DPP 3.5 Processes

[Bill Jaynes]

Hello,
Could someone speak to which processes in the new DPP are destructive vs non-destructive?
I seem to recall that working on the RAW tab, everything is resettable at any time. How about
the RGB and NR/Lens tabs? I imagine one could edit in any tab, send the tif to PS and close
the original without saving. Is that about right?

[AlanG]

Hello,
Could someone speak to which processes in the new DPP are destructive vs non-destructive?
I seem to recall that working on the RAW tab, everything is resettable at any time. How about
the RGB and NR/Lens tabs? I imagine one could edit in any tab, send the tif to PS and close
the original without saving. Is that about right?

None of the raw converters change the raw files.  They just make a tif, jpeg or dng file with the instructions you give it.  The only thing you save are the settings you used for the conversion.  You can always set them back the way they were.

[jjlphoto]

I have begun doing some training with DPP. It is nice software. I read the tutorials, and they do explain that adjustments in the RAW tab are non-destructive to the file, and adjustments in the other two tabs may exhibit some file degradation. When they state "file degradation or destructive edits", I believe they mean it is the same as the "file degradation" that occurs by ordinary Photoshop edits.

Given that, the way I understand is that the adjustments in the RAW tab are done as part of the RAW conversion, and the two other tabs are then applied to the file after the RAW conversion (but all done together behind the scenes as one operation, of course). Apparently it would be like just doing adjustments in the RAW tab only, processing to your TIFF, then making the other adjustments in CS with its associated plug-ins.

However, your original RAW should stay as an unaltered RAW for future use.

[jjlphoto]

Okay- now I see what you are trying to ask. I had been saving the recipe for each shot, then when quitting DPP, checking "no to all", so the RAWs remained unmodified/unaltered.

When I check "yes to all" upon quitting, I can see that the time modified to the RAWs is indeed now changed to the time I quit. So what I do not know is if the image data in the RAW is actually changed, or if the recipe is the only thing added to the file, hence modifying it (when checking "yes to all" when quitting).

I'm guessing the latter. Given that assumption, I suppose whether or not the edits were in just the RAW tab or the other two tabs is actually moot. When checking "yes to all" when quitting, then reopening DPP, I tried to "revert to shot settings" and the files did return to their original look when shot, so I'm guessing the original image data remains totally original.

[Chris_Brown]

When I check "yes to all" upon quitting, I can see that the time modified to the RAWs is indeed now changed to the time I quit. So what I do not know is if the image data in the RAW is actually changed, or if the recipe is the only thing added to the file, hence modifying it (when checking "yes to all" when quitting).

DPP adds reference data to the raw file that only DPP reads. It includes all the parameter settings of the program, including dust spotting. The raw image data is not altered.

Adobe products provide an external "side-car" file (or a massive database buried in the system drive) and DPP merely places that data into the raw file. I think it's a cleaner, easier approach.

[Bill Jaynes]

Thanks everyone,
I appreciate all the input. It's great to have software that will deal with fringing and vignetting.
Don't really have the resources for current copy of PS.
Still taking the "No to all" option on closing, just to be sure.

[Chris_Brown]

Still taking the "No to all" option on closing, just to be sure.

I've used DPP, Capture One, Raw Developer, Adobe Camera Raw and Bibble. None of these programs make permanent changes to the raw image data, but if you're skeptical, make a duplicate file. You can control-click to bring up the contextual menu, then "copy" and "paste" to make a duplicate file. Then hack away without fear.