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LightZone ~ anyone using it ?


Riley

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Ali

I meant free as in cash$, thats my kind of free :)

+ there are few effective image editors for linux OS

 

 

I use Gimp. It works for me because I don't usually print my photos. I've also heard that krita is good too, and has many features that gimp lacks. but did not test it yet.

 

Cenepaint looks good too, but unfortunatly the new version is only released for windows. :(

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I usually work with a combo Gimp / Gthumb / ufraw under Linux. The big limitation is the 8 bits encoding though. I've installed LightZone and it seems very interesting, but it also works with the dcraw module and I suppose it's in 8 bits too...

 

I'll try it when I'll have time to modify my workflow with the D2...

 

Gérald

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Advertisement (gone after registration)

 

I plan to start soon a new series about the need for selective editing. Unfortunatly many people are not are how selective editing can dramtically improve pictures (like dodge/burn in the classic darkroom).

 

Uwe

 

id like to see that Uwe

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I usually work with a combo Gimp / Gthumb / ufraw under Linux. The big limitation is the 8 bits encoding though. I've installed LightZone and it seems very interesting, but it also works with the dcraw module and I suppose it's in 8 bits too...

 

I'll try it when I'll have time to modify my workflow with the D2...

 

Gérald

 

I'm now compiling krita on my gentoo box. It seems that it support CMYK and 32 bit color space. But I'm not sure it has all the tools that gimp has.

 

I will tell other about my exprience with it in the next few day here. :)

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Krita Krita - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

Gimp GIMP - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

can someone explain to me what is the limitation of 8 bit then ?

I suspect, in the case of GIMP, it is an issue of plugins and filters which limits it to 8-bit. I just loaded a 16bpp file into Krita, a program designed and developed after GIMP which uses color profiles. ImageMagick and NetPBM programs and utilities handle 16bpp files just fine, as does dcraw.

 

Oh, and as for LightZone using dcraw... I had read--either at their forums, or mail-list--that dcraw is used in the RAW file processing, but the de-mosaicing algos are not... true Uwe?

 

rgds,

Dave

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can someone explain to me what is the limitation of 8 bit then ?

 

 

I'm not sure this the correct way to explain the topic, please correct me if I'm wrong. If a program is written for the 8 bit color space, it can have 256 values for every parameter. For example in RGB, every pixel have RED, GREEN. BLUE and ALPHA. Each of these parameter can get 256 different values from white to the max color value for example complete RED. In 16 bit these parameters can have 65536 options, so the number colors increase dramatically in 16 bit color space.

 

Best

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no Ali, thats not right, not the same

for instance, the M8 is less than 16bit, but has 48bit colour

24 bit colour exceeds human acuity

 

Perhaps this doesn't need stating, but I am not aware of anyone who has problems with the quality of a perfectly exposed 8-bit file, which does indeed have more range than we can perceive. The problems come when editing such a file. It is easy to stretch the 8-bit data too far, and end up with posterisation. 16-bits, or in the case of the M8, 8 bits better distributed, handle this more competently.

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I downloaded the trial yesterday and it seems very promising - currently it is far more capable than I am. Do I understand correctly that the only difference in the basic version is that the file browser is missing, so I assume you can just open one image at a time using the open command? I could live with that and the price would suit an amateur like me rather better.

I have been playing with a quick shot I grabbed of an old lady (her description) in a café in Toronto last week. I had used C1 and a JFI red filter profile and made the following out of it:

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!

 

So now I have spent half an hour in LightZone and so far have achieved this - I liked being able to sharpen just her face so easily:

 

I don't want to detract from Uwe's competition but if anyone wants to go one (or two) better the DNG is on yousendit for the next seven days at:

YouSendIt - File Sharing Transfer Delivery - PC FTP Replacement

 

Chris

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Guest stevenrk
Thanks Uwe

LightZone is probably about the best thing out there for B&W work, takes a bit of getting used to. It all depends on the image but I find it best mid stream when one wants to get the image to pick up that extra or reduced tonal. Pretty much as when you print the image for the third time in the old darkroom just to nail the tones.

It is one of those applications that will grow and get better and better as digital files improve.

 

 

 

 

Tried it on some M8 files for B&W, works like a dream.. brings out the best in the D2

 

Imants, had been wondering what developers you use to create some of your stunning images. I've also found LZ an interesting tool to add in -- and found out about it through Uwe's site and the info on LZ's site.

 

Let's you come to the image from a different perspective (although not sure if it's closer or further than the ways of old, just different from how you approach and see an image through C1/ACR or now LR). The zone mapping tool really lets you add some pop to the middle in a very intiutive way. Will say though that LR's controls also make working BW much more visually connected/immediate than I've been use to.

 

Best, Steven

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Chris,

 

have downloaded your file from yousendit. It is a very good file/image to practice and learn Capture One. What immediately strikes me is the lack of noise, considering it was taken at 640ISO. I really don't know what people are wingeing about re M8 noise. I was taking some indoors JPEG's the first week-end I had the M8 before I had a working flash and even at 1250ISO, noise is not too bad at all. A quick dust over with Noise Ninja and what little there is, is gone, with very little detail loss.

 

Wilson

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>Will say though that LR's controls also make working BW much more visually connected/immediate than I've been use to.

 

There is somthing extra to it: Non modal dialogs.

 

Here is what I mean:

 

If you work on B&W you have at least two issues:

 

- Color to B&W

- B&W tonality (quite different than color tonality)

 

The main tool for color to B&W conversion is the channel mixer and for tonality you have the ZoneMapper (but also sharpening and ToneMapper). Working on an image requires iterations with all tools involved. Any modal dialog will prevent a good workflow.

 

Uwe

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