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Author Topic: Workflow Queries  (Read 46369 times)
Seth
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« Reply #15 on: July 21, 2009, 11:37:11 AM »

That is not an "Action;" it is a sequence.  I thought you were familiar with Photoshop.

I just wanted gnits to know someone understood what he was saying.
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Seth
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Fred A
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« Reply #16 on: July 21, 2009, 12:10:00 PM »

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I thought you were familiar with Photoshop.
Me?  Photoshop? Familiar?
You must be joking!   Huh?

No one knows less about PS than I.
I have never bought a PS or a CS in my life. Roll Eyes

Fred
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Terry-M
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« Reply #17 on: July 21, 2009, 12:17:59 PM »

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That is not an "Action;" it is a sequence.
Other software, like MS Office, call it a "macro", the automatic execution of a sequence of program operations.
I assume you can record an action In PS like you can a macro in Office. I know you can edit a recorded macro too.
Terry.
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Seth
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« Reply #18 on: July 21, 2009, 12:44:21 PM »

Terry-

Yep. Give it a name, turn on record, do what you want, hit stop.  And, can assign key combos if you you want. Next time click and watch.

DO we need it in a printing program like QI?  Probably not.
« Last Edit: July 21, 2009, 12:48:12 PM by Seth » Logged

Seth
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gnits
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« Reply #19 on: July 21, 2009, 06:30:27 PM »

Fred,

Thanks for the feedback.  I would position myself as an advanced user of templates , but do not pretend to think that I totally grasp all the nuances of Qimage. I have a series of templates made which cover A5,A4,A3,A2 (landscape and portrait) with multiple meta data components, developed over a few years.

Photography is a hobby, but an important hobby. I have a heavy commercial IT background and strive to permanently improve workflow. I am proud of what I photograph and especially print  and use Qimage to volume print 50 plus A4 images (with metadata) after a trip or individual A2 sized fine art sets.

I started this discussion because I was keen to streamline my workflow from Lightroom to Qimage and bypass the Lightroom printing engine (as we know, does not compete with Qimage).

I have discovered thru this forum how to export selected images from Lightroom directly to a template in Qimage. Fantastic. [I just need to make sure Qimage has been started and printer and template settings in place].

I feel all the functionality to deal with templates in Qimage is there. As confirmed by others (once the routine is established) that it should not take more than ten seconds and multiple clicks to get the desired (and highly productive result).  I also feel (again because  the functionality is already there) that a few tweaks could improve this even further; namely


  •    Allow a default template (or job) be loaded at start. [Very useful for people who use template /job based printing, no impact if you don't. Could be a DOS like parameter]

  •    Make it easier (ie reduced clicks) to change / select a new template / job.

I have got some very good suggestions already from this discussion re use of printer set up parameters (which I never considered before) and job setup without an imbedded image.  This gives me a very workable setup and some suggestions to explore further (and will).

Despite this, I would like  Mike to consider my bullet points as possible enhancements.

I am not hung up on buttons specifically as a solution or proposing the development of a macro language. (A bridge too far).  I do think there is potential long term to allow people link a single (existing) command or template/job file to a few custom buttons.

Thanks again for all the feedback.





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Fred A
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« Reply #20 on: July 21, 2009, 07:38:03 PM »

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Allow a default template (or job) be loaded at start. [Very useful for people who use template /job based printing,

Interesting proposal.
In the Custom box, at the bottom, there's a toggle selection that offers the user the choice of making his opening entry temporary or permanent.
The one for Layout grays out.
I know there is a good reason for that, but I just cannot remember what it was.
Maybe that would work for you. Maybe, if there were side effects to doing that, it could be activated in preferences.

Best I can think of....
Mike will probably straighten me out later.

 Shocked
Fred
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gnits
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« Reply #21 on: July 21, 2009, 08:54:05 PM »

I tried to use the Permanent option, but could not activate, as per your experience.

Food for thought.
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Fred A
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« Reply #22 on: July 21, 2009, 10:46:05 PM »

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    *    Make it easier (ie reduced clicks) to change / select a new template / job.

Actually, you would be asking the programmer to change a lot of code to save you two mouse clicks.
As I think about it, that's not a fair deal.  Roll Eyes
Then  comes Mr. digi who has a different workflow,and he wants one click.
You can see the slippery slope we would be approaching!   Sad

 Grin Grin Grin Grin Grin
Fred
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BrianPrice
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« Reply #23 on: July 22, 2009, 07:48:33 AM »

Fred

It may be just a few clicks, but if you use a lot of layouts in a production environment they soon add up. I still think that a feasible solution would be to be able to add layouts to the the print size menu using the Size Tool button.

