image processing of multiple raw files like photoshop

[LAMF64]

I am totally new to Affinity Photo but have been using Adobe Photoshop fro 20+ years.

As a macrophotographer I often take stack photos and that can be all from a few shots to up to 100+ on the same object (insect).

I always shoot RAW and in order to process them into jpeg or tiff for stacking I use the image processor in photoshop which saves me hours and hours of time.

I have just installed the demo version of Affinity Photo 2.0 and IF I should migrate to AP 2.0 I really need this function.

Is it available in AP 2.0?

Thanks for any reply or suggestions.

[carl123]

File > New Batch Job will process Raw files using the default Raw settings and can save as Tiff or JPG files

If you need to modify the Raw file then providing you can make the modifications needed in the Photo Persona you can create a macro for that and attach it to the Batch Job when you run it.

 

[LAMF64]

Thanks, but this is not exactly what I was asking for.

I need to first edit the raw photos to the desired settings in the raw editor.

After that they should be saved as jpeg or tiff into another folder. This feature can easily be achieved in photoshop and is the only reason I need to stick to photoshop, as just opening the raw files and using the default raw settings won't help me get the most out of the photos.

What' s the point shooting raw then?

So as I don't see this option in AP I disappointly have to stick to Photoshop for another decade, unless I have eons of time editing each raw photo one by one...sigh.

Edited November 10, 2022 by LAMF64

[KinFC]

Yup, I was wishing, hoping, praying for TWO things from the new update. One: non-destructive raw editing (yay), and two: some sort of ability to easily apply edits from one raw file to others. For me, it's for creating panoramas out of raw files, as well as different shots of the same subject taken with the same settings. 

I was really hoping Affinity could become my main editor, but guess I'll have to move on now.

[LAMF64]

2 hours ago, KinFC said:

Yup, I was wishing, hoping, praying for TWO things from the new update. One: non-destructive raw editing (yay), and two: some sort of ability to easily apply edits from one raw file to others. For me, it's for creating panoramas out of raw files, as well as different shots of the same subject taken with the same settings. 

I was really hoping Affinity could become my main editor, but guess I'll have to move on now.

Yep the same here, a pity as I was almost ready to push the buy button for a while. There are indeed many things that are great with AP but the fact that I need to use Photohsop or Lightroom still for processing multiple raw photos in order to do a photo stack is indeed enough to force me back to the Adobe slavery....

But I was thinking if there is a possibility to change the default RAW settings to a preset, that would do the trick, the omnly thing is that you need to change it every time you need to do batch-processing...but IF.. is there a possibility to save the settings like a inf file or so ?

[timothycdykes]

I don't even stack photos, but I often need to process dozens and sometimes hundreds of RAW files at a time. Lightroom/CameraRAW make it very easy and I was hoping for a similar film-strip style interface where I could quickly apply the same settings to multiple photos at one, save presets, etc. but it is just not there. If they could add that feature, I think I could completely step away from Photoshop.

Someone suggested to use Raw Therapee to process RAW files since it would function a lot like Lightroom/Camera RAW. I've tried it and didn't like it - the settings don't seem to produce the same results as Adobe. Also, I don't want to have to use multiple programs for this process. I'll keep experimenting to see if I can produce similar enough results, but please, Serif, please add a good way to process a full photoshoot of RAW files.

[TomM1]

To avoid Adobe, many of us use a separate raw processor like DXO etc. 

[Old Bruce]

4 hours ago, timothycdykes said:

I was hoping for a similar film-strip style interface where I could quickly apply the same settings to multiple photos at one, save presets, etc. but it is just not there.

This is something I would love to have as well. Process one raw .CR2, select a half a dozen (or a hundred) .CR2s and apply the same presets to them in a batch. 

[LAMF64]

Well I purchased the entire Effinity Suite anyway as it seem very nifty to use and the main reason it's not a subscription

But my request remain and I find it pretty hard to understand why it is not possible to at least override the default RAW setting to a new desired one. That would actually do the job, but I'm no dev guy so this is just a thought... to go into the backend and override the default RAW setting might be a trick but still I don't know so I am still trembling in the dark here. 

This is for many of us a go or no go whether to migrate totally frpm Adobe PS to AP so it must be a very tricky task for the dev gus to accomplish. Sorry just speculations from my side. Still hoping...

[Paolo Catucci]

Since they have made a complete suite to manage photographic images, graphic images and layout, they could make a browser like Adobe Bridge from which the raws can be opened directly and saved in a folder without necessarily opening them in the AP. That's how I work with Adobe. I understand copying them slavishly isn't cool, but the workflow is very efficient

[carl123]

On 11/11/2022 at 4:56 AM, KinFC said:

Yup, I was wishing, hoping, praying for TWO things from the new update. One: non-destructive raw editing (yay), and two: some sort of ability to easily apply edits from one raw file to others.

@KinFC

Once you develop your Raw image (non-destructively) switch to the Move tool and you will have the option to Replace Image in the context toolbar

The Replaced image will have the same (Raw) settings that the original Raw file had. This may speed up your workflow a bit.

