On 7 Apr 2006 at 16:21, Shel Belinkoff wrote:
I can't believe the comments Aaron is getting in this thread. The
original
question (which was not posed by Aaron and which has yet to be
acknowledged
or answered as far as I can see), was:
"What are some typical things you'd want to
do if you had a RAW file and you wanted to
make sure everything was okay before you
saved it in the other format? We know the
things the program can do, but we don't know
what a photographer would actually want to do."
Shel,
Never saw the original as an individual message, I had to find it in
the digest. I responded to that question yesterday in detail at about
12:15pm. To recap in brief:
---
Before you even get to the question, you should be made aware that
a RAW format file out of the camera (.PEF and other RAW formats) is
a read-only file to any software I'm familiar with, including
Silkypix. So the first thing that users of RAW format files should
be made aware of is that they can process a RAW format file as many
times and in as many ways as they like or need, never losing their
original capture data.
A RAW format file in DNG format is a writable file, but what is
written and changed in it is not the capture data or original
camera metadata. DNG files edited with Adobe Photoshop + Camera Raw
and Adobe Bridge add RAW conversion parameters and ancillary
metadata (IPTC core data, keyword data, edit history, etc etc),
update the preview JPEG and thumbnail enclosures to reflect the
current RAW conversion parameters, etc. The original capture data
is not affected and can always be returned to at any time.
After that, a typical RAW workflow goes like this:
- copy files from storage card to computer hard drive
- verify files by opening them with a RAW file browser/sorting
application ... it's not a complete verification, but sufficient
for most needs
- if using DNG format, batch convert them, outputting the files
into a suitable working location for sorting and selection.
- back up to secondary storage the originals, the DNGs, or both
depending upon your particular needs
Everything up to this point can be automated with applications and
scripts. I'd consider that to be the direct answer to "What are
some typical things you'd want to do if you had a RAW file and you
wanted to make sure everything was okay before you saved it in the
other format?" They should be aware of the rest of the process,
however.
---
The PDML message flow has been very much "fits and starts" lately on
individual messages, but the digests seem to show responses in timely
order.
Godfrey
