New RapidFixer Control Discussion

[peterkrogh]

MArk,
Just to be clear, when you apply the change (in Blacks, for instance) your White Balance *always* goes to 5200, -5?  This indicates that something else is at work.

You can open the script and make changes to both the Daylight default, and the increment of temp/tint change.  WOuld you like me to post instructins here for that?
Peter

[markpirozzi]

Peter,

Peter wrote:
Just to be clear, when you apply the change (in Blacks, for instance) your White Balance *always* goes to 5200, -5?  This indicates that something else is at work

Response:
I would characterize it as staying at 5200, -5, my defaults, because that what shows up if I actually open the file the first time in ACR or apply a preset and watch the settings pop up in the Metadata panel - but yes they are 5200, -5 unless I specifically change the settings myself later.


Peter wrote:
You can open the script and make changes to both the Daylight default, and the increment of temp/tint change.  WOuld you like me to post instructins here for that?

Response:
Yes.  I am especially interested in adjusting some of the increments now that I can deal with the starting WB by way of the work around.


Mark

[peterkrogh]

Mark,
So the Camera Raw settings you apply are setting the WB to an absolute value, 5200 , -5.  I don't think it has anything to do with adjusting the blacks or any other setting.  I think you are just setting to a default for a known value.  THis would be very wrong if the image were shot in tungsten light.

In order to change the script, you first need to open it up in a text editor (I use TextEdit on Mac).  Make changes, save the script, and relaunch Bridge.  (I'd make a duplicate copy of the unchanged script first, and change the name of the one I was working on the RapidFixerMP or some such thing)

You could change the "Daylight" setting by searching for:

   Rapidfx.WBS.Daylight.Settings = new Array(
          "WhiteBalance = Custom",
          "Temperature = 5500",
          "Tint = 10"



In the script and changing the Temp and tint values to the ones you want.

To change the increments of the temp/tint buttons, search for this:

   Rapidfx.WBAdjust.TintPlus.Settings = new Array(
          "WhiteBalance = Custom",
          "Tint +5 #0 150",
       );

       Rapidfx.WBAdjust.TintMinus.Settings = new Array(
          "WhiteBalance = Custom",
          "Tint -5 #0 -150",

The first number, +5 or -5 is the amount added or subtracted to/from the setting.  The second number os the starting point if there is no existing value (this is where things start if the image is set to "As Shot").  The third number os the "backstop" - either the highest or lowest value that the setting can go to.  If you want your incremental change to be 3 points, change the 5 to a 3.

Peter

[markpirozzi]

Peter,

It's true that the thumbs of photos shot under tungsten will look bad when first ingested by Bridge, but applying a saved subset for tungsten to them would substitute for a applying a saved subset for say Blacks to "activate" Rapid Fixer, or you could apply Rapid Fixer's Tungsten setting from the the drop down initially and bypass applying the saved subset.

Thanks for the instructions to fine tune the RF script, it looks simple to do and I will try it out when I get home tonight.  When the tint or other adjustment increments were to much, I would have to open those photos in ACR, so this will be a real time saver.

Mark

[peterkrogh]

MArk,
If you're willing to live with a universal default of 5200, -5 as temp and tint, it should be part of your ACR defaults.  This removes the step of applying the change once the images come in.
Peter

[markpirozzi]

Peter,

We still may not be on the same page.  5200, -5 is part of my ACR defaults. I just have to apply some sort of change, such as set Blacks to 1, to make Rapid Fixer's Temp/Tint active to tweak the default 5200, -5 setting (if necessary).  But if I  didn't do anything (apply a change), the file's thumbs/previews/conversions appear with the affect of the WB set at 55200, -5.

The reason I would a make small, insignificant change to a whole folder is to have each file ready to accept Rapid Fixer's Temp/Tint adjustments.

I will be trying the script modifications a little later tonight.

Mark

[markpirozzi]

Peter,

The script changes worked like a charm.  I need to revise the tool tips now.

