Pages: [1] 2   Go Down

Author Topic: SilkyPix  (Read 21556 times)

marton

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 93
SilkyPix
« on: August 14, 2016, 07:18:42 am »

I have a Fuji X-T1 right now, and after having tested LR & CoP for use with Fuji RAW files, I've found SilkyPix, the free converter bundled with my camera, to be the best at revealing detail. I'm not talking about jpegs here at all, only RAW. I haven't tried Iridient yet, be that's only because I'm a PC user. I'm sure it's brilliant etc but for now, the lowly SilkyPix works best. The downside is that it is slow, and not well featured, but you get used to that. I export to Photoshop and do all of my finishing work there. 
Logged

scyth

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 584
Re: SilkyPix
« Reply #1 on: August 14, 2016, 10:43:38 am »

I have a Fuji X-T1 right now, and after having tested LR & CoP for use with Fuji RAW files, I've found SilkyPix, the free converter bundled with my camera, to be the best at revealing detail. I'm not talking about jpegs here at all, only RAW. I haven't tried Iridient yet, be that's only because I'm a PC user. I'm sure it's brilliant etc but for now, the lowly SilkyPix works best. The downside is that it is slow, and not well featured, but you get used to that. I export to Photoshop and do all of my finishing work there.

you certainly aware that you got older & feature stripped version of SilkyPix converter for free - the current, etc costs money.
Logged

marton

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 93
Re: SilkyPix
« Reply #2 on: August 14, 2016, 10:49:50 am »

Yes indeed. I considered buying a copy of developer but at this point I'm getting everything I need from the free version and Photoshop. What I'd ultimately like is for Adobe to do something about their crappy RAF support so I can get full value from my subscription.
Logged

Tim Lookingbill

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 2436
Re: SilkyPix
« Reply #3 on: August 14, 2016, 03:15:14 pm »

The downside is that it is slow, and not well featured, but you get used to that.

And it's been that way since 2006 when it was bundled for free with my Pentax K100D DSLR I still use today only I couldn't get used to it and stayed with ACR/LR.

I still have the SilkyPix app on my Mac system and it is STILL SLOW!
Logged

Lundberg02

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 379
Re: SilkyPix
« Reply #4 on: August 15, 2016, 03:18:25 am »

The Silky I got with my Fuji doesn't do ProPhoto.
Logged

Denis de Gannes

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 319
Re: SilkyPix
« Reply #5 on: August 15, 2016, 04:08:27 am »

There is a special US/Canada distributer who has a special discount on now for the upgraded application Silypix Studio now. A 30 day trial is available. There is also a special upgrade from the Camera manufacturer supplied application. I think this is the best option for Fuji users. http://www.silkypix.us
Logged
Equip: iMac (Ret. 5K,27"Mid 2015),macOS 10.15.6

marton

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 93
Re: SilkyPix
« Reply #6 on: August 15, 2016, 10:09:50 am »

There is a special US/Canada distributer who has a special discount on now for the upgraded application Silypix Studio now. A 30 day trial is available. There is also a special upgrade from the Camera manufacturer supplied application. I think this is the best option for Fuji users. http://www.silkypix.us

Thanks for the link, but I used up a thirty day trial a while back. My only option is to buy it.
Logged

Paul2660

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 4066
    • Photos of Arkansas
Re: SilkyPix
« Reply #7 on: August 15, 2016, 01:21:15 pm »

Silkypix Studio Pro is much more software than anything that is bundled with a camera system, at least Fuji and Pentax. It's still a strange layout at least to me but it can produce a nice file.

I don't feel that theSilkypix software is not as feature rich as LR or C1, and if all you are working on is Fuji, I would look towards C1.  Just remember that with Fuji files, you have to move the details slider to close to 100% under sharpening or your results will not look good.

Paul C
Logged
Paul Caldwell
Little Rock, Arkansas U.S.
www.photosofarkansas.com

Lundberg02

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 379
Re: SilkyPix
« Reply #8 on: August 16, 2016, 05:06:39 am »

I got the trial just to see if it does ProPhoto.
Logged

Peter_DL

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 544
Re: SilkyPix
« Reply #9 on: August 16, 2016, 05:21:28 am »

... the lowly SilkyPix works best. The downside is that it is slow, and not well featured, but you get used to that. I export to Photoshop and do all of my finishing work there.

You could still use Bridge/ACR to edit the tif or jpg from a basic raw conversion with SilkyPix.

