Alan, you got the shot, that is all that matters! The B & W was obviously a good choice as it looks like it was fairly dim and dull at the time. I love the deep silky blacks on the foreground rocks - its all beautifully sharp so you must have clicked the button before everything came tumbling down.

Out of interest, how do you cary out your Black & White 'conversions'?

The Mini Guide is a 'sticky' on the General Digital Photography thread, so for now appears at the top of that forum list, or you can use the link in my previous post, or the way Peter just mentioned.



Tony, I'm just wondering what you meant specifically by the 'Digital Filters'? I can only speak with any knowledge on the recent DSLRs, and I know that other Pentax models may have some in-built software filters. In my guide I have covered the Custom Image Parameters, and the only aspects of these that are referred to as 'filters' are those in the Black & White subsection.

These are only active after either choosing the 'Monochrome' preset on the camera (right hand button on the 4-way controller), or in PDCU on the Custom Image tab by choosing the 'Monochrome' option from the dropdown list. Then you have the colour filters + infrared to choose. Is this what you asking about, or was it possibly an earlier feature that has now disappeared? The Mini Gude has sections covering the Custom Image Tab and Black & White conversions.

I ressurected this thread, and it has burst back to life most convincingly. Its all my fault then. When the Mini Guide was posted onto the General Photography forum I made a quick search through the forum and found 4 threads where the OP had specifically asked for information or tutorials about PDCU4. Obviously my Mini Guide post was relevant to this, so I posted a quick note with a link for the benefit of anyone who had been following these particular threads and was still looking for any advice.

I probably wouldn't use a choice of RAW or JPEG as the only determinant of anyones seriousness of intent, but I can understand Manesty's point.

I know that many people regard very highly the quality of JPEGs our cameras produce, both in terms of colour and fineness of texture. This obviously results primarily from the sensor, but the in-camera processing plays a big part as well, and this processing is applied relentless and consistently to evary shot - the only variations being when you adjust the various parameters. So firstly, JPEG output will result in great consistency, which may well be a serious need. Couple this to a tight timetable, and a final product that will only be printed to standard sizes or for web-use, and then yes, JPEGs could be the option of choice for any serious shooter.

But I suspect a lot of other serious people choose RAW, not only for the very real potential for finer control (after careful post processing) and the option of making larger prints at full quality, but also because when out taking pictures there's just too much to consider in terms of the basics (exposure, metering, DOF, flash balance, WB, focus, composition etc) to be worrying about controlling the processing parameters as well.

Thats the main reason I shoot RAW, (apart from being very serious )as I can just shoot with a standard set of parameters and concentrate on those basics to capture the shot. Then the fun starts on the computer!

Hey, I'm never one to pass up the chance to evangalise , so how 'bout this? If you really like the JPEG output of your camera, and this is the type of file you need, but you sometimes find shots that don't work out as you wanted, then why not switch to RAW and use Pentax Digital Camera Utility. The big advantage? You'll have all the image data you need in the RAW file, plus in PDCU you will be able to produce an optimised 'Just like in Camera' JPEG with additional and finer controls than you have on the camera, with an output to the high standards you've come to expect from Pentax. Win Win.

You're not wrong! You've given me an idea though. If I gave a hint that I was planning an all new 'Giant Guide to Lightroom' I bet you'd be itching to see it first!

I love it how these things always head off in the same direction !- we might as well just say it at at the start - 'USE LIGHTROOM'!

The OP asked about info on PDCU - well, you've got some now - check out my mini guide (its a sticky in the General Photography section), and I'm sure you will find an easier way around its interface and I hope it helps you achieve more of what you need with your shots.

Thanks Peter for these points and the extra information. Everybody seems to develop their own personal approach to photo editing, and we all bring our own earlier experiences to bear when considering something new. I am no exception, and despite now strongly favoring PDCU for RAW processing, I am actually quite new to Pentax (only started early this year) and I have retained my long developed preferences for carrying out different types of editing in certain other programmes. This includes cropping & rotating, noise reduction, and various types of selective clarity & definition enhancements. So I haven't been doing these things in PDCU. So this leads to me choose a multi - programme workflow, with PDCU as the front end producing the best initial output I believe I can get from the camera.

Lets work on a new section covering cropping / rotate and also two-monitor operations!

PDCU has the versatility to produce a 'finished product', ie a JPEG very similar to that which the camera itself would have output had we spent time setting up all the various parameters on the camera. If you are able to achieve with your shot what you are looking for within PDCU then its a great option to save out to a maximum quality JPEG.

Many photographers will be interested in having a high quality non-compressed file in order to carry out their preferred workflow or other layered or complex selective edits in other programs - to do the things that PDCU can't if their shots need this, so for this we have the option to save out to a 16bit TIFF.

David, thanks for your comments. You are lucky indeed with your 5 year old laptop! I'll certainly check my system to see if there's too much else going on, although I don't have any issues when Photoshop Elements is open, plus Sagelight plus imatch image manager all at once

Plenty of people have said similar things about the usability of PDCU, but at the same time there has been a lot of positive acknowledgement concerning the nice quality that it gives. So there is a desire to use it, just frustration about how you go about it. That is exactly what the guide is for! I have already heard from some people that the approach I have detailed has made things easier in many respects, and they have been able to achieve their desired results with greater ease.

I am positive that when you do turn to RAW only you will see the quality benefits. I am sure you will be happy with the quality of image you can output from PDCU.

I see what you're saying, but as I have pointed out in my guide, PDCU has the advantage of being able to sit back on the computer and give very fine control while seeing it all on a big monitor. Plus we have additional fine tuning (like the Colour Fine Tune wheel) and additional options for highlight correction, noise reduction, and a few other little niceties.

And you can avoid having to fiddle around while shooting with the camera controls and menus trying to see it on the LCD.

Just a note to all who are interested in the Pentax Digital Camera Utility software. I promised some time ago to provide some info on this as there have been many questions about its workings and interface.

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....