Part 2 - Off-Topic - advice, experiences, and examples for images being processed in DxO Photolab

[mwsilvers (Mark - New Jersey, USA)]

@mikemyers

Are my forum posts self-serving? Obviously. But it’s obviously difficult to learn PhotoLab, or maybe it’s just that I am a very slow learner. With PhotoJoseph, I watched his videos in my browser, then repeated what he did until I got the hang of it. Self-serving or not, those off-topic posts helped me (and likely others) learn more about PhotoLab.

Actually Mike, PhotoLab is by far the easiest to learn post processing program I have ever used and I have used most of them at one time or another. I have no idea why you’re struggling with it so much.

By the way, I learned how to use PhotoLab by just using it. I learned it by experimenting with each and every feature over and over again to see what they did and how the features interacted with each other.

I have never felt the need to view more than a few training videos to fill in a couple of blanks here and there. To really get the hang of PhotoLab you have to stop asking a million questions and get down into the dirt and try everything it has to offer.

There is relatively little in training videos that you could not learn yourself if you were willing to put in the time and effort and maintain an open mind. Once you’ve immersed yourself and learned all the features as best you can, then maybe it’s time to ask assistance from others if there are concepts you just don’t get.

Mark

[Joanna (Joanna Carter)]

@mwsilvers

I learned how to use PhotoLab by just using it. I learned it by experimenting with each and every feature over and over again to see what they did and how the features interacted with each other

And I think that that is the key. Practice, practice, practice.

@mikemyers - don’t rely on tutorials unless they deal specifically with the type of images you are making and the problems you are encountering.

I find PhotoJoseph’s videos horrendously confusing as he flits from one thing to another, then changes his mind, then gets another idea, reverts back to something else, etc.

I do tutorial sessions at my local photo club and it can take a good couple of hours of well prepared, personal, hands on, tuition on the students’ own images that they want to change, before the penny drops.

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But, as Mark and others have said often, a lot of your images tend to be JPEG-style, journalistic, with no particular need for enhancement - mainly because you don’t seem to want to enhance them, apart from making small corrections. Most of the time, you really don’t benefit from the power of such sophisticated software and, since you don’t really have an end result in sight, you seem to end up “footling” around without really knowing where you are going and which tool does what.

And now, still being in a muddle over how to use PhotoLab and not knowing how to master your camera, you have decided to try and teach others how to use one of the most complicated editing tools out there - DarkTable. We have one person in our club of about 120 members who knows what they are doing with it. But that has taken him years of learning and still, when he gives a demonstration, it doesn’t take long for his audience to get totally lost.

It is almost embarrassing when it comes my turn to demonstrate PhotoLab. Whilst they have to do all sorts of gymnastics to achieve a desired result, it usually takes me about five minutes and only a few clicks.

But, if that is where you are going, you should really concentrate on one thing at a time and perhaps put PL to one side for a while. I certainly wouldn’t ever contemplate changing horses mid-stream like that as I have too much invested in PL and it is an essential part of my day to day work.

[Stenis (Sten-Åke Sändh (Sony, Win 11, PL 6, CO 16, PM Plus 6, XnView))]

Fully agree with your opinion about Photolab basics Mark. Photolab is very straight forward to use as long as you are processing documentary pictures. The program is so well balanced as I guess Joanna mean because of the camera- and lens profiles and the standard presets.

When we open our pictures we have since long in Photolab had a very good starting point that doesn’t ask us for especially much more. I always have Deep Prime XD on and add around 25 to 35 of Fine Contrast in order to increase contrast and decrease DR. Sometimes lift some shadows and lower the highlights. Not very much more.

My only complant really is that when my ambitions are wider than that Photolab is far to limited today compared to the competition. Then I’m not at all especially impressed by Photolab.

So, I also have hard to understand Mike having the problems he says he has with Photolab. … and if you are having problems using Photolab, how intelligent will a shift to Darktable be, with a much steaper learning curve??

[mikemyers]

@swmurray

If I recall correctly…you use Photomechanic? If so, check your metadata defaults when ingesting if it’s not in the camera.

I just checked, and the Metadata (IPTC) Template is correct. That’s what I thought the problem was years ago, which I thought what Joanna was wanting me to change. But the incorrect information is apparently not connected to PhotoMechanic.

[mikemyers]

@mwsilvers

There is relatively little in training videos that you could not learn yourself if you were willing to put in the time and effort and maintain an open mind. Once you’ve immersed yourself and learned all the features as best you can, then maybe it’s time to ask assistance from others if there are concepts you just don’t get.

There are other scenarios, perhaps I’m just getting too old. It’s not just PhotoLab, it’s many things that used to be easier.

[Joanna (Joanna Carter)]

@mikemyers

… which I thought what Joanna was wanting me to change. But the incorrect information is apparently not connected to PhotoMechanic.

As I have said, repeatedly, you need to change the copyright info in your camera, or did you not read my posts?

[mikemyers]

@Joanna

As I have said, repeatedly, you need to change the copyright info in your camera, or did you not read my posts?

Joanna, the screens on my camera look fine:

When I use NX Studio, and select XMP/IPTC I find this (which I want to change)

I tried to search for it in PhotoMechanic, which is how I import my images but couldn’t find it - so I should probably call the tech people at “Camera Bits”. Maybe that is adding the information when I import images.

