Photo Beta v.1.8.4.665: Immediate CTD on Sigma RAW (X3F) load

[Wumpus]

 

Really excited to see the activity supporting X3F files: thank you immensely for all these efforts.

I think there's been a small oversight in packaging the 1.8.4.665 Photo Beta, because when you open an X3F file, it immediately crashes to desktop (even before fonts are loaded, etc.). As a control, I also retried the most current non-beta Affinity Photo (1.8.3.641), and that can still open X3F files without crashing out.

I tried this new Affinity Photo Beta using X3F RAW images taken using:

• Max resolution
• Low resolution
• B&W
• Taken with a Merrill sensor
• Taken with an older SD14 Sigma.

I tried manually browsing and opening the varied test set of files from within Affinity Photo, as well as using Windows Explorer's "Open with..." and choosing both 'Affinity Photo Beta' and 'Affinity Photo'.

The issue is consistent for all these (above) X3F files opened with this newest beta.

But even with a CTD, I'm still ecstatic for the developer attention after all this time.

[Mark Ingram]

So you can’t open a single x3f even after the app has started? That’s not good 😬

[emmrecs01]

I can confirm this!

Downloaded a couple of sample files from here <Mod Edit>NOTE that site is serving up empty so invalid X3F files </Mod Edit>. 

Latest release version says they are an "Unsupported file type" (as expected, I think); latest beta crashes immediately to desktop.

Jeff

[Chris B]

Thanks for the report.

I have logged this @Mark Ingram 

[Uwe367]

I click the downloaded file with the right mouse button --> open with and then i choose Photo Beta. The App starts up and a few seconds later it closes by itself without any error message.
The current version shows a window with the message that it is an unsupported filetyp.

System is Win 10 Home, Version 2004, Build 19041.329

[Wumpus]

3 hours ago, Uwe367 said:

Yes, @Mark Ingram

 Thanks very much.

To summarize my OP, I tried opening X3Fs in AP beta via AP itself, and Windows Explorer.

I tried opening X3Fs using  the two most popular resolutions.

i tried opening X3Fs taken in colour and BW.

I tried opening X3Fs taken with two different Sigma/Foveon camera models (that use different sensors).

Every single X3F begins opening in AP beta , then abruptly closes with no error message.

Hope that helps!

 

[Mark Ingram]

On 6/27/2020 at 12:12 PM, emmrecs01 said:

I can confirm this!

Downloaded a couple of sample files from here.  Latest release version says they are an "Unsupported file type" (as expected, I think); latest beta crashes immediately to desktop.

Jeff

Those files are all zero bytes. So I'm not surprised they said "Unsupported file type" previously. They shouldn't crash the app though... 

[Wumpus]

Here's a sample everyone can use for testing, taken with the older Sigma (Foveon) SD-14. X3Fs from this sensor normally open quite well in the previous Affinity Photo beta & production releases.

Whereas now, even trying to open this very benign X3F file will make the latest beta (v.1.8.4.665) Crash To Desktop. This sample image should still open in other AP beta & production releases, as a control, and if you care to compare Windows logs.

 

I think that the reason for modifying the already stable AP X3F handling was to improve the quality of X3F's taken with Merrill series sensors, because for just those X3Fs, AP beta & production do a rough job of extracting tonal range, reproducing colour, and introduce a lot of noise if exposed in any way except perfectly. Whatever changes were made to improve that also seem to have affected the earlier Foveon sensors too. Note that there's two later Sigma/Foveon sensors both called 'quattro' (APS-C & APS-H sizes), and I can't attest to how this beta version handles those cameras.

PS - Remember to turn off all noise removal & sharpening.

SDIM5606.X3F

[Wumpus]

AP Beta - 1.8.4.674 was able to open three X3F files taken with two different sensor cameras.

 

I haven't had the time to test the full variety of sample images I tried earlier (they are mentioned above in this thread), but this is good news, and I wanted to pass along the preliminary testing status at my earliest opportunity. I will test the full set later and update this thread.

 

Thanks!

[Wumpus]

Tried the remaining referenced example images, comparing the most recent non-beta Affinity Photo (1.8.3.641) against the newest Affinity Photo Beta (1.8.3.674) . I tried a few random others too.

OBSERVATIONS

• I haven't found any X3F file that won't open in the newest beta, though my tests haven't been exhaustive. That's a really good sign.
• The images open with possibly slightly higher default exposure & lower contrast (I think), making them immediately discernible most of the time. Previously, most X3F were treated as if the log/linear setting was reversed, and you had to do a lot of work just to begin seeing what the image contained.
• I also found that the histograms in the newest beta are often less 'spiky' (interpolated?) than the last production version.
• An interesting (but non-impacting) observation is that when you first open Merrill images, the metadata below the histogram (pixel count, Std. Dev, etc.) temporarily shows a count of 240,000 pixels for 20-60 seconds, then increases to the RGB-based total (adding the cumulative R, G and B layers for each overlapping pixel, to arrive at a 'total'). It seems some of the default processing continues for a while after displaying the initial image.
• In the majority of images, the default colour accuracy is far better than before, also helping the user by getting things a fair bit closer 'right off the bat'.
• BW images still open as colour, but are far more neutral now, and if you toggle the 'BW' setting (in the Development Personae), the default setting is significantly improved and more recognizable.
• If you (for example) remove the red layer (lowest and noisiest) in the Development Personae, to just use the cleaner Blue or Blue and Green layers, some artefacts still appear, and the noise isn't reduced.

SUMMARY: Key Improvements Versus Original Problem Request

1. BW Images still open as colour: NOT RESOLVED (1.5 years & counting)
2. BW Images still not aggregating component RGB layers to reduce noise (i.e., R50%+G50%+B50% would give Grey 50%, and sum those RGB values to provide real sampled noise reduction, as opposed to employing arbitrary & lossy noise reduction): NOT RESOLVED (1.5 years & counting)
3. BW Images still cannot use or remove one or two of the component colour layers (e.g., keep Blue or Blue + Green layers, to eliminate noise from the Red layer), without introducing artefacts: NOT RESOLVED (1.5 years & counting)

SUMMARY: Key Improvements That Were Not Originally Requested

1. X3F images that would previously open, and would not open in AP Beta  v.1.8.4.665, can be opened again.
2. Default exposure and colour correction vastly improved versus all prior AP Production and Beta releases.
3. The application now creates less friction and is more intuitive than was the case previously, for Sigma/Foveon users to process their images .

Great work in getting back on track very quickly!