RAW Developper/LR2

[JHAG]

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Did anyone compare RW Developer and LR2 ?

I did with LR 1.4 and the difference was striking both in neutrality

and fine details (RAWDev doing visibly better).

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[JHAG]

I tried it again and compared with Aperture.

Again, tonality and fines details are striking in RAW Dev.

I wonder how one could batch import pictures tweaked in RAW Dev.

in A2 or LR2 or CS3 to further process them.

[lxlim]

I compared it briefly with Aperture 2.

 

For clarity, accutance, tonality RAW Developer is visually better at pixel level. RD also has a better sharpening options and tonal controls. But I use it only when I need it for quality enlargements bigger than 12 x18. Less than that Aperture is good enough.

 

RD is actually a fair bit faster at processing than Aperture but I needed Aperture's workflow management. Otherwise it is RD all the way.

[JHAG]

I compared it briefly with Aperture 2.

 

For clarity, accutance, tonality RAW Developer is visually better at pixel level. RD also has a better sharpening options and tonal controls. But I use it only when I need it for quality enlargements bigger than 12 x18. Less than that Aperture is good enough.

 

RD is actually a fair bit faster at processing than Aperture but I needed Aperture's workflow management. Otherwise it is RD all the way.

 

I wonder how one could batch import pictures tweaked in RAW Dev.

in A2 or LR2 or CS3 to further process them.

[lxlim]

I wonder how one could batch import pictures tweaked in RAW Dev.

in A2 or LR2 or CS3 to further process them.

 

What sort of further processing do you have in mind? Output from RD would be TIFF or JPGs.

 

I generally go to Photoshop after RAW Developer or Aperture for further work. Its usually localised enhancements and selections which Photoshop can do better.

 

For management of digital images I import into Aperture.

[JHAG]

Mainly selections in layers and color seclections for "problem" shots.

I did not find a way to batch copy/transfer files from RAWD. to A2 or LR.

I only found a way to back them up in a folder, then they become

xxx.DNG.rdsf, and are not recognized by LR.

[lxlim]

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Mainly selections in layers and color seclections for "problem" shots.

I did not find a way to batch copy/transfer files from RAWD. to A2 or LR.

I only found a way to back them up in a folder, then they become

xxx.DNG.rdsf, and are not recognized by LR.

 

Selections are localised changes.

 

RD is not designed(currently ~ not sure what the developer might want to do later) to work on selected areas but to do global changes with a wide variety of tools. Wider set of tools than say Aperture or Lightroom might offer but Aperture and lightroom do offer localised touchups and controls that RD does not.

 

You might want to split up the workflow.

 

1st stage Photo editing (selection of pictures) done on say Photo Mechanic, then

 

2nd stage Image editing (global changes to colour and luminance) to selected images (RAW Developer) and export as JPG or TIFFs.

 

3rd stage Aperture to manage your exported images and to do some minor adjustments when exporting for specialised needs such as email or powerpoint or lab printing.

 

Most people would just go Aperture to simplify things. Especially if quality of fine details is not extremely important.

 

Personally for my needs the accutance and clarity of images from RD are not a great gap from Aperture's render and I do prefer Aperture's initial colours. RD however can do a lot more from the standpoint of global changes.

 

For localised selections and changes, I prefer Photoshop as it is a lot faster than in Aperture. So I work on the exported images to finetune them.

 

You can use Aperture to import the output files from RD(JPG and TIFFs). The xxx.DNG.rdsf would be the RD's metadata files containing the changes made to a particular file and are not usable by Aperture or lightroom or CS3. You need to use the batch processing window to output your files as JPG or TIFFs. Cmd-N will bring it up.

 

If you are using RD, you should not need to use LR as both are relatively similar in functions.

 

 

Sorry for the long post. Hope that is useful

[JHAG]

Thx lxlim for the long post.

 

I did not make myself clear.

Speaking of layer, I meant in CS3.

My only problem with RD : I found the way (quite simple)

to export the pic (after some tweaks) to CS3 or even LR,

retaining the fine details quality and colour neutrality

of RD, and work further on the image.

My only problem, as said, is this : how to batch export

pics from RD to CS3 or LR. Did not find the way —

except, as said, this turnaround : batch export to a

folder on my desktop, then re-import in CS3 and LR.

But when I do this, it refuse the import of pics with

xxx.DNG.rdsf.

Back to square one…

[lxlim]

....

But when I do this, it refuse the import of pics with

xxx.DNG.rdsf.

Back to square one…

 

back to square one indeed.... as LR or Ap does not read xxx.DNG.rdsf. files

 

 

Am I right to say you wish to continue working in RAW and hope to use those RD changed files in LR or Aperture? If so that cannot be done.

[JHAG]

Am I right to say you wish to continue working in RAW and hope to use those RD changed files in LR or Aperture? If so that cannot be done.

 

My dear lxlim,

You're absolutely right on first count.

You're absolutely wrong on second count. I have here a file, in Aperture, L1010279.DNG, 10,9 Mb, shot with the M8, extracted from card directly in

RD,and exported from RD to A2, with all colour attributes and fines details of a RD file.

In fact, this file was run with the RD demo, prior of purchase. Seeing it did work, I decided to buy.

[lxlim]

My dear lxlim,

You're absolutely right on first count.

You're absolutely wrong on second count. I have here a file, in Aperture, L1010279.DNG, 10,9 Mb, shot with the M8, extracted from card directly in

RD,and exported from RD to A2, with all colour attributes and fines details of a RD file.

In fact, this file was run with the RD demo, prior of purchase. Seeing it did work, I decided to buy.

 

I would be glad to be absolutely wrong as I do like how RD wrinkle out details and tones.

 

What is the format in which Aperture is reading your RD output file? RAW, TIFF or JPG?

 

If it is TIFF or JPG, I am not wrong It is just the output file cast in RD stone so to speak. Meaning you cannot use RD's adjustments subsequently.

 

If it is RAW, then the developer could be working for Apple now. I don't see how you could translate RD's metadata into Aperture's adjustment's equivalent which is stored within the Aperture library as part of the database.

 

I communicated with him a year back complimenting him on his great work and how I would love to have RD's tools in Aperture. He thanked me but nothing further.

[JHAG]

If it is TIFF or JPG, I am not wrong It is just the output file cast in RD stone so to speak. Meaning you cannot use RD's adjustments subsequently.

 

 

Stupid me : I was reading both files parallel, and chosing wrong EXIF.

In fact, it's a .tiff.

 

But I have the RD adjustments preserved, and I can further tweak it

for any adjustments in A2 (contrast, light, color balance, etc.).

[lxlim]

Not stupid.

 

Its just that we need to make assumptions to get things working. So when things worked, the assumptions must be right ....usually

[JHAG]

Still, I don't see how to batch export from RD to A2, CS3 or LR2.

Well, I suppose it's a good restraint, to keep the keepers only.

[lxlim]

Keeping the keepers is a right discipline alright.

 

That suggested workflow I mentioned a few posts back was such. I went 100% Aperture this year.

 

Nothings beats getting knee deep to get to know the problems. I am likely to go Photo Mechanic and Aperture, while reserving RAW Developer for the quality jobs.

[Overgaard]

Inspired by this thread I did http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-forum/digital-forum/63465-raw-developers-dmr.html as I was not aware of RAW Developer till now.