Peter
--
Logged

Lundberg02

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 379
Re: SilkyPix
« Reply #10 on: August 17, 2016, 05:48:42 am »

I tried the Studio etc. It is very difficult to figure out the file system which seems to show whatever it feels like showing. I finally opened a RAW and developed it as a 16 bit tif, but SilkyPix still does not do ProPhoto, so it is useless. Most of the stuff in the export parameters was inscrutable and you can't name the file on export that I could see. The little block on the bottom of the right side was impossible to understand.  I'm going to get rid of it. Maybe someday SilkyPix will understand what a rational workflow is and wake up to ProPhoto also. I don't understand why this is a dinosaur.
Logged

Tim Lookingbill

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 2436
Re: SilkyPix
« Reply #11 on: August 17, 2016, 02:24:42 pm »

I don't understand why this is a dinosaur.

Because dinosaurs are free!
Logged

Lundberg02

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 379
Re: SilkyPix
« Reply #12 on: August 18, 2016, 12:09:31 am »

A tyrannosaurus skull just sold for 1.8 mil. And I think SilkyPix is like 90 bucks. For something that doesn't do ProPhoto. Ridiculous. One of the other more popular developers doesn't do ProPhoto either unless they have enetered the 21st century. Can't remember which one.
I just use Iridient, don't have to do a thing after it converts. Completely painless. Best app money I ever spent.
Logged

Paul2660

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 4066
    • Photos of Arkansas
Re: SilkyPix
« Reply #13 on: August 18, 2016, 05:21:29 pm »

Just a heads up,

Silkypix Developer Studio Pro, will allow export to prophoto color space and you can create a custom name for any file.  This is buried up in the setting window in the develop module. If you are considering Silkypix, the free versions are nothing compared to the Developer Studio Pro or just the Developer Studio software.

I agree the workflow isn't as straight forward as C1 or LR, but they still have a great Fuji X-trans conversion.  Developer Studio for Mac will not work with the Pentax K1 pixel shift files currently, the Windows verison will.

There are masks and ND filters in studio pro again nothing like C1 or LR, but something.

I also have no idea what color space Silkypix is editing in while you are working on a file, I know LR uses prophoto, not sure what C1 uses either.

Paul C
« Last Edit: August 18, 2016, 05:27:14 pm by Paul2660 »
Logged
Paul Caldwell
Little Rock, Arkansas U.S.
www.photosofarkansas.com

Denis de Gannes

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 319
Re: SilkyPix
« Reply #14 on: August 18, 2016, 06:19:44 pm »

Thanks for this info very important if you are going to use applications like Photoshop for further editing.
Colour working space is sRGB or Adobe RGB which I believe should be quite adequate. Monitors as far as I know cannot display the full ProPhoto colour gamut.
Logged
Equip: iMac (Ret. 5K,27"Mid 2015),macOS 10.15.6

Paul2660

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 4066
    • Photos of Arkansas
Re: SilkyPix
« Reply #15 on: August 18, 2016, 08:12:54 pm »

Hello Dennis,

I agree with you but the general consensus seems to be to stay in Prophoto, even though most monitors NEC and Ezio can't even display the full Adobe 1998 color space.  But still tend to stay in Prophoto unless I feel the image will be out of gamut when printed and it's easy to get there in prophoto with saturation.  Good news is that Silkypix will allow it when developing. 

Paul C
Logged
Paul Caldwell
Little Rock, Arkansas U.S.
www.photosofarkansas.com

Lundberg02

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 379
Re: SilkyPix
« Reply #16 on: August 19, 2016, 02:18:37 am »

The only sane workflow is to convert RAW to ProPhoto, use Photoshop Manages Colors, select the correct Epson paper and use perceptual in the printer settings. This keeps all you can get out of your RAW.
Silkypix is far too opaque for my taste, Why would they hide the important stuff? I can't understand the mindset of developers who obfuscate.  Can you pos a screenshot of the options you describe? I wasn't able to find any recognition of ProPhoto anywhere.
« Last Edit: August 19, 2016, 02:57:32 am by Lundberg02 »
Logged

Denis de Gannes

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 319
Re: SilkyPix
« Reply #17 on: August 19, 2016, 06:01:00 am »

Paul2660 posted one in an earlier post. From the menu bar SilkyPix Developer Studio Pro 7, from the menu bar select Development > File output settings.
Logged
Equip: iMac (Ret. 5K,27"Mid 2015),macOS 10.15.6

marton

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 93
Re: SilkyPix
« Reply #18 on: August 20, 2016, 12:47:19 am »

It is a Japanese mindset in the UI. You just have to figure that part out and its functions become easy enough to access. I'm having no issues with it on that score. If I end up sticking with Fuji, I'll buy developer studio pro. 
Logged

Lundberg02

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 379
Re: SilkyPix
« Reply #19 on: August 20, 2016, 04:11:07 am »

No, Dennis. There is no option for ProPhoto in File output settings, sorry.  That is the window that completely mystifies me. Wht the f is all that stuff, anyway?
Logged
Pages: [1] 2   Go Up