Damien Symonds

Ok, so if you turn all those layers off, then turn them one again one at a time from the bottom up, is there one (or more than one) which is an obvious culprit for the banding?

7 hours ago, Control Z said:

(3) ACR raw processing seems clunkier on my machine than Lightroom or other raw software (Aperture, Photos, Capture 1).  When I move a slider, the whole image darkens momentarily when the slider is being moved, rather than just gradually showing the desired change.  This is distracting and make it very difficult to do raw edits.

This is an odd one, for sure.  As Sam said, everything in your specs suggests it should run fine.  Out of interest, is it the same if you're editing an image which is on the SSD?

7 hours ago, Control Z said:

(4) ACR highlight clipping is acting weird.  Even though highlights are blown out (the histogram triangle is white), I can't get the blown out areas to display white.  Even when I pushed the exposure slider all the way to the right and there is no detail in the photo, only a tiny patch is red.  There must be some threshold setting somewhere, but I can't find it.   See attached screen grab for an example.  In this file, I purposely pushed exposure up all the way.

Thanks very much!

Is it the same if you push the Whites slider all the way up?

7 hours ago, Control Z said:

3) Is there a way to step back through edits in ACR/Bridge like Lightroom's history function?

No.  This is a funny one.

In Photoshop, the history function makes sense, even though only unskilled editors need to use it.  Things happen linearly in Photoshop.

But in raw, nothing happens linearly.  At any point, you can go back and re-adjust a certain slider, regardless of what other adjustments you've made since the last time you adjusted that slider.  Am I making sense here?

There's no need for history in raw.  If you want to re-adjust something, just do so.

7 hours ago, Control Z said:

(2) Is there a way to view or revert to a non-processed raw file in ACR/Bridge?  In the Lightroom develop module, pressing the "\" key shows a before-after.  Is there anything equivalent in Bridge and ACR?

In Bridge, no, there's no way to view a before, except by actually reverting it (right-clicking and choosing "Clear settings").

In ACR, you use the Preview buttons at the bottom right corner of the image, exactly the same as LR.

7 hours ago, Control Z said:

Or alternatively, is there a way to create a duplicate of the processed file without the raw edits?

Hell no.  You're using proper software now, not a toy.  You have to edit like a grown-up.  The purpose of raw processing is raw processing.  To make a single perfect clean version of the photograph you took.

Versions happen in Photoshop.

7 hours ago, Control Z said:

(1) Bridge previews look pixellated, making it difficult to judge focus on photos.  Even when viewing a full-screen preview, the image looks soft.  When I use the 100% loupe, it processes for a few seconds, then renders a sharp image, but the overall larger picture is not sharp.  Is there an ideal preview setting, something like the smart preview in Lightroom?

Preferences>Advanced: "General Monitor Sized Previews"

Yes, of course.

No, that's nearly square.  It can't be the SOOR.

In the very foreground, vertically down from the forehead, see the repetition and little lines where you accidentally cloned some edges?

You have to watch out for this stuff.

10 minutes ago, VitaZorge said:

Do you see banding in my raw file?

No I don't.  That's why I'm worried that your screen is poor quality (as laptop screens often are).

35 minutes ago, VitaZorge said:

Yes.Its been calibrated,but should maybe do again?

Actually, calibration can make the problem worse, ironically.  But only in cases where the screen isn't great to begin with.

Anyway, I'm sure your SOOR is ok.

So may I see a screenshot showing your layers panel of your edit?

It is pretty much impossible to have banding in a raw file.  If you're seeing banding in a raw file, it means your screen is imperfect.

I see "Mac laptop" listed in your details.  Is that the screen you're viewing on?

A similar situation to this, I figure.

It's not perfect, but it might be passable.

While waiting for Brian, is there anything here that helps?

Yes, prints do.  But your files aren't prints, they're just files.

When you get to the output stage, you'll crop to size at 300ppi (or whatever resolution your lab requires) as usual.

Please read Modules 5 and 6 of the Raw class again and again and again and again and again until they stick.

Why PPI doesn't matter.

It's fun, and I love it, but the white balance is all wrong (on the subjects)

May I see one of the individual photos?

36 minutes ago, meris said:

This one the belly texture seems too different from the breast area.

I see what you mean, but I don't see that you have any choice.

36 minutes ago, meris said:

But mainly I don't know what shape it should be there. When it looks flat or bulging, it wasn't quite right.

I would remove it completely, then lower the opacity of that layer to where it looks most plausible (thereby restoring some of the bulge).  This will also help with the texture problem.

For the slight visible crease at the armpit, just some gentle cloning, I think.

37 minutes ago, meris said:

This one it's so close to the edge, and the shadows are really complex.

You can just see at the top finger there's a fold underneath.

The Handyman Method should take care of this.

I was skeptical when I thought of this, but now that I've tried it, I think it might work?

Borrowing wrap from the other side:

Ok, check when you get onto your computer tomorrow, and let me know.

Do you see any banding in the SOOR?

May I see it?

I tried Hue/Sat first too, but you were exactly right - the channel clipping made Hue/Sat look yucky.

It's simply a blank layer, on which I used the Clone Tool.

The "Levels 2" layer doesn't do anything, it's just there to provide the mask for the rest of the layers (so the painting didn't encroach on the child).

The four Color Fill layers are just there to paint colours onto the photo (you'll notice the top one has a different blend mode).

When you're examining the Levels 3 layer, make sure you look at all the channels.

Definitely closer, well done.  May I see the SOOR?