Highlight recovery in PhotoLine

[bkh]

The left hand image of the picture on the wall above is opened as Pro Photo, which I had set in Prefs, as you indicated, several versions ago. I am having a problem trying to do anything in Layers, Tools, or Filters because the adjustment seems to be taking place in the RAW file itself not the displayed image. The Histogram is crowded way over to the left as if it were the very dark RAW image. All the adjustment previews are so dark you can't see anything. I am not sure what is happening.

The reason is that the background layer is the raw file itself – the conversion to ProPhotoRGB (or, at least to the right Gamma value) only takes place in the adjustment layer above the background layer. So if you apply a filter to the background layer, it has still got linear gamma which causes the effects you describe above.

When working with RAW files in PL, it's usually best not to modify the RAW layer itself. Instead, make your adjustments using the adjustment layer above the RAW layer (activating/adding/deleting adjustments as needed), or place more adjustment layers on top of the existing adjustment layer. The adjustment layer will then behave in a way similar to a Raw converter module. If you need to retouch the raw file, it's usually best to place a transparent layer immediately above the raw layer (below the adjustment layer) and do the retouching there. In that way, the original raw data is preserved, and you can easily undo/redo any retouching step at a later time.

If you need to work on a single image layer, there are two options: use "Flatten image" or make a merged copy of the layer stack and paste that copy either on top of the stack or in a new document (the latter would be the equivalent of sending a copy from the raw converter to an external image editor).

Cheers

Burkhard.

[Lundberg02]

I have Preferences set to open in Pro Photo. When I open the DNG I select Digital Camera RAW. I then get the image shown in my post on the left. I can't work on this Image because all the previews are of the linear RAW file. What step am I missing. Is there something I else I have to set in Preferences to make all previews those of the displayed image? This is incredibly non intuitive.

[Lundberg02]

I have Preferences set to open in ProPhoto. When I do File>Open I choose Digital Camera RAW. I then get the displayed image shown on the left in my post. I can't work on it because all previews are showing the linear RAW image which are basically black. Why can't see the selected portion of the displayed image? This is incredibly non intuitive. The PL version I bought was the 17.54 or just prior. It seemed to behave as I would expect, and it had Auto Contrast which now seems to be missing in 18.01.
What do I have to do to get an editable image where the previews are of the displayed image? How could an image editor be designed so that it plays tricks on you when you update the version?

[Lundberg02]

Sorry about the double post. I understand that the background layer is the RAW file itself because PL is using adjustment layers.
But I can't grasp why all filters tools effects previews are showing me the background layer. I freely admit I am not used to layers.
I want to see what I'm doing, and I don't want the original DNG altered in any way. Can you tell me how to do this in a workflow manner?
I open and see an image that has been converted from RAW (dng) but I can't preview any adjustments without going through some intermediate step or steps? You seem to be saying that the image as opened after conversion is a layer above the RAW file but that I can't see any adjustments in an adjustment layer unless I do something to make the adjustment visible. How can you flatten and then do adjustments? That doesn't make any sense to me. I must be pretty dense not to understand how to actually work on an image in PL.

[maxwell]

You have at first to build a new layer via Shift+Ctrl+C followed by Ctrl+V. This image layer can then be processed as usual. PS has the same behaviour as PL concerning adjustment layers.

Cheers Josef

[bkh]

Sorry about the double post. I understand that the background layer is the RAW file itself because PL is using adjustment layers.
But I can't grasp why all filters tools effects previews are showing me the background layer. I freely admit I am not used to layers.

Sorry, if you are not used to layers, I must have been a bit terse …

Once you open the raw file, you should see something like the following in the layer panel (you'll want that panel open all the time anyway when working with PL):

layer panel.png

Now select the adjustment layer (in the layer panel) and open the "Adjustment layer" panel (or just double click on the adjustment symbol – the one the upper red arrow is pointing to). You'll see a whole series of adjustments, much like in a raw converter:

adjustment layer.png

You'll see the effects of the adjustments in the main window. You can change these adjustments as often as you like because these are not filters (which change the image data) but just processing instructions carried out when needed. If required, ou can add adjustments using the "+" buttons – adjustments are the non-destructive equivalents of filters.

This adjustment layer is automatically built by PL and some of its values are preset automatically to match the raw image (highllight correction, histogram adjustments), so if you want to use certain adjustments for several raw images, it's best to create a separate adjustment layer for them (on top of the auto-generated adjustment layer), and to save its settings as a preset.

[…] and I don't want the original DNG altered in any way.

The DMG file itself will not be altered by PL. If you don't change the background layer but use adjustment layers, you will not alter the DNG data embedded in the PL document, either.

[/quote]
How can you flatten and then do adjustments? [/quote]
Of course, you can do Layer -> Flatten Image, but I'd advise against doing that – you'll lose all the advantages of non-destructive editing (mainly being able to undo or change a step in the workflow without having to redo all the following steps).

Cheers

Burkhard.

[Lundberg02]

Thank you, bkh. That's the step I was missing. I would like to have an need to end workflow in PL and i was afraid I would need to convert from RAW in another program and then do editing in PL. I still find that I need to do lens correction in PTLens to avoid inadvertent errors. Photoshop needs the extra step of overlaying a grid, and PL is using a selection method that is hard to apply.

One more question: What happened to Auto Contrast from version 17.xx?