While poking around on my system trying to resolve a problem with FilmPack I notice multiple PL databases.
C:\Users\USER\AppData\Roaming\DxO\DxO PhotoLab 6\Database
and replace 6 in the above with 7 and 8.
It seems there are separate databases per installation. If someone wasn’t using dop files does this mean that if they opened an image in PL8 which they had edited in PL7, they would not see their edits - as these would have been saved in the PL7 database?
@justinwyllie The database is read from the PL7 location, adjusted/updated as necessary and written to the PL8 location, when you open a PL7 database in PL8 but not vice versa. i.e. databases are forwards compatible but not backwards compatible.
The same applies to the DOPs, they are also forwards but not backwards compatible. So DOPs from PL8 will be ignored if the image file and DOP are opened in PL7, ultimately the PL8 DOP will be overwritten by the PL7 DOP which might contain no edits of any kind!
While it should be possible to move DOPs backwards within a release I believe I have seen situations where they may not be backwards compatible between point releases.
Therefore forwards compatibility with respect to databases and DOPs is “guaranteed” (!?) backwards compatibility is definitely not.
They are separate but the PL8 database will be created from the PL7 (or earlier) database (if it exists), during an upgrade or when a PL7 (or earlier) database is ‘Restored’ into a PL8 release, and will be placed in an appropriate location.
Yes but not if you ‘Restore’ the PL7 (or earlier) database in PL8
But there is no way to merge databases, e.g. a PL7 database with a PL8 database but it is possible to ‘Restore’ a PL7 database in PL8 and then discover edits made in PL8 which have been stored in DOPs.
Normally, when you run a new version of PhotoLab for the first time, it will look to see if an older version is installed and import its database into its own installation. After that, the databases for current and older releases are separate from one another. You can direct PL7 and PL8 to use the same database (in Edit > Preferences), but I don’t know what would happen if you were to run both PL7 and PL8 with this configuration. Yes, if you already have both PL7 and PL8 installed with separate databases and you then edit an image in PL7 without using a .dop sidecar, then I don’t see how opening that image in PL8 will retain your edits.
@BHAYT - thanks a lot for this really detailed explanation. I guessed/hoped that it does what you say - import and merge the PL7 database into the PL8 one on upgrade.
Interestingly; I can also confirm what you say about dop files. After installing PL8 and making an edit using hue masks (only available in 8) I accidentally opened the same image in PL7. Now, when I opened it again in PL8 the hue saturation mask adjustment had vanished. BUT - what I can’t be sure about is whether it just over-wrote this change or, as you suggest, all. I think all, but am not sure. And I can’t now test because I deleted PL7 - so I don’t accidentally use it again!
Before upgrading from PLX to PLX+1, you should better make a backup of the PLX Data Base.
@justinwyllie The rationale behind the DxO approach when a later DOP is encountered by an earlier release is that there is a danger that the earlier release will not recognise the later release DOP, or elements of it, because who knows what might have changed.
When it ignores the DOP it will remain intact until you either export a file in the earlier release or make an edit (according to what my memory tells me about tests I have done in the past).
The action of exporting or editing will trigger the creation of a new DOP and that process is always destructive, i.e. a new DOP is created with the same name as any previous DOP and will cause the old DOP to be overwritten. A new DOP is not an update of an old DOP it is a complete replacement.
Hence, when I am testing I use separate directories for the tests, one for each release
and it appears I am less than scrupulous with my directory naming and the DP XD directory for PL8 should have been DP XD2s for accuracy!!
Typically, when doing such tests I will start with the lowest release to make the initial settings and then copy the DOPs to the higher release directories and allow DxPL to amend those DOPs if and when necessary.
In that way I am seeking to keep a level playing field with respect to any edit settings that I have made, i.e. trying to compare like with like and reduce the risk of introducing unnecessary changes.
Protecting DOPs from accidents can only be achieved by making backups, of the DOP and xmp sidecar file.
@rsp and during the early days of testing the new release you should be making backups of the DOPs to avoid the problem I have just mentioned above.
Forward compatibility of Databases and DOPs is (should be) O.K. but backward compatibility of either/both is essentially not going to work (unless you start hacking DOPs).
Hi @BHAYT - Now I know! It seems that the dop files are over-written completely. In a very simple test I did the following:
Step 3 created an .xmp file. But only at step 4 was a new dop created. Basically, then, it seems, the new dop will be created, as you say, once you start to edit a file - though it seems it may buffer the changes in memory and only write them when it looks like you have finished - moving away from the folder/closing the app (probably) - and maybe anyway after a certain time or number of changes.
In my case because I accidentally opened some images which I had edited in PL8 in PL7 I lost a lot of changes. For me the solution is simple; I removed PL7 to avoid any confusion.
Thanks for your input