[Joanna (Joanna Carter)]

Take a shot, transfer it to your computer without using PhotoMechanic and post it here

[mikemyers]

That is essentially my plan. I took four test photos this morning, which are still on the memory card. I will copy them to a new “test” folder on my computer, and open them both in PhotoLab and NX Studio. If the problem is PhotoMechanic, these image should open without all my old personal info.

I’ve already been searching PhotoMechanic, but I’ve been using it for so many years, the information might be buried in someplace I haven’t yet found. They open in several hours, if I need to call.

Thanks.

[mikemyers]

@danielfrimley

Walk away for an hour or so if you need to, it’s not rocket science, it’ll click I promise you

True, but we’re assuming my issue is coming from the camera.

So far, the camera seems to be fine. When I found the issues on NX Studio, and if the camera was not my problem, and since I just recently installed NX Studio, I now suspect it’s something I put in PhotoMechanic many years ago.

I copied the same four images from early today into an empty folder. I opened the first image in NX Studio.

All my information, including Copyright, and Image Content appeared correctly in the INFO tab - same as on the camera.

When I clicked on the XMP/IPTC tab, everything was blank.

I now believe all this other information, including things I want to remove, is coming from PhotoMechanic.

So, I am now trying to find these settings in PhotoMechanic, and if I can’t, I will call Camera Bits Tech Support.

[mikemyers]

@mwsilvers

Perhaps he was not so much lost but instead confused by what you were asking

Probably confused by what I was not saying, as I hadn’t yet considered PhotoMechanic as a potential problem. He told me the information in MY camera was correct, as in the year for the copyright info. The information seemed right in the camera, and when I opened the image in my NX Studio, it was wrong.

All of you are better at detective stuff than I was. I did eventually get to wondering about PhotoMechanic, and someone here suggested I check it out, and that seems to be the cause of my problem.

[Joanna (Joanna Carter)]

It’s no good. I have to ask. Mike, why on earth are you putting all that metadata, including a lot of personal stuff, into your image files? What is more, why are you publishing those files on an open internet discussion forum for all the world to see?

This kind of thing makes you a massive target for scammers and fraudsters, who could use it for all sorts of nefarious purposes.

[mikemyers]

@Joanna

Mike, why on earth are you putting all that metadata, including a lot of personal stuff, into your image files?

Because I’m not that smart. You told me this years ago, and I deleted the information from every place, except where it mattered, as in the Photo Mechanic Metadata (IPTC) Template. I thought I fixed it, and looking at the camera didn’t show me my problem.

I should have tested this years ago. Dumb mistake. Of course, back then I didn’t understand IPTC.

As of right now, I think everything is fixed.
I need to test it, and will then upload an image here.

[Joanna (Joanna Carter)]

@mikemyers

As of right now, I think everything is fixed.

You’ve got to be kidding. I’ve sent you a private message with the contents of the offending tags, although all it takes is for anyone to download one of your images to get it for themselves.

[mikemyers]

@Joanna

You’ve got to be kidding. Here are the offending metadata tags that I was able to find from any one of your “example” images…

I haven’t used the new template yet. I just captured a new image. As soon as I think it is correct, I’ll upload an image here.

All my old photos will continue to have too much information. From now on, I hope things are corrected.

[Joanna (Joanna Carter)]

@mikemyers

All my old photos will continue to have too much information. From now on, I hope things are corrected

Let me just say, the former being the case, please take great care and be on the lookout for messages and calls that “don’t seem right”, especially calls from folks purporting to be from your bank about your account being compromised. This has been happening more and more and folks have followed instructions to safeguard their money, only to find that the “safeguard” was actually nothing to do with the bank and all their money just disappeared.

[mikemyers]

Thanks in no small part to what I learned here, I think everything is taken care of.
This is an image from ten minutes ago, nothing in particular, just to see what data is posted along with the image. As far as I can tell, there are no remaining issues.

780_5694 | 2024-06-13.nef (29.6 MB)
780_5694 | 2024-06-13.nef.dop (12.5 KB)

Any editing was done by PhotoLab, not deliberately by me.

Thank you all.

Yesterday this was as clear as mud. Now it all seems to make sense.
I should make better use of the PhotoMechanic template in the future.
There was no planning on this image - just went out to my balcony and took one photo.

So now I’ve got three working editors, PhotoLab which I will continue to use, DarkTable which I need to learn the basics of, no more, and NX Studio which I doubt I will ever use. Oh, and all the old image editors that are still installed from ages ago.

[mikemyers]

@Joanna

please take great care and be on the lookout for messages and calls that “don’t seem right”,

I delete anything like that, and of course, never respond. I have a financial advisor for safety and security. The words “safety” and “internet” don’t belong in the same thought.

[swmurray]

EXIF Artist tag still has your phone number.

[Joanna (Joanna Carter)]

Mike, I have messaged you with the tags you still have in the image.

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@mikemyers

So now I’ve got three working editors, PhotoLab which I will continue to use, DarkTable which I need to learn the basics of, no more, and NX Studio which I doubt I will ever use

1. Stick with PhotoLab
2. I can see your good intentions with DarkTable but, honestly, there is no such thing as “the basics” because there are just so many “optional basics”
3. The is absolutely no need to ever use NX Studio. Just put it, not just to the back of your mind, but into the trash can behind your mind and simply forget you ever heard about it. in around twenty years of owning and using Nikons, I have never found a use for it.