Leaf Volare and Adobe Camera Raw

[smahn]

Anyone having success working with Leaf Volare .hdr files and Adobe products?

I'm getting some mixed but encouraging results.

Lightroom 3.3 and DNG Converter can't recognize the files at all.

However, Camera Raw can. Via Bridge/ACR I can convert to DNG or directly to TIFF/PSD, which is great for batch exporting.

My disappointment is that I'm can't seem to get DNG Profile Editor to work on the DNG's. Sometimes the color picker can't grab the color (I get the default clunk warning sound that I'm doing something wrong.) And worse, when I am able to make and save a profile (to CameraProfiles on a Mac) I'm not able to utilize the profile in ACR (it simply doesn't show in the profile drop down menu.

Has anyone else travelled the same path successfully yet?

All versions fully up to date to the best of my knowledge:

Mac OS 10.6.7
Bridge 4.04.2
ACR 6.4.1
DNG Converter 6.4
Profile editor 1.0.0.45 beta

[photo570]

I am very surprised you have had any luck at all. I tried this morning and was surprised that ACR did indeed work with single shot .mos files from the sibling of the Volare, a CantareXY, but would not open three shot .mos files. I hear people ask about this from time to time. Why do you not just use LC8.4.6. It still works fine under Leopard, and lets face it if you are using a Volare you are stuck on a G4 because of the TAXI PCI card (or a G5 if you can find one, very rare and expensive, the card that is) and ACR has no moire tool if you have any issues with that.

Cheers,

Jason.

[smahn]

Why do you not just use LC8.4.6?

Getting more detail from ACR, especially at enlarged sizes, plus batch. Still in the testing stage but it's looking very promising. Just need to get profile editor working to replace some of what Color Shop can do.

[yaya]

Change the file extension to tif and set ACR's preferences to allow it to open tif...that should do the trick

Or just use LC11

[smahn]

Change the file extension to tif and set ACR's preferences to allow it to open tif...that should do the trick

Or just use LC11

Sorry, can you be more clear? I don't see how either of these approaches will get DNG Profile Editor working for me. Have you tried successfully?

[yaya]

Sorry, can you be more clear? I don't see how either of these approaches will get DNG Profile Editor working for me. Have you tried successfully?

You'll have to ask Adobe about the profile editor, if it opens the file then it should work like it does with other raw files

However I think you will find that LC11 does a good job with the HDR files and if you create a real ICC custom profile (with e.g. ProfileMaker) then LC will be able to use it

Yair

[smahn]

You'll have to ask Adobe about the profile editor, if it opens the file then it should work like it does with other raw files

I appreciate your advice. Would like to pursue the Bridge/ACR workflow as far as possible.

Jeff deduces that ACR isn't able to demosaic the file and is producing a linear DNG:

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/forum/index.php?topic=55022.msg448585#msg448585

Can you think of any route to producing a demosaiced DNG from a Volare HDR?

Thanks.

[yaya]

I appreciate your advice. Would like to pursue the Bridge/ACR workflow as far as possible.

Jeff deduces that ACR isn't able to demosaic the file and is producing a linear DNG:

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/forum/index.php?topic=55022.msg448585#msg448585

Can you think of any route to producing a demosaiced DNG from a Volare HDR?

Thanks.

Volare files cannot be demosaiced because they are not mosaic files (no bayer filters, just pure 16-bit, 6MP per channel...they are 16-bit tiffs with some added tags, previews and ICC input profile

Hence why I suggested to change the extension and to set ACR to open TIFF files. If the profile editor requires mosaic (DNG or whatever) to work then that is the problem right there

Yair

[smahn]

Volare files cannot be demosaiced because they are not mosaic files (no bayer filters, just pure 16-bit, 6MP per channel...they are 16-bit tiffs with some added tags, previews and ICC input profile

Hence why I suggested to change the extension and to set ACR to open TIFF files. If the profile editor requires mosaic (DNG or whatever) to work then that is the problem right there

Yair

I see, thanks for that extra info.

I just don't get what changing the extension to TIFF would do as ACR can process the HDRs as is. It just can't convert them to a format Profile Editor can work with.

FWIW, I did try changing the extension but it made no discernible difference with respect to the DNG issue.

[smahn]

Hence why I suggested to change the extension and to set ACR to open TIFF files.

Interestingly, changing the extension with ACR set to deny TIFFs similarly allows one to open/edit the HDRs directly in PS.

In that case, if they really are just TIFFs, after changing the extension shouldn't Capture One and Aperture be able to process them too? Not having any luck with that.