swisspace wrote:
> Thanks fior info, I have experimented using olympus software, gimp,
> photoshop 7 and now lightroom, and raw developer, but what I am after is
> a technique to combine the outut from developing a raw image, once for
> the sky and the other for the shadow detail and just add then together
I just don't believe that is necessary. A proper RAW converter can do
what you wish to accomplish in one step. You seem to have settled on a
solution for another problem to fix one you have for which it simply
isn't necessary.
I know that gimp and PS7 can't do what you want, unless you have the old
Adobe Camera Raw plug-in for 7, which is no longer available - and I
don't remember if it does ORF files anyway.
Unfortunately, I don't have any experience with Lightroom or Raw
Developer, they are Mac only, right? And I seem to remember a post
saying that at least one of the Oly converters doesn't recover
highlights as well as other solutions, maybe from C.H.?
However, just looking on the web at Raw Developer and Lightroom, they
clearly have the tools you need.
In RD, don't just use the Exposure compensation in the In Tab. Go to the
Adj Tab. Here, you may adjust Highlights and Shadows separately from the
overall image. They have very different effects than the overall
Exposure control.
Or you could use Contrast to pull in the ends of the histogram and
Exposure on the In tab together to pull Highs and Lows in and get the
histogram centered. On some converters, these two Controls are in the
same place, making that way of working more practical. Which combo of
these controls will work for you will depend partly on you and partly on
how the controls are implemented in this particular program. I'm simply
using the screen shots from this essay
<http://www.outbackphoto.com/artofraw/raw_21/essay.html>, and they are
very clear.
Looking at Lightroom, it clearly has the controls you need too. And I am
sure they will do what you need, as they come from PS-ACRS. They are all
on one panel, shown starting in Fig. 15 here
<http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/software/lightroom1.shtml>.
As you can see, they have different names that in RD, but they will do
the same things. Actually, the way the Curves control is set up, that
may be all that's needed.
These are powerful tools you have, and can do the highlight and shadow
adjustments you want. Anything they can't find in the highlights is
simply lost forever. But you will be surprised at what they can find.
> ... you are right though, I am just trying to cheat and should put more time
> and effort into it.
>
No, you aren't trying to cheat, just not understanding/using the tools
you have available and jumping to the conclusion that something more
complex is necessary.
Moose
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