Mavic 3 DNGs are Problematical

[Ty Pilot]

What's learning curve like.

As I mentioned, I have 15 years with PS so keep that in mind when I say; there was almost no learning curve. The work flow is almost 95% PS in my opinion. The layout is very similar if not an outright copy. There is a vast amount of Affinity tutorials on Youtube. After I watched a handful of specific ones to see if the things I wanted were there (in AP), I jumped in and have not looked back.

 

[Ty Pilot]

And here is the Develop module for your DNG, you'll note the similarities with PS.

 

[mavicbopper]

Most software vendors will offer free updates/upgrades within a specific version number. When you look at the version numbers it will usually be something like 5.1.3 with an in version update taking on something like 5.1.4. Then they charge for a major version upgrade to 6.0. Usually less than full purchase price for previous customers. When I did the math on this it turned out for LR and PS I was getting a better deal with the subscription if I wanted to stay current with their software. I use LR Classic instead of their Cloud version but I can run both if I want with the subscription.

Adobe has made a lot of upgrades to what you can do in LR as well as PS so you might find that worth considering. With the subscription you get whatever improvements they put in the next update and they send it them out more frequently than they used to as well.

I do appreciate that improved functionality comes with each new release or, in the case of updates, with Adobe subscriptions. What grates me is that simply expanding the support for new cameras ISN'T provided with "you own it" products. You are forced to upgrade. I get it. It's about revenue production needed to stay in business.

 

[mavicbopper]

And here is the Develop module for your DNG, you'll note the similarities with PS.



View attachment 159192

Much Thanks.

 

[Ty Pilot]

You're welcome, and good luck whichever way you go

 

[AlanL]

I do appreciate that improved functionality comes with each new release or, in the case of updates, with Adobe subscriptions. What grates me is that simply expanding the support for new cameras ISN'T provided with "you own it" products. You are forced to upgrade. I get it. It's about revenue production needed to stay in business.

I resisted for a while at first too but there were things I needed in updates. They do take care of you inside of their monthly recurring charges bubble. Adobe does need to keep paying the software designers that give us all these new toys

 

[mavicbopper]

I was an Adobe user for over 15 years, both for photography and video, I suppose if they hadn't gone to subscription I for sure; would still be using those products. When it comes to photo work, I settled on the program - Affinity Photo. It is as close to Photoshop as anything out there and is a one-time purchase. For what it is worth, I downloaded the OP's DNG and brought it into AP with no problems.

I would urge anyone looking for a modern contemporary of PS, without the subscription and cost, give Affinity Photo a look. I am not affiliated in any way with AP, just another former user of Adobe that broke free.

The universal license - I move between FL and MA and work on computers in both locations. Do you know how many computers per license can I run Affinity on? I can't find it on the Affinity site.

 

[Ty Pilot]

The universal license - I move between FL and MA and work on computers in both locations. Do you know how many computers per license can I run Affinity on? I can't find it on the Affinity site.

Found this in FAQ on their site:

"As a private individual you can install Affinity apps on as many devices as you own which run the operating system you have purchased a license for (of course in the case of a Universal License that means you can install on any iPads, Macs or Windows PCs you own). Other people (for example, members of your household) are also allowed to use the apps on those devices. However, only you are allowed to use the apps for commercial use—if any members of your household need to make commercial use of the apps as well they will need to purchase their own license."

 

[Felix le Chat]

I just downloaded DarkTable. It appears the be FULLY featured and powerful. It certainly doesn't ( I know it's free), have a great look and feel. I found myself craving the intuitivity of LR and its simplicity. I guess with usage, it would become simpler to use.

But, the look of the adjustment fonts and sliders are somewhat off-putting.

Also, I couldn't figure out to navigate to the locations where my RAW files are, nor could I figure out how to export to a specific location. The one file I worked on was directed to a DarkRoom Created folder. IF this is, in fact, how these files are managed, this alone would be a deal breaker, no matter how good the app is able to process the RAW files.

