Luminous Landscape Forum

Raw & Post Processing, Printing => Adobe Lightroom Q&A => Topic started by: RFPhotography on October 05, 2012, 02:14:23 pm

Title: New Tricks for LR
Post by: RFPhotography on October 05, 2012, 02:14:23 pm
In another discussion recently, Eric Chan mentioned that LR could handle 32 bit TIFF and DNG files.  The DNG mention piqued my curiosity.  I followed up and asked Eric how 32 bit DNGs could be created because it wasn't an option when saving out a 32 bit file in PS (or PM).  I don't believe Eric had responded.  But it's true.  Adobe has announced a new DNG spec (http://blogs.adobe.com/lightroomjournal/2012/10/dng-1-4-specification-notes.html) and 32 bit floating point is part of it.  So I'm still curious how 32 bit DNGs can be created.  Thoughts?  32 bit TIFF files are huge in size compared to EXR or HDR files.  If 32 bit DNGs are smaller and closer in size to other 32 bit file formats, it may make LR a truly viable option for tonemapping those images.

But another little trick that is part of the spec is a crop undo.  Some cameras offer crops that aren't in the native aspect ratio of the sensor.  For example, the D800 offers a 4:5 in addition to the native 3:2.  As part of the new DNG 1.4 spec, Adobe has given users the ability to recover that crop and get back the entire sensor with a new LR plugin (http://labs.adobe.com/technologies/lightroomplugins/).
Title: Re: New Tricks for LR
Post by: s4e on October 05, 2012, 03:19:51 pm
In another discussion recently, Eric Chan mentioned that LR could handle 32 bit TIFF and DNG files.  The DNG mention piqued my curiosity.  I followed up and asked Eric how 32 bit DNGs could be created because it wasn't an option when saving out a 32 bit file in PS (or PM).  I don't believe Eric had responded.  But it's true.  Adobe has announced a new DNG spec (http://blogs.adobe.com/lightroomjournal/2012/10/dng-1-4-specification-notes.html) and 32 bit floating point is part of it.  So I'm still curious how 32 bit DNGs can be created.  Thoughts?  32 bit TIFF files are huge in size compared to EXR or HDR files.  If 32 bit DNGs are smaller and closer in size to other 32 bit file formats, it may make LR a truly viable option for tonemapping those images.

But another little trick that is part of the spec is a crop undo.  Some cameras offer crops that aren't in the native aspect ratio of the sensor.  For example, the D800 offers a 4:5 in addition to the native 3:2.  As part of the new DNG 1.4 spec, Adobe has given users the ability to recover that crop and get back the entire sensor with a new LR plugin (http://labs.adobe.com/technologies/lightroomplugins/).

Hi Bob,
Speculation from my side but perhaps a future LR version will be able to merge HDR to the new DNG format?

It also seems the new DNG version can handle 16-bit floating point. Hopefully the "Merge to 32-bit HDR Plug-in for Lightroom" also will handle this format. It save a TIFF file with 16-bit floating point but without compression:

"Floating Point (HDR)
HDR images have a high dynamic range that will not fit into a 16-bit linear integer encoding.  Floating point storage of information allows for a larger amount of dynamic range to be stored within a file:

16-bit integer data can only store 16 f-stops of image detail.
16-bit floating point data can store over 30 f-stops of image detail.
32-bit floating point data can store hundreds of f-stops of image detail."
Title: Re: New Tricks for LR
Post by: s4e on October 05, 2012, 03:22:55 pm
I see the new format also support functionality important for panorama. Can we hope that LR will have a merge to panorama function?  8)

"Transparency
When images are “stitched together” in an alignment process or panorama process the resulting image could have “undefined” pixels around the edges.  The new specification update now allows for those undefined areas to exist in a raw file format."
Title: Re: New Tricks for LR
Post by: RFPhotography on October 05, 2012, 03:32:54 pm
Yeah, not entirely sure how that transparency feature will work.  Or how relevant it is.  Merging panos in AP or PTGui the files end up getting saved as TIFF or PSD files anyway.  Unless there's going to be a new pano merge plugin as you say or unless the pano merge function of PS will allow saving out as a DNG.

Title: Re: New Tricks for LR
Post by: mcbroomf on October 06, 2012, 05:18:12 am
My 1st thought for the crop undo was the GH2 which has an 18MP sensor, only 16MP of which are accessible.  Not really much gain but when I have a chance I'll use this plug in on some images.
Title: Re: New Tricks for LR
Post by: NikoJorj on October 07, 2012, 01:14:17 pm
Yeah, not entirely sure how that transparency feature will work.
It could be very cool to have parametric pano merging : the original DNG images get updated with a transparency mask and metadata saying they belong to that panorama with this and that merging parameters, no more obese TIFF files to clutter the disks!
Title: Re: New Tricks for LR
Post by: Natvander on October 07, 2012, 04:52:36 pm
It could be very cool to have parametric pano merging : the original DNG images get updated with a transparency mask and metadata saying they belong to that panorama with this and that merging parameters, no more obese TIFF files to clutter the disks!

Very cool, but I think I may need a little more RAM before it comes!