WB Picker error

[Murfee]

Just now, TonyGamble said:

I guess that Tony was doing a HDR Merge rather than developing a RAW

I am.

Are you telling me that 'New HDR merge' can't be done from three RAW files?

T

No, it can, I very rarely do any HDR work. 

When you do a HDR merge you are not working with RAW data when the merge completes, I have just done a quick test, the finished image went to the Pixel Persona. I then went into the Develop Persona and the colour picker only affected the Temperature, the Tint slider remained on 0. The tint slider only works when you are dealing with RAW data. Try developing a single RAW file and you will see that both sliders move, you should get a good result with your WB on that single RAW.

[TonyGamble]

Thanks Murfee.

Not your fault but oh so sad. I've been rattling along for a week complaining that I can't use the picker for my HDR work and suddenly discover it is not a bug but a feature!

I came across Affinity through some posts on DPReview about HDR. Like smadell I use DxO for my RAWs and I find it does a good job - better than the one that must remain nameless that I abandonned in early January. Also mentioned on DPR was Photo Matrix - it is not good. Clearly the guys posting that thread on DPR did not realise Affinity was not designed to work on HDRs created by unbalanced RAWs.

Anyway, not to worry. I'll go back to SNS-HDR that will work from RAWs.

And sorry for wasting everyone's time around here (to say nothing of my own - grin grin grin!)

Tony

 

[Murfee]

2 minutes ago, TonyGamble said:

Clearly the guys posting that thread on DPR did not realise Affinity was not designed to work on HDRs created by unbalanced RAWs.

It can work very well, have you tried using the White Balance Adjustment Layer in the Photo Persona? it has a picker and will adjust the temperature, you can manually move the tint slider until you get a result that is pleasing to the eye. The advantage to this is you can easily make changes without going into the Develop Persona, this is very useful if you are making other adjustments and feel that the WB needs a bit of a tweak.

An adjustment layer that I use a lot when I need to be very specific about colour is the Selective Colour adjustment layer, I find that I have a lot of control using this.

[smadell]

In theory, it can be done. However, if memory serves me correctly, you lose some of the Raw developing finesse you would otherwise have if you did the raw development first, and only then did the HDR merge. I think I remember a tutorial stating that developing the individual Raw files (where you can deal with white balance and tint better) and saving to EXR (which is a 32 bit format), then doing the HDR merge on the three EXR files is the better way to go.

Watch this video (below) and think about doing the initial Raw development (including white balance and tint), saving to EXR as a 32 bit file, and then doing the HDR Merge on those EXR files.

 

[TonyGamble]

Thanks murfee. I really don't want to resort to trying to get it balanced by moving sliders. All the software I use currently can do it with a picker. As I explained I can usually find something white like that floor. I do a lot of theatrical work where the lighting temperature changes - but it is rare that there is not someone wearing white or even a tuxedo. When I do house interiors I take along my grey card.

And thanks smadell. Nor do I want to have to colour balance each RAW. In this case I only used a stack of three. If I have to do a room with big windows I may need five shots.

Horses for courses.

Whilst you have been digging into your memory banks for a solution I have been running through the non HDR shots of that art class. I did them with DxO this morning in a bit of a rush. There are about forty shots there. I have just been through them with my wb picker alive in DxO and matched the whole sequence. It did not take long and I don't like my porfolio folders to have varying WB as it destracts my clients.

Thanks both of you for helping. Sadly there are two other matters where the developers of Affinity don't have the same needs/priorities as me. The sum total suggests that AP is not an essential need for my digital toolbox.

Tony

 

[smadell]

Sorry to see you go, TonyGamble. As I've said before, I love Affinity Photo, but (like you) find its Raw capabilities to be its "weak link." Doing HDR work, Panoramas, Focus Merges, and so forth – anything that requires combining/stitching multiple individual photos – starting with Raw files is always a bit of a struggle. This is why I still use DxO PhotoLab for my Raw files, and export to TIFF's in order to maintain as much usable data as possible. If your work requires more than the occasional use of multiple Raw files coming together into a single image, then Affinity Photo may not be the best answer for you. Oh well – it was worth a try, though, wasn't it?

[Murfee]

I am also sorry to see you go @TonyGamble, Like Smaddell I also love Affinity Photo and dislike the RAW capabilities. I am old school and began my digital workflow before RAW Processors & DAMs were developed. I prefer to do all of my editing in the pixel persona I only use the Develop Persona to open my RAWs then I get started with all of my adjustments, for my style of editing Affinity Photo works very well indeed. I fully appreciate that the majority of Photographers need a better workflow for multiple images, I only shoot a few images at a time so can manage quite well.

Maybe when the team get the often requested DAM developed it will come with decent RAW capabilities, you may feel like trying it out, it would be good to see you back.