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Author Topic: soft proof quality  (Read 47234 times)
brucet
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« on: June 24, 2014, 11:08:32 PM »

A question re the 'soft proof' screen.

Ctrl/space bar.
The 'quality' of the results is very poor/low resolution. Is this normal or have I simply not noticed it before?
Jaggies and 'noise/artifacts'. The colours are ok but the poor quality is affecting what I see. Print results are just fine.
Is there something I've done or a method I can use to give me a hi res view.

(I've been on the road for 3/4 months and haven't used Qimage for sometime so my memory may be a bit 'off'!!!).

Regards
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Fred A
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« Reply #1 on: June 25, 2014, 08:56:06 AM »

Quote
Ctrl/space bar.
The 'quality' of the results is very poor/low resolution. Is this normal or have I simply not noticed it before?
Jaggies and 'noise/artifacts'. The colours are ok but the poor quality is affecting what I see. Print results are just fine.
Is there something I've done or a method I can use to give me a hi res view.

Curious! What version Qimage are you using?

Ctrl Spacebar is a Hi Resolution image.  If you select a low resolution image,  let's say, 200 x 100 you will get a screen image that size. It is not stretched or expanded.
You get a High Rez image in the image editor also. In the page Editor screen, depending on your setting, you might have to click the HQ button to see Hi Rez,

Low Rez images are for speed... so thumbs are low rez, and the upper right preview screen is low rez.

Need more information... what is the resolution of the image or images in question?  I assume they all look this way to you?Huh?

Fred
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brucet
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« Reply #2 on: June 25, 2014, 11:01:08 AM »


Hi Fred,

Qimage ver 2014 131.

Image is 6000x4000 tiff. So that's not an issue!!

OK here's what my work flow is. Has been forever!
NEF's out of a D7100. Converted to 16bit tiffs in Capture NX-D.
Fine tuned in PSPx6.
Brackets merged/tonemapped in Photomatix.
Photomatix output fined tuned in PSPx6. As PSPImage. Numerous layers.
Converted/flattened back to 16bit tiff. 160 meg files.
Open in Qimage for printing.

I've run some tests. Compared current assignment work with my last assignment.
All the old files have excellent results. They are either jpegs or older tiff files from a D7000 from previous assignment.
All the 'new' files have the same issue. The thumbnails are, well thumbnails with little resolution issues. The 'preview' screen in the upper right now gives a poor quality image. The edit screen also is giving a less than great resolution. The soft proof screen is very poor. Almost as if there is a huge amount of white noise.

Now the interesting part!!!! I merge 3 files to get one file. That file has numerous layers. Ultimately merged into one layered 16 bit tiff. This file gives the problem.
If I load just one of the D7100 unedited 16 bit tiffs into Qimage every thing is ok.
So the issue is with the final output of my work flow.

I have taken the 6000 x 4000 image and resized it down to 4200 x 3000 as per the D7000 output. But it makes no difference. It's in the files and not a resolution issue.

Everything works fine. My only issue is the change, since my last edit session some weeks ago, that give poor quality previews.
Printing output is fine.

I had a commission for prints. A4. 50 prints. All different. Nikon D7000. Everything was fine.
I replaced the D7000 with a D7100. I also now use Capture NX-D instead of AfterShotPro.
Other than that I have made no other changes.
I now have a repeat order of new photos for the same customer. Printed results, as I said, are fine. Just that I can't use the soft proof to judge the results.

So in a nut shell the workflow using the old D7000 files are fine. A single unedited file from the D7100 is fine. But anything I work on from the D7100 is giving me heartache. Issue seems to be with the output from the D7100. Huh?Huh?Huh??? Could it be a problem with the high resolution output of the D7100 files??

Any clues? It's not the end of the world but I liked Qimages soft proofing.

regards


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admin
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« Reply #3 on: June 25, 2014, 12:11:06 PM »

Sounds like a messed-up TIFF where only the thumbnail embedded in the TIFF can be loaded.  Can you put the TIFF online somewhere and provide a link to it?

Regards,
Mike
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brucet
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« Reply #4 on: June 25, 2014, 11:52:14 PM »

OK it's the next day and I've had some sleep!!

I run some more tests.

Same work flow for each test.

Started with 3 nefs from a D7000. (Converted to 16 bit tiffs into Photomatix fine tuned in PSPx6 saved as 16 bit tiffs. Into Qimage).
Same but with 3 nefs from D7100. (Same as above).

Soft proof in Qimage for the files from the D7000 are fine.
Soft proof in Qimage for the files from the D7100 are rubbish.

In edit mode.
Files from the D7000 are fine. Zoom in and they remain fine.
Files from the D7100 are rubbish. But zoom in and they are fine.

Huh?Huh?Huh?Huh?Huh?Huh?Huh?

