>When you say that iVIew is using the embedded preview, are you referring to the "pretty good print" JPEG that is in the DNG?  If so, >and if it is an sRGB, then why is there not a profile embedded in the JPEG?  Is this an Adobe problem?

Not an Adobe problem, just a limitation of the format.  There are two image files in a DNG: the Preview and the RAW image itself.  I believe it would cause all kinds of confusion for the two files to have different tags embedded.  So instead, the preview IS an sRGB file, just not tagged as such. It's up to the extracting application to assignn the sRGB profile upon extraction.

>BTW, when I open the iView-generated files in CS2, I choose to leave the file as is (no color management), so I can try different profile >assignments in Edit: Assign Profile...

I think this is the mismatch.  Try assigning a colormatch profile when you open the file, then convert to sRGB after you have opened it.  Do you get a match?

The advantage will be clear once Yan gets the profile issue fixed with DNG/iView.  The embedded JPEG can be accessed by third-party software like iView, and it does NOT have to go through Photoshop.  This does a couple of things:

First, it's faster.  Since the software is extracting an embedded JPEG, rather that having to parse RAW data, it can happen much more quickly.

Second, it enables programs other than Photoshop (such as third-party DAM software) to render and create derivative files of the image even if the software cannot parse the RAW data.  Expect this to be comon functionality in the near future (something that, for instance, your OS might be able to do).  By populating your archive with DNGs made this way, you will greatly increase their utility in the future.

Does that clear it up?  It will be much more obvious once iView gets the last kinks worked out.
Peter

Rick,
Thanks for catching this.  I had been meaning to run this test, but had nnot gotten around to it. The fix will be forthcoming. Here's the issue:

When you make the JPEG out of Camera Raw, Photoshop is making the file from the RAW data.  It opens it up, applies the internal "profiles" in Camera Raw, and makes a conversion file with the profile that is indicated in the workflow options of Camera Raw dialog box.

iView is making use of the embedded preview.  This IS an sRGB file, but because it is an embedded preview, it has no actual profile embedded.  Yan is working out exactly how to work with this file as he extracts it.  It should not be terribly hard to make this work.

As to the match of the iView extraction and the Photoshop conversion, I wonder why yours does not match?  Is it possible that there was a mismatch between the embedded preview and the conversion file due to a mismatch of settings?  Do you have your Camera Raw preferences set to Always Update the preview? Did you adjust the image in Camera Raw as you opened it?  Are you trying this with an iView conversion file (Action>Convert Image File...) or an HTML gallery file?  When you open it into Photoshop, do you assign Colormatch when you get the missing profile warning?

Rick,
I did a test:
Open a DNG and look at it in Photoshop
Have iView Create a JPEG from the DNG. The JPEG comes out untagged, because the preview technically does not have a profile.  If you assign sRGB, the jpeg looks dark. If you assign Colormatch, it looks just like the conversion file made straight from the DNG.  My conclusion, the embedded preview is coming out as a Colormatch file.

I have asked Yan and the Adobe teeam to look into this.  I don't think it will be hard to have iView convert the JPEG to sRGB.
Peter

Rick,
I took a look at it, and it seems to be in Colormatch space, rather than sRGB. (open the image and assign colormatch profile, it makes a very close match to what the DNG looks like if you open it ).  I'll ask the powers that be what's up with that.
Peter

Also, did you see that there is a new version or Bridge?
1.0.3
Peter

Irene,
Are you converting to DNG first?
Peter

Rick,
Ae you doing this in 3.x?  Do you have "preserve color profiles" checked in the Settings tab of the Mke HTML dialog?
Peter

Thanks for the note.  If you have any questions about subjects in the book, feel free to post them here.
Peter

Dan,
That probably is true, but there are still comparitively few ready-made SATA enclosures, as well as PCI cards that have external ports.  And I don't know of anybody who is shipping computers with external SATA ports as a standard feature. And it may be possible to hook these up to a laptop,but I have not seen the hardware needed (some kinf of PC-card thing, I expect). It's the wave of the future, certainly.
Peter

James,
If you need to ask further questions, start a new topic, so it's easier to find.

When you say changes were not reflected, do you mean adjustments to the way the image files looked? 

1. Adjusted NEF files will look like the Original (Camera-created) Embedded preview to iView unless you convert to DNG

2. DNG files that have be REadjusted in Bridge will NOT update the preview unless you change the Camera Raw Preferences to "Always update preview"

Are these the issues or did I misunderstand?
Peter

Rick,
I think that looks great. I like the individual temp gauge on the drive bays, as well as the number of fans.

I would get extra caddies either at the time of purchase or shortly thereafter, probably at least two.

Also, you should strongly consider getting on of the removable racks/frames inside a single-bay case for your location work.

Any idea how it differs from this:

http://www.cooldrives.com/qulcdfi80inc.html

As to which drives to buy, I don't think anyone can say definitively.  I have been tending to the hitachi and seagate drives myself.  I find many Seagate drives now come with 5-year warranties.  While I don't expect to keep any drives in critical use for 5 years, I would expect that a drive of this size will still be useful over a 5 year period for many purposes.  Since I buy quite a few drives, this seems to be a good feature.

There is also a school of thought that says if the manufacturer is willing to warrantee a drive for 5 years, then they must have a high level of confidence in them.  Take that with a grain of salt or not.

I would suggest, however, that you mark your drives with a small notation of the purchase date and warranty period before you mount them in the case. Otherwise matching up this information down the road will probably not even be worth it.

This is a good place to look for drives:
http://www.pricewatch.com/

Peter

Rick,
This looks exactly like the one I am currently using.  8 Bays may seem like a lot now, but gives you room to expand in the future.

http://cgi.ebay.com/8-bay-IDE-to-FIREWIRE-USB-2-0-Hard-Drive-Enclosure-Case_W0QQitemZ8721127583QQcategoryZ167QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Peter

Rick,
That's curious.  These things are just made out of generic parts.  The box is a box, the power supply is similar to ones you can get at any compUSA, and the drive sleds are inexpensive interchangeable parts.  How about these guys:

http://www.firewiremax.com/fire-wire-1394-ilink/qubaylcdfi80.html

These guys seem to have the parts, but it looks like a project:

http://www.xpcgear.com/harddrives.html

You could also call these guys, but I think they will act French to your choice of Firewire:

http://www.macgurus.com

These guys have the cases and the "mobile racks" that make the drives sled-mounted

http://store.sunshinestor.com/noname8.html

These guys have cheaper SATA than Firewire.  Go figure:

http://www.granitedigital.com/catalog/pg55_satahot-swapbackup4.htm

Smalldog has the Wiebetech version:

http://www.smalldog.com/product/38551

Let me know when you find one that seems suitable. Frankly, I'm utterly confounded by how hard it is the find these right now.  I have been thinking, for at least a year, that I would start to see these in every CompUSA or BestBuy by now. 

Peter

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