Hi Wendy, This summer, I considered pros and cons of a couple of converters. My aim was to find a raw converter that gave the best possible starting point for further editing. After trying a "default"-regime with the Pentax PhotoLab, thumbsPlus and BreezeBrowser, I came to think of a no-tweaking approach as a dead end. Instead, I started looking for the most complete raw-converter, that would allow me to do the necessary tweaking in a minimum amount of time, and minimising the need for further tweaking in Photoshop afterwards.
The Photoshop CS-converter itself is pretty good for it's ability to correct chromatic aberrations, adjusting tint in shadows separately, and compensating for colour noise. Those are features I haven't found anywhere else. Another good raw converter is the PhaseOne C1raw (http://www.c1dslr.com/). The big advantage with this converter is that it lets you work with curves and levels directly. This feature became the decisive factor for me, though I sometimes try the CS converter as well, to compare and learn how to get the best from both. The C1raw has batch processing. You can either tweak each image individually, or you can tweak one and tell C1 to use the same adjustments for a larger number of pictures. When you're done tweaking, you put all the images in a batch queue, start the job and do something else for a while. The program is not particularly slow, though. It converts at about the same speed as do Photoshop CS. The cheapest version (C1 LE, USD99) lets you batch process 20 images. The middle version (C1 SE, USD249) lets you batch process 100 images, and also has camera-specific conversion profiles. The PRO version, at USD599, is so expensive that I actually lost interest in the extra features... hth, Jostein ----- Original Message ----- From: "wendy beard" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "pentax-discuss" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Friday, September 03, 2004 5:04 AM Subject: raw files > Hi All, > > What software is everyone using to convert your PEF files? If PS, do you > have a batch action set up? > With the 10D I would normally use BreezeBrowzer, but the results I am > getting from the istD files are totally rubbish. Looks like I used a blue > stocking filter on everything > Original BB conversion > http://www.pbase.com/image/33339322 > After levels & curves > http://www.pbase.com/image/33339326 > PS CS conversion > http://www.pbase.com/image/33339331 > > To make matters worse, the BB conversion really brings out the terrible > fringing caused by the lens. > (Time to ditch it and look for something better!) > Any hints on a reasonable work flow? > > > Wendy Beard, > Ottawa, Canada > http://www.beard-redfern.com > > >