That's because you're an habitual Adobe user. Stick me in front of Lightroom and I'd be exactly the same. It does take some getting used to, but I'll bet you a dollar that the tools you'll find in the right hand modules list contain quite a few that Lightroom wishes it had. Here's the real incentive - tot up how much you spend a year on Adobe subscriptions and then compare it to how much Darktable costs you.

You're right... Darktable does have a lot of 'grunt' under the hood - it was created by professional photographers who were sick to death of software developers who didn't understand anything other than the basics of photography - but knew how to package something to look as though it was professional quality (the worst offender I've found for this so far is COREL with their Paintshop Pro Ultimate suite).

Another great FREEWARE RAW editor is RAWTHERAPEE - dumb name, but it is fully featured and is also software that is neck-and-neck with any of the Adobe bloatware.

Importing: click BROWSE (top left frame) navigate through your pc/mac folder list, click on the folder you dropped your RAW's in after downloading them from microSD and the JPG thumbnails embedded in the RAW's appear in the bottom frame filmstrip. Keep this folder structure as the only place you transfer your RAW/DNG's to and Darktable remembers the location and builds a database for you.

The export tab: on your hard drive, create a folder (mine reads 'camera roll'). When you've finished tweaking, click on the export location dropdown - then choose the folder you want to export to (camera roll?). This will be the new default location.

I think that the only RAW format Darktable doesn't recognise is the SIGMA version specific to the FOVEON X3 sensor.

The one I really recommend is Photoninja. If you have a camera/lens combo that isn't recognised by the LCP (or Lensfun) database: Photoninja allows you to 'train' the software and custom create a specific and highly accurate correction profile. The Lens Correction tab is almost as good as the HUGIN lens correction feature, but unlike HUGIN (or the Adobe equivalent), this training process is simple and quick to complete. Photoninja gives you a lifetime license for your money - you don't have to rent it on a monthly subscription.

 

[Felix le Chat]

From the PhotoNinja site My Nikon D500 and D850 RAW (NEF) files are supported. But, I can't conclude for certain the DJI M2P and M3C DNGs are.

View attachment 159189View attachment 159189

From the PhotoNinja site My Nikon D500 and D850 RAW (NEF) files are supported. But, I can't conclude for certain the DJI M2P and M3C DNGs are.

View attachment 159189View attachment 159189

Neither the M2P or the M3C have profiles - Photoninja used the independent LensFun database, which isn't updated with any regularity - but then again: neither is the Adobe LCP catalogue. Mentioned this in my reply on the other thread, in the distortion tab: you can 'train' Photoninja to accurately correct pincushion, barrel as well as moustache distortions and save this as a preset.

 

[mavicbopper]

That's because you're an habitual Adobe user. Stick me in front of Lightroom and I'd be exactly the same. It does take some getting used to, but I'll bet you a dollar that the tools you'll find in the right hand modules list contain quite a few that Lightroom wishes it had. Here's the real incentive - tot up how much you spend a year on Adobe subscriptions and then compare it to how much Darktable costs you.

You're right... Darktable does have a lot of 'grunt' under the hood - it was created by professional photographers who were sick to death of software developers who didn't understand anything other than the basics of photography - but knew how to package something to look as though it was professional quality (the worst offender I've found for this so far is COREL with their Paintshop Pro Ultimate suite).

Another great FREEWARE RAW editor is RAWTHERAPEE - dumb name, but it is fully featured and is also software that is neck-and-neck with any of the Adobe bloatware.

Importing: click BROWSE (top left frame) navigate through your pc/mac folder list, click on the folder you dropped your RAW's in after downloading them from microSD and the JPG thumbnails embedded in the RAW's appear in the bottom frame filmstrip. Keep this folder structure as the only place you transfer your RAW/DNG's to and Darktable remembers the location and builds a database for you.

The export tab: on your hard drive, create a folder (mine reads 'camera roll'). When you've finished tweaking, click on the export location dropdown - then choose the folder you want to export to (camera roll?). This will be the new default location.

I think that the only RAW format Darktable doesn't recognise is the SIGMA version specific to the FOVEON X3 sensor.

