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Author Topic: Problems copying Raw exposure settings to multiple images  (Read 9548 times)
wolverine@MSU
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« on: August 12, 2014, 04:10:42 PM »

I can't seem to get the "Copy values" from one Raw to others.  I have 7 images taken at different shutter speeds and as expected, the RAW developer initially adjusts the exposures of each so that they look pretty much alike (see snap1 below).  The image numbers refer to the reciprocal of the shutter speed, all shot at the same f-stop and ISO.  I select all 7 RAWs and put them into the queue. Then, with my cursor in the preview pane I choose "Refine Raw Exposure..." (now at the bottom of the right-click menu in the preview pane).  In the Raw Refine screen, I right-arrow through to the 1/400 image (400.RAF), draw a box around the gray-scale at the bottom of the IT8 and select "Normal (std blk, std clr)", which gives a reasonable exposure for that image inside the blue box.  I then choose "Copy specified settings to all selected thumbnails" and choose "Exposure" from the pop-up menu (all of the thumbnails are also still selected in the images pane).  When I click "OK", the thumbnails rebuild, as expected, but the result is as shown in the second snap below.  I would have expected there to be a gradient of exposures, with 800.RAF being 1-stop darker, and 200.RAF being 1-stop lighter.  But, to my surprise they all still look the same.

For some reason it's not copying the exposure used for 400.RAF to the others.  It's almost as if it recalculates the exposure for the others based on the designated area from each individual RAW image rather than applying the exposure calculated from 400.RAF to the others.

I must be doing something wrong, but I can't figure it out.
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Terry-M
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« Reply #1 on: August 12, 2014, 04:20:03 PM »

Hi,
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It's almost as if it recalculates the exposure for the others based on the designated area from each individual RAW image rather than applying the exposure calculated from 400.RAF to the others.
That is exactly what it does as default.
Try turning off all the processing options in raw refine preferences (main Edit menu) and swop to auto levels from smart exposure.
 Terry
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wolverine@MSU
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« Reply #2 on: August 12, 2014, 04:42:50 PM »

I turned off all RAW settings (snap 1 below).
"adjusted" RAW exposures are the same as before (snap 2)
Same images developed in Adobe Camera Raw, under identical conditions, using 400.RAF as "model" (snap 3)

ACR gets it right, but QU isn't honoring exposure value from chosen RAW file.
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Terry-M
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« Reply #3 on: August 12, 2014, 04:50:44 PM »

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but QU isn't honoring exposure value from chosen RAW file.
Well it's too smart for Adobe stuff; you normally want the image to be right whatever the camera exposure was (within limits); that's what QU does with raw. It's nothing new and Mike has improved that smart process over time.
Terry
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wolverine@MSU
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« Reply #4 on: August 12, 2014, 05:00:28 PM »

Well it's too smart for Adobe stuff; you normally want the image to be right whatever the camera exposure was (within limits); that's what QU does with raw. It's nothing new and Mike has improved that smart process over time.
Terry
Yes, I know you "normally" want the image to be right, but there are times when one wants to do exposure bracketing in order to combine images for HDR or to select an exposure to use for camera calibration.  I've done multi-shot panoramas using two different exposures for each part of the scene (one exposed for sky, with no blown highlights, and one for forground, sometimes in shadow, without regard to blown-out highlights in the sky).  Now I know you're going to say "Why not use the built-in HDR in the RAW refine screen", but that only works with a single image.  I use TuFuse Pro to do HDR (which allows multiple images to be stacked and combined) so I need the exposures to be "true" relative to each other in order for the fusing process to work.

This is why I've asked for a separate "Absolute Exposure" slider, or at least the ability to apply a consistant "gain" factor to each RAW image.
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Terry-M
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« Reply #5 on: August 12, 2014, 08:42:41 PM »

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This is why I've asked for a separate "Absolute Exposure" slider, or at least the ability to apply a consistent "gain" factor to each RAW image.
I have played with this in the past by using different manual fill levels, you could try that but it is less "scientific" than what you want.
I occasionally combine multiple images of the same scene but use SNS-HDR which can use raw files. It too uses dcraw like QU but seems much less sophisticated in the raw processing. However it makes a good "HDR" image from multiple or singe images and produces the tone mapped effect without overdoing it..
Terry
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wolverine@MSU
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« Reply #6 on: August 18, 2014, 10:49:16 AM »

So how hard would it be to have a checkbox in the "Copy Raw Refine Settings" dialog box to apply the raw refine settings themselves across selected raw files, rather than the location and method to calculate raw refine settings to the other selected raws?
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