Has it been discussed that the previews are NOT real depictions of the files?
I don’t really see what there’s to discuss there!
The PureRAW 4 previews (in the Comparison View window) are obviously a strictly accurate representation of the output export file.
Provided, of course, that:
- in the preferences, the processing preview box is checked (this is the default option).
- you have allowed enough time for the preview to complete, which translates into a green dot in the noise processing indicator at the top of the view window, and the preview indicator turns green in the bottom bar.
If you export a DNG, in Lightroom for example, it’s obvious that what you see displayed there will depend on the settings made in LR, and on LR’s own interpretation of color profiles and white balance.
It’s nothing like the real file. It’s a simulated rendition of the process. I found info from DxO saying this. Very flattering simulation, in favor of exaggerating the effect, i feel.
Sorry to contradict you, but
unless you’re looking for gratuitous controversy,
I invite you to test it yourself.
When I export a JPEG file, the display is strictly identical between the PureRAW 4 display window and the JPEG display in any software that correctly manages colors (e.g., Photoshop, ACDSee, etc.), all viewed in 100% screen display, of course.
Comparison with a DNG file can show slight color differences, depending on the software displaying it, as I’ve already mentioned. But it’s still very similar, and in any case, the other optical corrections and noise processing are obviously strictly identical.
I’m very curious to know the DxO information you’re citing… Mine doesn’t say the same thing at all! Excerpt from the PureRAW 4 user guide:
Process with Preview window
“The Process with Preview window lets you see and check your image with all your settings in full detail, in real time, and compare it with the original, unprocessed RAW file.”
Unfortunately you are incorrect. I’m talking about the screen showing in the simulation view versus the view of the same files in Lightroom or Photoshop. Pull a photo into DXO, then zoom in so you can see for instance a single letter on a typed page. You can see the pixels at that level in Photoshop and Lightroom, but the pure raw unprocessed side is just a cloudy looking blurred image. The corrected version is sharpened to look really cool, but even it lacks the definition. Export that as a DNG and compare it to the original file in Photoshop or Lightroom. It and the RAW will look nothing like what you saw in the simulation, which again DXO has said is not an actual picture of the image. it’s just a demonstration. Probably at much lower resolution than the files.
Could you be more specific about your problem/claim?
Perhaps make it reproducible?
Otherwise you sound like AI that got it wrong.
1 Like
What you’re saying makes no sense!
There’s no valid comparison beyond a 100% screen display…
At more than 100% screen (1 image pixel = 1 screen pixel), you’re comparing the software’s display algorithm, not the images.
That it looks “sharper” in Photoshop or Lightroom is NORMAL! It will be the same with any image from any source! Because the PS/LR/ACR display engine is designed for bitmap files, whether photos or any other image file. And thankfully, because it’s essential when working on images that need to be stitched together, for example.
PhotoLab, for example, behaves exactly like PS/LR if I display the DNG, and for the same reasons. Beyond 100% screen, this seemingly “clean” display mode consists of displaying an IMAGE pixel as a block of SCREEN pixels (4, 9, 16, 25, etc.) all with the same RGB values: those of the original image pixel.
Also at more than 100% screen, another solution is to smooth the display of the SCREEN pixels by modulating the transition between blocks, still using the same IMAGE pixel. This results in a softer, more photographic rendering.
This type of display is the standard for viewing software (viewers like ACDSee or others), and for PureRAW, which does the same thing: unlike PS, LR, PhotoLab, we won’t be working on this display!
Only the 100% screen display is accurate, and it will be exactly the same whether you view the image in any software: whether in the preview window in PureRAW, or in Photoshop or Lightroom.
Furthermore, you should be aware that when displayed at 100% screen, you are looking directly at an image whose width is on average around 2.00m to 2.50m (depending on the sensor’s MPix count and the screen resolution).
Great info. I’m glad to understand.