I repeated the above test on the D7100 files with some noise reduction. Still made no difference. Even heavy noise reduction resulted in a rubbish soft proof view.

Unedited 16 bit tiffs from the D7100 are fine. It's only when I start to work on them, which I do for every file, that the problem begins.
It's as if Qimage can't handle an edited D7100 file. I've looked at the same files in a number of other programs. PSPx6, ASP, etc and only Qimage shows any sign of problems. If I convert to jpeg they are fine.
As I said it's only the soft proofing that worries me. Everything else in Qimage is ok. Prints are ok. Now for this assignment I have to provide files. Not prints. So I'm now worried something may be amiss in the files!

I don't know where I can upload a tiff. They are 160+ meg files. Here's my web page. Not a good web site so no laughing please. http://www.cre8ivephotography.com/ The Home page is a photo from my last assignment. So it will give you an idea of my current work. All old motorbike for a museum.

Regards
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Ron AKA
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« Reply #5 on: June 26, 2014, 12:37:02 AM »

I don't know where I can upload a tiff. They are 160+ meg files.

WeTransfer is a free site the lets you upload large files. Pick an e-mail address that you want to send them to, select the files and upload them. You can "send" them to your own e-mail. You will get an e-mail with a link in it that you can post here if you want. See link to WeTransfer:

https://www.wetransfer.com/users/sign_in
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brucet
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« Reply #6 on: June 27, 2014, 05:02:43 AM »

I've all but exhausted my ideas. The quality of the 'new' files are not useable. This issue has arisen since my purchase of a D7100 and the return home with 5500 files. Old nefs out of the D7000 and an identical work flow give no problems.

If I go into Edit mode. Then click on the edit preview to bring up the 'zoom' window. At 1x all the edges have dotted lines around them!! Like marching ants that don't march. Or selections in some programs.

So old files work just fine. New unedited tiffs work fine. (With a very small amount of quality issues if I really look hard). Any new files from the D7100 that have been edited in anyway fall to pieces.

I tried those same files in other programs and don't get any problems.

So??

I'll continue to use Qimage for printing. But the soft proofing is all but useless.

Yell if you can give me any insight as to what may be going on.

Bruce
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jeffjessee
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« Reply #7 on: June 27, 2014, 07:24:14 PM »

Bruce-If you send Mike the file, as he requested, I'll bet he can sort it out. And someone else told you how to send large files, if it's too big for email. Try that, and I bet it will be fixed in 2 days max, if it is a Qimage problem!
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brucet
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« Reply #8 on: June 27, 2014, 11:33:54 PM »

Thanks jeffjessee but sending a 160 meg files isn't as easy as you think. I'm on a 130 meg a day contract!! I'm also on a laptop traveling and making use of suspect bandwidth. So? So I'll see how I can manage but it's not that simple.

regards
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brucet
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« Reply #9 on: July 02, 2014, 11:52:58 PM »

Hi Mike. I sent two files few days back. I was wondering if you had time to figure out my problem.

regards
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brucet
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Posts: 66


« Reply #10 on: July 07, 2014, 08:36:07 AM »

I've guessed by now my problem is not an issue as I can't seem to get a response to my queries. Sad because I believed QImage had an excellent reputation for user support. I'll just revert back to my old work flow.

Regards
Bruce
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admin
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« Reply #11 on: July 07, 2014, 12:13:14 PM »

I've received nothing to date.  How did you send them?

Edit: I did a global search based on your registered QU email address (which includes all spam filtered messages for at least 6 months) and the only emails I've ever received from you were some from December 2013 where you requested (and I sent) the manual activation.  Might be a finicky mail server or hub somewhere so I would suggest sending to Fred (below).

Mike
« Last Edit: July 07, 2014, 01:11:55 PM by admin » Logged
Fred A
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« Reply #12 on: July 07, 2014, 01:02:03 PM »

Quote
Hi Mike. I sent two files few days back. I was wondering if you had time to figure out my problem.

Hi Bruce,
To avoid any address anomalies, how about sending the files to me?
I can make sure Mike gets them immediately.

My email is   wathree.ssz@verizon.net

I am home all day.

Thanks,
Fred
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brucet
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« Reply #13 on: July 07, 2014, 11:02:41 PM »

Thanks Fred n Mike. I sent two files to mchaney@ddisoftware.com via WeTransfer on the 28-06-2014.

Bruce
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Fred A
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« Reply #14 on: July 08, 2014, 11:41:34 AM »

Quote
Thanks Fred n Mike. I sent two files to mchaney@ddisoftware.com via WeTransfer on the 28-06-2014.

I use WETRANSFER all the time!

When you send the file, you get a confirmation email from them that your file has been uploaded.

After the recipient downloads the file, you get a confirmation email  that your file has been downloaded by......
Did you get either or both of those.?

I have sent stuff to Terry and I typoed the email address, and he never got it.

Regardless, senf them again.

Fred
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