RAW processing
Rather than pour $ down Adobes gaping maw, you could check out Raw Therapee.
A free converter that is extremely well featured.
http://rawtherapee.com/blog/screenshots
have fun
Pete
Thanks for the reference Pete since I have not heard of Raw Therapee which I will keep in mind, although that would also mean another learning curve. Intentions are to continue perservering with the supplied PDCU raw software.
Hi, are you a Windows or Mac user? On Mac Aperture is a very good alternative, and very reasonably priced.
For my sins I am a Windows 7 PC man. I will have to 'google' to see how much Aperture costs. It appears to be a popular photo processing utility.
If it is any help I used Silkypix until recently and PDCU is a poor Pentax implementation of that. Most features are the same - Pentax introduced some software bugs and a clunky interface I don't know if it is worth it, but the manual to Silkypix might be a place to start.
Joel thank you very much for the URL link to the Silkypix PRO manual. This should help me in my endeavours to try to get a good workflow going on the PDCU side of Raw processing.
I don't find the Silkypix software buggy at all - it does what it needs to do and uses minimal resources on the PC.
Regards
David
http://dxo.com/us/photo/dxo_optics_pro/introduction
Version 7 has just been introduced, and needs a bit of work, but it is on sale until Dec 24, and I believe it has lots of potential.
Unlike other programs, it is designed to work automatically in getting the best image possible from your raw images. I've been using the previous version 6 for quite a while now, and was very pleased with the results.
The program uses calibrated camera and lens modules to exactly correct your images for your equipment. You can check to see if modules exist for your camera and lenses. If a module does not exist for your equipment, you can still use the tools in the program, but you will have to do your own adjusments.
Dick
You might like to have a look at this:
dxo.com
Version 7 has just been introduced, and needs a bit of work, but it is on sale until Dec 24, and I believe it has lots of potential.
Dick
Nasty piece of software with a very bad reputation..... You might as well install a virus..... see link
Google will bring up load of other sites about it
Pentax K-1 + K-5 and some other stuff
Algi
Nasty piece of software with a very bad reputation..... You might as well install a virus..... see link
The info about the DRM at the start of this linked thread is two years old. Is this still relevant?
Nasty piece of software with a very bad reputation..... You might as well install a virus..... see link
The info about the DRM at the start of this linked thread is two years old. Is this still relevant?
Now on Version 7.1. I like it. A lot. Easy to use once the odd interface is mastered and has unrivalled image distortion correction provided your lens & camera are supported.
You might like to have a look at this:
http://dxo.com/us/photo/dxo_optics_pro/introduction
Version 7 has just been introduced, and needs a bit of work, but it is on sale until Dec 24, and I believe it has lots of potential.
Dick
It now supports DNG, but it's incredibly slow and has a clunky GUI
John
So I am pleased to tell you that I have launched a 'Mini Guide' onto the forum, which I hope will be of general interest and especially of practical use to those who are looking for another option for processing their RAW shots. Heres a link to the Guide, which is up in the General Photography section.
https://www.pentaxuser.com/forum/topic/a-mini-guide-to-pentax-digital-camera-ut....
Pentax K7 with BG-4 Grip / Samyang 14mm f2.8 ED AS IF UMC / DA18-55mm f3.5-5.6 AL WR / SMC A28mm f2.8 / D FA 28-105mm / SMC F35-70 f3.5-4.5 / SMC A50mm f1.7 / Tamron AF70-300mm f4-5.6 Di LD macro / SMC M75-150mm f4.0 / Tamron Adaptall (CT-135) 135mm f2.8 / Asahi Takumar-A 2X tele-converter / Pentax AF-540FGZ (I & II) Flashes / Cactus RF60/X Flashes & V6/V6II Transceiver
Silkypix Pro 5 is what I use most of the time. I like the interface and the results. The only quibble I have is in the way it handles clipped RAW highlights - the haloes round, for example, tree branches against clipped blue sky are annoying. It doesn't have any lens corrections built it.
Adobe ACR (as in Lightroom, PS, Elemements etc.) is nice in that the 'Auto' setting works most of the time. And it is very good at rendering those pesky clipped skies. The interface is a bit dated though. It has a nice set of lens corrections which usually work well.
RawTherapee is a geek masterpiece in never-ending development. It has the best demosaicing available, but there are far too many options and tweaks. Probably a bit daunting for a beginner.
Pentax PDCU is not bad but the interface is terrible and the only connection to SilkyPix seems to be in that it uses an old SilkyPix demosaicing and rendering engine. It understands your Pentax camera settings and will process your RAW to look like your camera JPEG. You might as well shoot RAW+
I normally use RAW + JPEGs, and rarely do my purposes call for the refinement of reverting to the raw data.
When that situation does arise, I have an immediate choice to make among PDU, PS elements, and PhotoShop Pro, and have never developed particular familiarity with or preference for any one of them in particular.
I'd prefer to settle on and get really familiar with one program, so the next time I want to work from the raw data, it'll be good to have the benefit of your experience of the PDU methodology
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2943 posts
13 years
Sheffield
I find Elements 9 well worth the £50-£70, Elements 6 and was really good value too If I was you I would snap up the offer above.
Thanks for the advert Bill
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