Brian
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Terry-M
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« Reply #24 on: July 22, 2009, 09:22:58 AM »

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I was keen to streamline my workflow from Lightroom to Qimage and bypass the Lightroom printing engine (as we know, does not compete with Qimage).

I could say have you tried asking the Lightroom programmers to reduce the number of clicks in their program, but of course, we don’t expect such things from the “big name” software companies.  Wink

What I will say is that when analysing a process, it is good to step back and look at the “big picture” and the main chunks of it.
You could remove a complete chunk in your work flow by processing the raw files in Qimage and not using another, separate, converter. This would reduce the number of files because you can then print from raw and reduce the number of clicks because Q-SE raw processing & refinement is simple and smart.
If you’ve not tried it, then I suggest you do: that is my challenge to you  Grin
OK., I know some users like to do fancy stuff in an editor but if that is not the norm or 16bit editing is not required, the Q-SE raw is the way to go and there is still the option of further refinement with Qimage filters.
Terry.
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Fred A
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« Reply #25 on: July 22, 2009, 12:37:14 PM »

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the Q-SE raw is the way to go and there is still the option of further refinement with Qimage filters.

Terry,
I have to second your post with weight.
I never shot raw until Mike made Qimage accept raw, and even then, "My Jpgs were great", was my mantra.
Then I began to timidly shoot Raw + JPG (in case)   
Now with a little knowledge and Qimage Studio, I was really getting better results because I had better control over my hot spots and shadows.
Finally dumped the JPGs, and I shoot in the Raw only now. (No peeking!)

Then came the evolution of QSE to do fill light in an easy fashion so Raw images could be optimized for lighting as well as one click White Balance.
Next was the post on the Qimage web page showing Qimage Studio rendition of a Raw image compared to LR and the original.
My socks were knocked off!

All this done in under 30 seconds! No twiddling and tweaking at this point.
I say that to remind you (but you know) and others, that the batch filter screen still remains available for your tweaking; e.g cropping the image, cutouts, sepia, and asst predefined filters, curves and Levels.... and on and on.. should you feel compelled to do more.

At this point, it is rare that I use the non destructive filters in Qimage at all except for a cutout. That in itself is a testament to the output of the Raw coverage that Qimage SE affords.
You heard of a Smoker that was converted to a Non-Smoker? I am a JPGER converted to a NON-JPGER to RAW.
 Grin Nothing worse than those people. Wink
Fred

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gnits
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« Reply #26 on: July 22, 2009, 02:51:22 PM »

1. I do not want to get into a Qimage / Adobe debate. I prefer to respect the point of view that all product developers have a bigger wish list and more demands than they have resources. I very much respect that current quality and maturity of Qimage and Mike's vision and contribution.

2. I do not want to get into a debate about which raw converter is best. I use several. I have always shot raw plus small jpg and only process raw. I was using Capture One before Lightroom or Adobe raw conversion ever existed. I do use Qimage templates extensively and to me they are a major boost to productivity and Quality Control.

3. Please ignore any previous remarks about buttons (a distraction ...introduced by myself as a possible solution... a long long long term nice to have).

My inital query was to gain from the collected wisdom of this forum.
a. Was there a way to have a default template / job loaded at startup.
b. Was there any easier way  to change from one template to another.

I have gleaned some very useful feedback already , which I am already putting to good use.

I would like Mike to consider these enhancement requests for some future development.

These requests are absolutely generic in nature. I believe this will save me a lot of times and reduce mistakes. I also feel it will benefit others.


In the meantime, I have work arounds. I printed over 100 A4 pages last night without a glitch.







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Terry-M
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« Reply #27 on: July 22, 2009, 03:12:45 PM »

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In the meantime, I have work arounds. I printed over 100 A4 pages last night without a glitch.
That's good to hear, but don't "work arounds" apply to program bugs and none are actually apparent in this case.  Shocked
Terry.
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Fred A
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« Reply #28 on: July 22, 2009, 03:25:13 PM »

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I do not want to get into a debate about which raw converter is best. I use several. I have always shot raw plus small jpg and only process raw

No  debate at all, my friend.
The thread was supposed to be loosely woven around how I use my Qimage and how people use apps in their workflow.
It's the old: Whatever floats your boat, reply that prevails.

I was trying to relate the chain of events that led *me* to a better digital experience as an evolution in time.

Sorry if I came across the wrong way.
Fred
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gnits
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« Reply #29 on: July 22, 2009, 03:30:07 PM »



Brian Price sums up the real world situation in his first sentence below.


Quote
Fred

It may be just a few clicks, but if you use a lot of layouts in a production environment they soon add up. I still think that a feasible solution would be to be able to add layouts to the the print size menu using the Size Tool button.

Brian

I will leave it to people with internal product knowledge to suggest the best technical solution. Brian's suggestion has legs.

I am not reporting any bugs, just a simple suggestion.
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