newbie question

[mbondy]

I recently have started using an Olympus XZ-1 and am trying to process a picture of a flower I took in Canada. I originally used the Olympus Viewer to download and convert the raw image. The picture looked extremely good. I then tried to convert the raw file using Picture Window Pro. The results were extremely disappointing. The image was mostly washed out with very dull colors. The 2 pictures can be seen on Picasa. Hopefully I've correctly inserted the Picasa web site where the pictures can be seen.
https://picasaweb.google.com/mbbondy/CanmoreAugust2011#
If not , the URL can be cut and pasted into your browser of choice.

At any rate, does anyone have any idea what I'm doing wrong in Picture Window Pro? Thx in advance.

Martin B.

[den]

(1) What 'File/Raw File Settings' did you use?

(2) Is it possible to upload your RAW file for a download?

...(1) and (2) would be helpful to possibly suggest differing/improved PWP RAW Dialog settings...

(3) The Picasa posted PWP conversion image would be greatly improved with a subsequent RGB Brightness Curve transform with a Smooth curve = [0,0], [15,10], [50,75], [100,100]; Amount = 100.

capture_14082011_083129-1-1.jpg (39.31 KiB) Viewed 6577 times

or possibly a Color Curves transform with Amount = 100; HSV-V Smooth curve = [0,0], [15,10], [50,75], [100,100]; and HSV-S Smooth curve = [0,0], [8,10], [50,75], [100,100].

capture_14082011_085242-1.jpg (41.84 KiB) Viewed 6564 times

[mbondy]

Thx for the response. At the risk of showing my ignorance, I figured out that I was mistakenly using Nikon D60 settings (my other camera) instead of the Olympus. OK, I changed that and still the picture looks very bland, washed out. Now, Gamma=2.20, Contrast-Medium Expansion, Camera Profile=none, Whitepoint=Camera WB, Output Color Space=sRGB, preferred Interpolation=AHD I did try changing the Color transformation curves and that helped. However, it seems strange that the Olympus software did such a great job automatically and PWP requires a lot of "help". I wonder if the XZ-1 isn't in it's library yet.
Once again, thx for any help.

I'd be happy to upload the raw image, but I'm not sure where I can up load it to. Picasa will not take raw images. Does this site allow raw image uploading?

[den]

(1) Except for camera make, your Raw File Settings are the same as mine....

However, it seems strange that the Olympus software did such a great job automatically and PWP requires a lot of "help".

(2) The "help" is really PWP's greatest strength as one does not become subject to a software's auto-adjusting algorithms, howbeit, reaching preferences is more manual and perhaps greater understanding of image data manipulation is needed...

Personally, I exit the RAW Dialog with images appearing much like the one you obtained and precede to use the a RGB BrightnessCurve or ColorCurves transform to set white/black points, midtone brightness/contrast, and color with initial curves the same as those suggested... ...then move their control points slightly to obtain a preference tone/color image version.

The curves are my personal preference for making adjustments rather than the sliders of the RAW Dialog or Levels&Color transform.

Should you determine your preferred combination of RAW Dialog settings and BrightnessCurve or ColorCurves curves... this sequence [RAW Dialog + BrightnessCurve/ColorCurves] can be automated with a workflow so that all you would have to do is select a number of RAW image files to which the workflow is applied... they would be 'bulk' processed with your own auto-adjustments, i.e., "help"!!!!

(3) Try this with your RAW file and the PWP5 RAW Dialog... [and the Raw File Settings you previously indicated]...
a) open the browser so that your image RAW file icon is selectable
b) right click on the image RAW file icon; select 'Delete side car file' -- this will delete any previously auto-saved RAW Dialog wfl file associated with the image
c) right click on the image RAW File icon; select 'Open Image in Raw Dialog'
d) there is a downward pointing arrow next to the Apply button of the RAW Dialog, click it and select: 'Reset to Raw Settings' -- the RAW Dialog will remember the last use settings from a previous use and this step will ensure that the RAW Dialog is set to the 'Raw File Settings'.
e) click the 'Gray' tab
f) click the "+" button on the histogram display to obtain its maximum resolution
g) change 'Dyn. Range:' to 'No Change'
h) move the Gamma slider left to 1.00
i) move the Exposure slider until there is a slight gap between the right most histogram vertical bar and right side vertical [100% tone] grid line.
h) reset the Gamma slider to 2.20
i) change 'Dyn. Range:' to 'Full Range' or 'Medium' -- usually 'Full Range' if no subsequent BrightnessCurve or ColorCurves is needed or planned.
j) move the Midtone slider to a preference -- perhaps between +35 and +50%
k) click on the Color tab; move the Saturation slider to a preference -- perhaps between +10 and +25%
l) click on the 'S & N' tab, set Sharpen Amount = 15% and Sharpen Radius = 40 -- OPTIONAL LCE [you might try 'local contrast enhancement' but my preference to save LCE and Sharpening for later in the post-processing workflow after Raw conversion.
m) click either Apply or OK to create the RAW Dialog converion image.] -- by clicking OK an image associated "*.*.wfl" will be created and the RAW Dialog, though closed will remember the settings when the next 'Open Image in Raw Dialog' is selected for a RAW file with no associated "*.*.wfl" file.

I would be interested to know if the above RAW Dialog setting suggestions above work well for your image.

Steps f) thru i) is RAW - ETTR (expose to the right) that is discussed more thoroughly in the recent 'Best Capture Technique and Processing Tools' message board thread: http://www.dl-c.com/board/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=455

RAW file types are sendable/downloadable via http://www.yousendit.com... if the above gets you where you want to be, then there is no need... you could continue like before posting an image on Picasa if there are further post-conversion questions...

[mbondy]

OK, thx. It will take me a little while to go through your instructions (works just seems to get in the way of life :-)). I will post results later.

[Staylor2]

There is a web service called yousendit.com that is used to send large files. You go to that site, upload the file, and then they send a link to the file to you and to your desired recipient. Just have it sent to yourself and then post the link here. Then any of us who would like to try our own conversion could download your file and have a go at it.

[den]

To supplement Staylor2's post re http://www.yousendit.com .....

A few months ago [middle of April 2011], I upgraded to the IE9 browser and apparantly there were issues with yousendit up/downloads at that time. I ended up downloading/installing Firefox4 (current version Firefox5) to get yousendit up/downloads to complete correctly.

Yousendit support was notified [YouSendIt #265557: "Download" ref:00D56glo.5005CK4ni:ref] but do not know if the IE9 issuses have been resolved... ...just haven't the occasion to use yousendit since....

[MikeG]

Martin,

I, too, find the PWP 5 RAW transform a bit of challenge. I've used it quite a bit but presently I decode my RAW files with software that came with the camera and save them as 16bit per channel TIFF files, and then do all subsequent processing in PWP.
This has the incidental benefit, in my case, in automatically applying some lens distortion corrections in the RAW to TIFF step.

Mike.

[mbondy]

Give my time constraints, what seemed to work best was to do the Raw conversion using Olympus Viewer and save as TIFF file, and then use PWP to modify the picture. BTW, thanks for telling me about yousendit. That could prove very useful in the future.

[den]

Having an innate curiosity and having essentially resolved PWP5 RAW Dialog settings for my own CR2 files... Is there anyone else that would upload to yousendit.com and post a link, a camera RAW file that has challenged them using the RAW Dialog?