M9 File DNG size - Is this an issue?

[Guest BigSplash]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

I have become used to M8 "JPEG fine" which seem to range from 1.5MB to 3.0M in sze depending on the actual image. To my eyes the images are of excellent quality at a technical level (artistically I am not where i wish to be!)

 

I then have been playing with RAW (DNG Images) from my M8 and these are 10MB per photo because I am told DNG is the way to go as you can keep the raw image and manipulate it, while keeping in tact the original file (Lightroom does this I am told, which I do not yet have) .

 

In my case I am finding that neither Phase One Capture, nor Photoshop likes my DNG files very much . I get small size images and when I resize them I have huge pixelisation issues.....if anyone has ideas about what I am doing incorrectly I'd appreciate. (Reading Phase One they actually say that it works best with DNG files and if white balance is what is wanted they are correct !)

 

I have been given some full frame JPEG images shot on a Canon full frame DSLR and these are of order 5 to 10MB per image. These are useable but take a time for each shot to be manipulated in Photoshop. This suggests to me that if you shoot with a M9 at full frame the file sizes will be huge and you had better have pretty advanced PC with oodles of memory to handle them and then store them......does anyone have a spec. for such a PC and/or Mac and the software recommended as I am about to upgrade?

 

Finally I wonder if there is an argument to simply stay with JPEG although previous threads have implied that the M8 and M9 camera have a very compromised RAW (DNG) to JPEG hardware chipset and microcoded software realisation compared to what can be achieved with a post production approach based around DNG.

 

Any comments gratefully received?

[delander †]

Capture One should handle your M8 dng files with finesse. Once you have decided how to process a dng It can export a 59Mb 16 bit tif file, which gives you plenty to play with in Photoshop. Your images should not be small. Something is definitely wrong.

 

On the PC then get plenty of memory, a dual or quad core processor, some large and fast Hard disks (more than one if poss) and a good screen, preferably an IPS based one.

 

I'm sure others will know more than me on this. My PC is almost 3 years old now but still able to handle large files in a reasonable time.

 

M9 16bit tifs are 109 Mb for comparison.

 

Jeff

[Guest WPalank]

In my case I am finding that neither Phase One Capture, nor Photoshop likes my DNG files very much . I get small size images and when I resize them I have huge pixelisation issues.....if anyone has ideas about what I am doing incorrectly I'd appreciate.

 

To reiterate what Jeff is saying, just buy the fastest machine with as much hard drive space and RAM as you can afford.

 

Now lets talk DNG in Photoshop. When you open your DNG file and the ACR dialogue comes up, look to the bottom as illustrated here:

 

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

 

Click on it and you should get the following dialogue box and then click on the drop-down menu next to "Size" and select the native resolution (10.3 MP) as illustrated.

 

 

 

You should be good to go.

[250swb]

 

 

I have been given some full frame JPEG images shot on a Canon full frame DSLR and these are of order 5 to 10MB per image. These are useable but take a time for each shot to be manipulated in Photoshop. This suggests to me that if you shoot with a M9 at full frame the file sizes will be huge and you had better have pretty advanced PC with oodles of memory to handle them and then store them......does anyone have a spec. for such a PC and/or Mac and the software recommended as I am about to upgrade?

 

 

No, you can process 50mb files quite easily in Photoshop with a very modest machine. So check how you have Photoshop configured, especially to use as much RAM as possible, and make sure your PC is healthy, with a Registry cleanup and a defrag of the hard drive.

 

Steve

[Guest BigSplash]

To reiterate what Jeff is saying, just buy the fastest machine with as much hard drive space and RAM as you can afford.

 

Now lets talk DNG in Photoshop. When you open your DNG file and the ACR dialogue comes up, look to the bottom as illustrated here:

 

[ATTACH]167668[/ATTACH]

 

Click on it and you should get the following dialogue box and then click on the drop-down menu next to "Size" and select the native resolution (10.3 MP) as illustrated.

 

 

[ATTACH]167669[/ATTACH]

 

You should be good to go.

Thank you very much for the help....much appreciated and it has helped me enormously as I can with some fiddling get large size pictures . That said:

1. I cannot get the screen "ProPhoto RGB 2634 by 3916 (10.3MP) 240ppi , nor do I get the list of the size choices you mention. My version of Phase One is the software that came with the camera and is Version LE 3.7.7.
   