[LAMF64]

2 hours ago, carl123 said:

Once you develop your Raw image (non-destructively) switch to the Move tool and you will have the option to Replace Image in the context toolbar

The Replaced image will have the same (Raw) settings that the original Raw file had.

You mean after setting up the raw settings and pressed Develop and then choose the Move tool? Then what? Can you please explain as I am new to AP.
Replace the the image in the context toolbar? How do I manage that? 

[carl123]

4 minutes ago, LAMF64 said:

Replace the the image in the context toolbar? How do I manage that? 

 

[LAMF64]

Thanks, but I don't seem to have that optionactivated...

[carl123]

Your screenshot shows you have developed your CR3 file as Pixel output (destructive)

You have to output it as Embedded or Linked (non-destructive) when first developing your CR3 file.

You will find those options in the context toolbar when in the develop persona but only when you first develop a RAW file

 

[walt.farrell]

5 hours ago, carl123 said:

You will find those options in the context toolbar when in the develop persona but only when you first develop a RAW file

And, if on a Mac, you need to have the Develop Assistant configured to use the SerifLabs RAW engine, not the Apple engine.

[LAMF64]

Ok, got it. But I don't see any time savings in this compared to a real batch job for RAW images. A real batch job is when you only have to set one raw setting and then apply it automatically to all raw images in a folder and save them automaticall to a preset folder. That is the workflow in Photoshop that I am announcing here. But it is evidently nothing like that in AP unfortunately.

[Old Bruce]

2 hours ago, LAMF64 said:

A real batch job is when you only have to set one raw setting and then apply it automatically to all raw images in a folder and save them automaticall to a preset folder.

Affinity Photo gets about 90% of the way there and then just stops. I am utterly baffled that I can apparently open raw files in Publisher but I cannot automatically apply the settings from the Develop persona's Presets which are permanently stored in the application to other raw files. 

[walt.farrell]

2 hours ago, LAMF64 said:

But it is evidently nothing like that in AP unfortunately.

Correct.

The nearest approach to that in Affinity Photo:

1. Open a sample RAW file.
2. Click Develop without making any changes.
3. Start recording a macro. Make all the changes you want to make, using the tools in the Photo Persona. Stop recording the macro, and save it to your Library.
4. Run a batch job. In the batch job select the RAW files you want to process, and specify the macro from step 3.

 

[LAMF64]

18 minutes ago, walt.farrell said:

Correct.

The nearest approach to that in Affinity Photo:

1. Open a sample RAW file.
2. Click Develop without making any changes.
3. Start recording a macro. Make all the changes you want to make, using the tools in the Photo Persona. Stop recording the macro, and save it to your Library.
4. Run a batch job. In the batch job select the RAW files you want to process, and specify the macro from step 3.

 

Yes I have figured this out but it doesn't make it possible to make any RAW settings, which is the magic that I am looking for. Batch jobs with RAW files are possible and then you can edit them but no RAW edit. You can get it pretty good but not perfect as if you could have applied a RAW setting first and then do the batch job (or do the RAW edit in the batch job). 

So for now I have got my question replied and know how to accomplish it with a wee flaw. I have choosed to purchase the Affinity siute anyway as the price is not even comparable to Adobe. My stacking photos has to wait for the revolution when AP implements the batch job function for RAW images, that's all there is to it.

[David in Яuislip]

1 hour ago, Old Bruce said:

Affinity Photo gets about 90% of the way there and then just stops.

No, they're just resting

Funnily enough I was playing with this last night
The image on the left has:
A brush overlay with altered white balance to get a reddish tongue
A gradient overlay with altered white balance and a tone curve
The whole image is sharpened quite severely
A hefty dollop of distortion was applied
Cropped to 1:1 starting from the left
These corrections were all made in Develop and it was saved as a linked raw

Opening that again and replacing the image, everyone of the adjustments was applied and remains adjustable so if that doesn't save time I don't know what
Of course it isn't as good as an alternative program that shall remain nameless but if you're using APhoto for raw development it's a massive improvement on V1

And it's now a short step towards a batch system which will accept one image as a starting point then a list of images to apply the corrections to, I'll bet we see it in time for Christmas

[Murfee]

You might be interested in this thread regarding processing multiple raws

 

[David in Яuislip]

23 minutes ago, Murfee said:

You might be interested in this thread regarding processing multiple raws

Thanks for the link, there certainly are some ingenious users out there. However, I shall stay with my nameless alternative, the one that rhymes with PhotoLab, oops

[LAMF64]

14 hours ago, David in Яuislip said:

so if that doesn't save time I don't know what

Well of course it saves time that way but that is still not what I and many others need. It is pretty far from as time saving as a real batch job for raw files. Let's hope you're right about in time for X-mas. That would make AP a reall game killer.

[carl123]

On 11/15/2022 at 12:10 PM, LAMF64 said:

Ok, got it. But I don't see any time savings in this compared to a real batch job for RAW images. A real batch job is when you only have to set one raw setting and then apply it automatically to all raw images in a folder and save them automaticall to a preset folder. That is the workflow in Photoshop that I am announcing here. But it is evidently nothing like that in AP unfortunately.

See if this works for you for batch processing RAW files