The one I really recommend is Photoninja. If you have a camera/lens combo that isn't recognised by the LCP (or Lensfun) database: Photoninja allows you to 'train' the software and custom create a specific and highly accurate correction profile. The Lens Correction tab is almost as good as the HUGIN lens correction feature, but unlike HUGIN (or the Adobe equivalent), this training process is simple and quick to complete. Photoninja gives you a lifetime license for your money - you don't have to rent it on a monthly subscription.

Got it! If I have it right, I can't export to drives and folders already existing that I have created. I have an array (8) of SSD drives dedicated certain category of images: e.g. DRONE, HOA, STATE CAPITOLS, etc. This is where both the original RAW files and the processed files are stored. I would have to construct another (singular) storage hierarchy? The SSDs provide for secure backups as well.

As you can appreciate, I'm sure, storage and retrieval is very important and, for some, on the level as actual image processing.

 

[Felix le Chat]

Got it! If I have it right, I can't export to drives and folders already existing that I have created. I have an array (8) of SSD drives dedicated certain category of images: e.g. DRONE, HOA, STATE CAPITOLS, etc. This is where both the original RAW files and the processed files are stored. I would have to construct another (singular) storage hierarchy? The SSDs provide for secure backups as well.

As you can appreciate, I'm sure, storage and retrieval is very important and, for some, on the level as actual image processing.

Yeah... the 'add to library' button only lists 'home' and 'pictures' as locations, which can be a bit of a pain. Works for me though, what I do dictates that I have to keep a totally clean OOC RAW archive of every shoot.

I download from microSD straight to the external hard drive and a dedicated new folder relevant to that job. When I want to work on the shots, I copy that folder from external drive to the internal storage drive (C: - into the pictures folder) and enhance & edit those.

The finished category #2 TIFF's and the final category #1 JPG's are housed in their own folders with a notepad document listing all adjustments and enhancements - then I'll transfer those folders back to the secure external drive and into the relevant shoot archive folder. When I've finally finished poking, prodding and tweaking, I just delete the RAW versions (c:/pictures) that I've worked on.

That way I end up with a final job folder on a secure external drive that has a full chain of provenance with the original RAW shots completely virgin. The client gets the JPG's as distribution / publishing / media ready images: the TIFF's for high quality images for comparison / study / analysis and has the option to purchase the complete RAW output for archiving purposes, otherwise they can have the shoot archive stored on their behalf for whatever length of time they require.

By the way: an apology is due - the post you replied to read "...click BROWSE - top left frame...". For some reason, I was thinking of Photoninja - with Darktable it's the 'add to library' button top left corner.

 

[mavicbopper]

Yeah... the 'add to library' button only lists 'home' and 'pictures' as locations, which can be a bit of a pain. Works for me though, what I do dictates that I have to keep a totally clean OOC RAW archive of every shoot.

I download from microSD straight to the external hard drive and a dedicated new folder relevant to that job. When I want to work on the shots, I copy that folder from external drive to the internal storage drive (C: - into the pictures folder) and enhance & edit those.

The finished category #2 TIFF's and the final category #1 JPG's are housed in their own folders with a notepad document listing all adjustments and enhancements - then I'll transfer those folders back to the secure external drive and into the relevant shoot archive folder. When I've finally finished poking, prodding and tweaking, I just delete the RAW versions (c:/pictures) that I've worked on.

That way I end up with a final job folder on a secure external drive that has a full chain of provenance with the original RAW shots completely virgin. The client gets the JPG's as distribution / publishing / media ready images: the TIFF's for high quality images for comparison / study / analysis and has the option to purchase the complete RAW output for archiving purposes, otherwise they can have the shoot archive stored on their behalf for whatever length of time they require.

By the way: an apology is due - the post you replied to read "...click BROWSE - top left frame...". For some reason, I was thinking of Photoninja - with Darktable it's the 'add to library' button top left corner.

Got it!

 

[Drone Guy Kyle]

No problems whatever with current software. DxO does a wonderful job with the DNG files and drops them back into Lightroom Classic (current version) for further edits in RAW.

The problem is at your end with out of date processing software.

DxO had helped me immensely in getting my images back to normal for editing. It's truly amazing. Thank you for the suggestion!!!!