One thing I noticed, if you have the metadata panel open, when I set the the WB by way of the RF drop down, only the Temp/Tint settings appear in the metadata panel - all other settings, Exp., Recovery, etc remain blank unless you apply a change to one of the settings through ACR or Develop settings, then they all appear.

More importantly, when you first set the WB and other changes using RF, you do not get the "adjustment icon" in the upper right hand corner of the thumbnail.  However, if you apply any adjustment using a Develop Setting, say Blacks = 1, the icon appears and all other changes, including those of Rapid Fixer stick.

******
This was happening before my script changes:  If I Hide Bridge and Rapid Fixer is open in Bridge, I get a JavaScript error message when I re-activate Bridge.  However, you just click OK and Bridge opens. the message is "An has occurred in a Bridge extension; JavaScript Error (Eventhandler: 127) Object is invalid".  I would have posted this in a separate thread, but I wanted to let you know it is independent of my script editing.
******

Thanks,

Mark

[markpirozzi]

Peter,

I changed the increments on several controls in Rapid Fixer.  Can I change the font color of my entries in the scripts and not affect the scripts functioning?

Mark

[peterkrogh]

MArk,
I think you ca change font colors - not really sure.

Are you applying a Camera Raw Default to the images the first time you see them?  (I do this by ImageIngester Pro on download).
Peter

[markpirozzi]

Peter,

Yes.  The steps are:
1) download the files
2) rename the files (with a renaming program unrelated to photography)
3) make a backup copy on another drive
4) point Bridge to the main copy's folder and Bridge automatically applies my Camera Raw Default as Bridge builds the previews/cache

The Camera Raw Defaults have been applied the first time I can actually see the thumbs and previews in Bridge - my Camera Raw defaults include a WB setting of 5200, -5, not As Shot, or Auto, etc.  Up to that point I haven't applied any settings manually.  After applying bulk metadata, embedding the filename, I create a new backup, then I start making manual adjustments.

I didn't know IIP could apply Camera Raw defaults.  I'm not sure IIP could handle my renaming because NEF files get appended with nef and JPGs get appended with adb (for Adobe RGB) just so I know the source of derivatives down the road, although I rarely edit the JPEGs and no longer store them with my "official" capture buckets. They are more a temporary insurance early in the process these days.

Mark

[peterkrogh]

Mark,
While Bridge will *display* the images according to the ACR default, that's not the same as *applying* it.

RapidFixer actually needs the ACR defaults to be applied, so that it has something to change.

After you bring the images in, you can either select the images and hit the "Def" button on the top left of the RapidFixer array, or you could do it with the menu item in Edit>Develop Settings menu.

The ACR Settings badge needs to be displayed for RapidFixer to work.

I don't think that IIP can name Raw and Sidecar JPEGs differently, but it would speed up a lot of the other processes you describe.  If you did not need this naming function, you would really streamline your workflow.
Peter

[markpirozzi]

Peter,

In a few of my post I mentioned that changes stick without "Applying".  After I add any change by way of ACR or Bridge>right click>Develop Settings>say Balcks =1, the adjustment icon appears on the thumbs and even subsequent RF adjustments seem to stick and carryover to DNGs (through Lightroom).  iView reads the DNGs' previews fine. Therefore, I thought the changes were permanent at least for what I was doing.

I agree if make changes with RF first, the icon does not appear.

Mark

[peterkrogh]

Once you make a change to any ACR settings, you have applied that group of settings (they get written to the Sidecar, or to the DNG).  Up until that time, while the images are displayed with the ACR defaults, the settings are not attached to the file in any way.  (This means that the file would look different if viewed by a version of Bridge with different defaults).

For this reason, I *strongly* advise that *all* images get ACR Defaults applied to the images the first time you see them.  This is the only way you can ensure predictable rendering by Bridge over time across different machines.

Peter

[markpirozzi]

Peter,

Ok, I'll start applying them. You've got a depth and breadth of experience that far exceeds mine.

Thanks.

Mark