2. You mention that the dialogue should appear at ACR (what is ACR?) I do not as mentioned above get the dialogue box.
   
3. I have selected the workflow TAB and then selected color management settings ...I have selected Leica M8 Generic ( my lenses all have UV/IR filters fitted ...so I assume Leica IR 486 is not needed?) My approach is as follows:
   1. 1. 
         
      2. Capture the RAW (TIF) file
         
      3. adjust white balance if needed
         
      4. adjust sharpness if needed
         
      5. select Process Tab
         
      6. select image and press the + process / batch tab having previously selected JPEG Fine ......this seems to now give me a captured image in JPEG which I can later manipulate in Photoshop.
         

Is it the case that the images into Photoshop are likely to be better with the above flow than simply having the M8 send JPEG Fine from the camera? I have read that the camera JPEG processing firmware is not the best and is not as good as Phase One

 

I do recognise that there is an advantage that the RAW file is retained with this workflow.

 

Many thanks for the help.

[delander †]

Frank you are getting mixed up. ACR is Adobe Camera Raw - part of the recent versions of photoshop. If you try to open a dng directly in photoshop it will open in ACR where you will be able to process it into a tif or jpg.

 

ACR is the RAW processor of photoshop. William showed you the dialogues you get when using ACR (photoshop). You can also use ACR direct from Adobe Bridge (if you have that programme)

 

Capture One is completley different. It is the RAW convertor provided with the M8 (the M9 has Adobe lightroom instead, Leica had a minor falling out with Phase one over the S2 and changed to lightroom).

 

IF you are using the Capture One that came with the M8 camera then you shoud go straight away to the phaseone website, make a login and download the latest version which I think is ver. 4.8.3. You can use your product key that came with the Cap one CD with your M8.

 

Then you need to spend some time leaning Cap One ver 4.8 or decide to use the ACR route. ACR comes with both photoshop and photoshop elements.

 

Jeff

[Guest BigSplash]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

Frank you are getting mixed up. ACR is Adobe Camera Raw - part of the recent versions of photoshop. If you try to open a dng directly in photoshop it will open in ACR where you will be able to process it into a tif or jpg.

 

ACR is the RAW processor of photoshop. William showed you the dialogues you get when using ACR (photoshop). You can also use ACR direct from Adobe Bridge (if you have that programme)

 

Capture One is completley different. It is the RAW convertor provided with the M8 (the M9 has Adobe lightroom instead, Leica had a minor falling out with Phase one over the S2 and changed to lightroom).

 

IF you are using the Capture One that came with the M8 camera then you shoud go straight away to the phaseone website, make a login and download the latest version which I think is ver. 4.8.3. You can use your product key that came with the Cap one CD with your M8.

 

Then you need to spend some time leaning Cap One ver 4.8 or decide to use the ACR route. ACR comes with both photoshop and photoshop elements.

 

Jeff

 

Thanks ....much clearer now. I have an old version of Photoshop (7.0.1 and I also have CS3, but have not yet loaded this one) a. I guess that CS3 can handle DNG RAW?

 

Also is it better to do the JPEG conversion outside the camera ...by better I mean a noticeable difference. The files are huge I am finding so I guess that there is more detail kicking around. Is that true?

 

Thanks to all of you for your help.

[delander †]

Install PS CS3 that will give you Bridge CS3 and ACR for your conversions.

The M8 dngs are only 10Mb and the M9 18Mb (compressed). They are not that big.

 

Alternatively or as well upgrade to Cap One 4.8.3.

 

If you have an M9 you can use Lightroom.

 

Make sure your system complies with the technical requirements for these upgrades.

 

Jeff

[microview]

I guess that CS3 can handle DNG RAW?

 

CS3 will open DNG files and you can then save as Tiffs etc. Certainly an advance on the older Photoshop versions. All sorts of good things in that program like menu/filter/lens correction which allows correction for barrelling, converging vertical in architectural photography. However, the colours you get with Capture One are superior to those with CS3. And M9 is now added: although M9 DNGs opened as M8 generic have a little more 'wow' factor and you some prefer them. Lightroom I found uncongenial and I ditched it.

[Guest BigSplash]

Very interesting and useful feedback ....much appreciated to all of you. It seems that there is a lot for me to learn beyond using the M8 !!!

Thanks