+ Camera Raw Feature Requests +

DNG - request for better embedded previews:

Most of my images are Canon RAWs (CR2s) which I convert to DNG to avoid the need for XMP sidecars. I have the DNG converter embed full size JPEG previews (produces 3504x2336 previews from my 1DMkII's CR2s). The full size previews are good quality but too big for fast browsing in most software. I tried embedding medium size JPEG previews in my DNGs (1024x683 from my CR2s) - they allow fast browsing but are too small and of such low quality that I cannot use them to evaluate my images.

My CR2s contain an excellent quality embedded JPEG preview (1536x1024) right out of the camera. That size preview big enough and clear enough to allow me to rate, label and select images and browsing is very fast. I wish I could embed that excellent Canon preview in my DNGs.

In the alternative I wish Adobe would make the JPEG preview options in the DNG converter more flexible. It would be nice if we had a list of size and quality options so we could embed previews of the size and quality that we need. A high quality 1536x1024 option would be most welcome.

Regards

Bill Wood

With the latest version of Camera Raw, I have been impressed my the raw conversion quality. I shoot most portraits in raw, and other images that I plan to tweak in Photoshop I usually shoot raw.

Josh Vine,
http://www.josh-photography.com

Hi,

This proposal refers to the Recovery slider in ACR.
I would like to have more control(s) with this feature
i.e. Amount, Tonal Width and maybe Color Correction (saturation)
such as given with the Shadow/Highlights tool in Photoshop.

Background is as follows: ACR is capable to show 'full' highlight details when setting almost all sliders of main adjustment tab to zero (except white balance of course) and by choosing an appropriate value for the Exposure slider. Thats sometimes called a 'linear rendition'. Its not meant to deliver an overall pleasing image, but it can be informative regarding single aspects.
Now, when we raise the main tone curve (resulting from Brightness + Contrast functions) e.g. to standard Brightness 50 + Contrast 25, data are compressed beneath the upper shoulder of this S-curve. Hence, highlight details, contrast as well as saturation are easily getting lost.

The Recovery slider seems to try to undo such damage which already happened earlier in the processing chain. I would assume that its based on a gradual selection of pixel (or mask) combined with some sort of darkening curve. However, I dont know about its mechanics, and its not really relevant here.
In practice, I often find that theres a quite high amount of Recovery needed to regain 'full' highlight details (as initially seen with said 'linear output') which then has a too strong influence down to the midtones. Recovery tends to darken the light midtones as well which is not necessarily desired. So its easy to run into a back and forth with all other sliders effecting tonality (including the curve tab)

With the S/H tool in Photoshop, the Tonal Width (of selected pixel, as I assume again) can be pulled down to very low values and even to zero which isnt actually zero as the results prove. Together with an appropriate Amount of lets say between 20 to 80%,
highlight recovery in fact stays limited to the highlights. For example the details of white clouds, etc.
My feeling is that such choice of high Amount and low Tonal Width is often preferred to mirror and counteract the roll off and related side effects from a sigmoidal tone curve (needed to compensate for dynamic range compression).

The latter consideration is of course subject to the image content, so Id like to keep it flexible with more control(s) as suggested above. <<

Peter

--

One of the missing feature of ACR is a navigator window.

Nigel,

Just use DNG and you won't have to sweat the xmp files ever again.

Nigel ... CR is designed to process camera raw files (hence the name "Camera Raw"). Scanner files, useful as they may be, fall outside the scope of CR.

Thinking on.....

I would also like to be able to open Nikon scanner files (NEF) in ACR. I can open them in Windoze preview, but not in Photoshop.

I use ACR 4.1.1 extensively for sorting and rating images.

Why are the corresponding *.xmp files not always deleted when I delete the camera raw file?

I now have thousands of these files cluttering up the server.

It would be handy if Adobe could provide a simple utility to find and (optionally) delete orphaned XMP files.

Create the possibility to customize CR workspace for monitor portrait mode(pivot), so the tools can be put in a horizontal colum instead of a space wasting vertical colum now, thats only used for 1/4!
Anyway, it is amazing that such an important modern app. is still working with such an client unfriendly poor amateuristic interface.