On 4/2/03 9:23 am, Mike Russell wrote:
> I found it very unresponsive - moving curves very clunky. Comparing
> with EX Convertor work there was a lot more fringing on areas of high
> contrast. And it wouldn't quit.
Hi, Mike,
The interface is not very intuitive, IMO. If I can't work something out
without having to spend hours over a manual, I call it unintuitive. Having
designed some user interfaces on a small scale, I can honestly say it lacks
one badly. In place of a friendly UI, there's a collection of different
sized panels which are hard to organise. And their options aren't logically
laid out. Some of the buttons also have the wrong icons (Eric has been made
aware and I suspect he's still red faced from users/evaluators having to
tell him!).
If the interface was intuitive, you would've found out that to quit, you
either have to transfer the file to Photoshop or click Abort Transfer (Quit
would've been more user friendly). Go to the MacBibble menu at the top and
do the transfer once you've optimised your RAW file. The plug-in will quit
at that stage.
I also spent some time trying to transfer the file from the stand alone app
to Photoshop without any luck (other people also think you can do it from
the buttons provided in the stand alone). Seems the transfer is for only
processed files from the plug-in but since you think you're already in
Photoshop, the user is put off from trying it.
The first time I installed the plug-in, it would not open from Photoshop. I
installed it again and it still wouldn't open! Seems it requires a restart
of the OS before Photoshop can find it. Again, usually, just restarting
Photoshop does the trick if you install a plug-in. There's also frequent
quits so don't have any unsaved files open in Photoshop while trying it.
If you change one parameter, it seems to change all before giving you
control. Maybe there's a way to stop it but I haven't found it. It consumes
a lot of time with every tiny change you make. And you need to make changes
to see which version you prefer. IMO, it should store all the changes and
update only a preview and once you're satisfied with all the changes, then
apply them to the file. I hope the Adobe RAW plug-in does just that and not
requires you to change your system to a Deep Blue!
On the whole, I think Eric has done a good job but MacBibble seems a little
rushed at the last minute. Personally, I would've released it as a public
beta first and ironed out a few more bugs before releasing it as a working
application.
I'm going to wait for the the Adobe RAW plug-in as it's supposed to be out
"soon." As things stand, if you use OS X and shoot RAF on an S2, there's
only MacBibble and the forthcoming Adobe plug-in to choose from - unless
Fuji pull their finger out and provide a decent RAW convertor.
My tupence worth.
--/ Shangara Singh :: Photographer
Adobe Certified Expert ~ Photoshop 7.0
PortfoliosOnCD for Photographers
Exam Aids for Photoshop ~ Illustrator ~ Dreamweaver
http://www.shangarasingh.com
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