' key)
• Filter contact sheet so images without color setting are not shown
• Go back through contact sheet and edit images in NX
• When I save an image after editing in NX, go back to PM and change color to red ('2' key)

It would be quite nice if PM could somehow indicate which files have been edited and which haven't, but using the above workflow steps isn't too painful.

Hope that helps,
Danny

[Serge Nelissen]

Hello Danny,

Thank you for sharing your work flow.

> ... but using the above workflow steps isn't too painful.
I agree

> It would be quite nice if PM could somehow indicate which files have been edited and which haven't
I agree more :-)

Serge

[NeilR]

Add the variable {firm} to your info display(s)  That will say "Capture NX 1.2.0 W" after it is saved by NX.  You could then set up some sort of ancilliary automation, I guess...

Neil

[vAfotoriporter]

1. Make it possible to 'Save As' RAW images (like one can send them by e-mail)

PM cannot read nor edit thus it cannot save as a RAW file itself. PM only uses the JPG image embedded into the RAW file. Under Win versions PM can only extract the embedded JPG. I think this is the why Kirk doesn't want PM to offer a Save as for RAW images. Since users might be mistaken to think it is really using the RAW. For the e-mailing it is definietly enough to send either a smaller res image or the original. But for saving the original would make it a simple copy and resizing would only work what the embedded JPG leaves.
However I second this request because using even the embedded JPG in a save as would be much better than the current lack of such option.

On Mac there is the Render RAW option I don't know being a Win user.

2. Mark the pics when they have been modified by a raw convertor (Capture NX)

I don't really know how it could work and for the most part I don't understand the phrase "a RAW being modified by a RAW convertor". On my part I consider a RAW being the digital negative I intend to keep in its rolls and want NEVER to be edited in any way. I prefer non destructive editing offered by many RAW processing applications that do not modify the RAW but generate a different image instead.

[Serge Nelissen]

Add the variable {firm} to your info display(s)  That will say "Capture NX 1.2.0 W" after it is saved by NX.  You could then set up some sort of ancilliary automation, I guess...

Neil

Good idea !

Thanks a lot,

[Serge Nelissen]

> PM cannot read nor edit thus it cannot save as a RAW file itself.
I know.

> I think this is the why Kirk doesn't want PM to offer a Save as for RAW images. Since users might be mistaken to think it is really using the RAW.
I understand, but the Save As dialog could display a warning.

> However I second this request because using even the embedded JPG in a save as would be much better than the current lack of such option.
Yes, this would be better.


> I don't really know how it could work and for the most part I don't understand the phrase "a RAW being modified by a RAW convertor".
Capture NX modifies the RAW-files in a non destructive way (all edits can be undone). So, there is no problem with modifying RAW files directly with NX. Thus, an indication that the file is already processed would be nice.

Thanks for your reply,

Serge

[vAfotoriporter]

> I don't really know how it could work and for the most part I don't understand the phrase "a RAW being modified by a RAW convertor".
Capture NX modifies the RAW-files in a non destructive way (all edits can be undone). So, there is no problem with modifying RAW files directly with NX. Thus, an indication that the file is already processed would be nice.

Sounds interresting how can a program be non destructive since this generally means no changes are made into the source file but all changes are kept separately in different output and sidecar files.

Being a Canon user I don't know Capture NX. I prefer using Phase One's Capture One which uses temporary preview files to store the changes made to the image. Until you keep them on the computer you see all your edits done to the image. After deleting these temporary files the program loads only the untouched originals except for the image outputs saved with certain modifications of course (but those are not RAW but usualyl JPG or TIFF instead).
If Capture NX works the non destructive way (not saving into the RAW) I don't really see how an image edited with it could indicate the changes or the fact that it has been edited.
If it really stores the changes in the RAW file, I think it cannot really be called a non destructive program, but then the firmware version hint may work. This sounds interresting.

[NeilR]

szurkebarat,

Nikon users consider NX edits of the raw file "non-destructive" because it can be reverted to the original image.  No data is lost and none of the rawe data is changed; just some text tags are changed.  You may consider "non-destructive" to have a different meaning, but I would argue that since nothing was destroyed or irrevocably lost, it is "non-destructive"   

This is all just semantics of course, but the term has this specific meaning to a Nikon user.

Neil

[Hayo Baan]

Nikon users consider NX edits of the raw file "non-destructive" because it can be reverted to the original image.  No data is lost and none of the rawe data is changed; just some text tags are changed.  You may consider "non-destructive" to have a different meaning, but I would argue that since nothing was destroyed or irrevocably lost, it is "non-destructive"   

This is all just semantics of course, but the term has this specific meaning to a Nikon user.

To add to this, Nikon Capture edits are as non-destructive as are the changes you make to the IPTC/XMP and then save them to the RAW file (e.g., as PM allows).  In this case also only the IPTC/XMP tags are overwritten, without altering the RAW image data itself (the file itself is changed, however).  With Nikon Capture, the edit steps are written to a special exif tag, leaving the rest basically untouched (the embedded jpg is also updated).

Note that this ability to store the edit steps within the RAW file, without altering the underlying raw data was actually one of the key reasons for me to start using Capture instead of e.g., Photoshop to do my raw editing.

Cheers

[vAfotoriporter]

Thanks for the information. This solution is really a good one and seems effective. And yes it can be considered a non-destructive way, however on a system level it is still safer not to save into the archive file since if any problem, freez, breakdown etc happens during a file write operation that file is lost entirely. Of course that is a catastrophe situation hopefully rare happening...

[NeilR]

If lightning strikes (literally or figuratively) you're going to go back to one of your backups to retrieve the damaged file.  You need backups even if you aren't modifying the original files.

Out of 100,000 image files I've created with my digital cameras over the last 4 years, I've never lost a file due to an editing problem, although it is certainly a possibility.  I've lost maybe a half dozen or so that were damaged right out of the camera.  I think a lot of Nikon shooters who edit their raw files maintain optical backups of the unmodified files to eleviate the concern you mentioned.