Missing Pixels

If you're working in DNG then here's a utility to recover pixels from the edges of raw images. These extra pixels are usually omitted as part of the processing steps performed on the image data by the camera. Sometimes they are the difference between getting something clipped in shot or getting it all.

With DNGs created from the .CR2s from my Canon 350D, the utility gives me 18 extra pixels across the width and 10 extra across the height (assuming landscape orientation).

I wonder how "no crop" Nik will deal with this dilemma? Chuckle.

tags: DNG raw

Windows RAW Thumbnailer

Microsoft released an update to their thumbnail and explorer extension for handling RAW image formats on December 16th.

Along with the download, there's also an update to the white paper on viewing and organizing RAW images. The tool is still version 1.0 (but helpfully labeled as build 50).

There's updated camera support if that matters to you, and the ability to save as TIFF or JPEG but there's still no support for DNG...

What's unexpected is that both the thumbnail view and the main viewer show greyscale images rather than color. I should explain my workflow a bit first. I shoot RAW+JPEG on an EOS 350D with the camera set to generate Black & White. On the camera preview, and downloaded JPEGs, I get Black & White, but from the RAW data (the .CR2 files downloaded from the camera), I get the RAW color data when opened in PhotoShop. I typically convert the .CR2 to DNGs for archive and processing, but the effect is the same.

Here's an example of what explorer displays using the updated Microsoft thumbnail tool (click image to enlarge):

In this view, the .JPG file is as downloaded from the camera while the DNG has been generated using the Adobe DNG Converter (the preview is provided from the DNG using an explorer hack). The .CR2 is as downloaded from the camera, with the preview provided by the Microsoft Image Thumbnail and Viewer for Windows.


Now, Canon's software for processing .CR2 RAW data, by default, applies the same processing parameters as the camera applies to the JPEG images. That is, if I set the camera processing params to the B/W setting, then the Canon .CR2 RAW preview is Black & White and resembles the JPEG previews. The Microsoft tool does the same (probably because it uses the Canon codec).

Now there's definitely a benefit to being able to use the same processing algorithm and parameters as used in-camera, but that's not what I want. I have my own, more flexible, RAW color-to-Black&White conversion that I apply in PhotoShop (maybe more on that another time) and the problem, for me, with the Microsoft tool using the same parameters as the camera is that I want color previews and a color save-to-TIFF facility even when I've said to the camera give me Black & White.

However, for the majority of people that the tool is aimed at, its behavior is probably exactly what they want. "I set the camera to Black & White so the RAW images should be Black & White too". Which is good news. Now, if only it were faster...

tags: RAW
DNG
photo
photography
Canon

Printing Snaps of Boxes

Following my frustration at SnapFish (funniest quote: "we're not some company that started in a garage you know") we've been using Photobox.

Good quality, good service, nice software (they have a Java-based mass-upload tool). But, even better, they're supported by Picasa in the UK, which means I don't have to do all the work, least not for printing in this house ;-)

Note for family: don't be surprised if some PhotoBox goodies come winging your way in the not too distant future (remember to turn on those reindeer landing lights).