Allow PhotoLab to open images from non supported cameras, when possible

[mikemyers]

I have a camera that is not supported by PhotoLab, so therefore PhotoLab will not open images from that camera.

But, if I edit the EXIF data to show a camera that PhotoLab does support, the image opens and I can edit it.

I wish PhotoLab would open all images that it is capable of opening, regardless of whether or not the camera is supported.

(It’s that, or go back to LightRoom or DarkTable, neither of which I want to re-learn.)

[Egregius ([Greg] (Micro 4/3 + Win11))]

Curiously, this has been planned for some time. Not sure what DxO has in mind now:

Ability to use Photolab with unsupported cameras

Photolab is a complete fail if you don’t have a supported camera. Other photo software allows one to use DNGs converted from that camera’s raw before official support of the camera becomes available. Yes, one would need official support to make effective use of some features, like lens corrections. But do we really need to wait if all we want to do is use some denoise and a crop? The net result is that I no longer use Photolab with a new camera, and move to other solutions. And once Photolab i…

[mikemyers]

I disagree. PhotoLab is a tool, like any other tools, software or hardware. I performs a job (in my opinion better than other similar tools). It should be up to the user, me, whether or not to use it on a supported camera. Fortunately, all I need to do apparently is to use the EXIF editor tool to change the name of the camera, and PhotoLab opens the image and works as expected.

Because of this, I am forced to keep my other image editors around, as backups. I’ve got more editors than I can remember.

If I want to buy a micrometer and use it as a “glue clamp”, while it would be a totally stupid thing for me to do, it would do so. It’s up to the buyer/user what he wants to use his tools for, and while the glue clamp is a silly example, I have lots of tools that ended up being used for strange and unexpected purposes.

If I have an un-supported camera, “A”, and PhotoLab won’t open the files, if I rename my file to “B” which PhotoLab recognizes, and if I can then edit the file as expected, who am I hurting? I wish PhotoLab just posted a message that “A” was an un-supported camera, and opened the image anyway, just like I do by renaming the camera name.

I have several un-supported cameras, and I have lots of (mostly un-supported Voigtlander) lenses. Doing this my way means I haven’t opened up my other image editors in a year or two, maybe much longer…