The Spot-Weighted tool is useful for images other than those that contain people/faces - and even for images that do contain people, there are valid reasons why faces cannot be detected when Spot-Weighted is selected as the Smart-Lighting method.
If “No faces [are] detected” then Spot-Weighted acts (so far as I can see) simply as tho Uniform was selected as the Smart-Lighting method
Conclusion: There’s no point to the Spot-Weighted method UNLESS an “area of interest” has been identified (automatically, as a face) or defined (manually, via the tool).
Therefore: If, for the Spot-Weighted method, a face cannot be detected then the tool that enables manual selection of an “area of interest” should be automatically activated … thus allowing direct selection, without having to first manually activate the tool - as this is an unnecessary step (it’s one that software can predict).
sins i am using this type as exposure adjustment more and more i have to say this comment sticks. But then again it’s not a difficult quest and the solution is near the corner.
Easiest way to fine tune this and jump a click is don’t hide the TOOL Icon/button when it is in “Uniform” modes. (If clicked it jumps to “Spot weighted” and let’s you immidiatly pick a target.)
If this is true the hole “Uniform” button is redundant for most images, (only IF you want a face not be targetted by the auto mode and want to have a uniform exposure correction then the button is usefull), and it is easy to overcome a Two Click by adjusting your personal base preset (The one you can select in preferences to apply to rawfiles, default is dxO Standard) the DxO Smart Lighting in “spot weighted mode”.
This way the targettool is always visible to use and only needs one action. and if it sees faces it select those automatic.
One thing i discovered: If you update your base preset after first opening a folder it don’t overrides the non-adjusted sidecars which are not visible in your image folder jet by the way. (so my new base preset is not applied to all non editted rawfiles in that folder.
I would like a popup window which is asking after editing the applied base preset in the preset editor: Would you like to apply this new preset to all default images? (Not the ones you already did of coarse.)
(this popup can also be used for the moments you want to change the applied base preset by one out the list. but a “select all” or “select some choosen” and “apply” does this job also this is less important for speeding up processing.)
I noticed that only the altered images get a “image.RW2.dop” file and not the not touched one’s so this is usable as a marker for this future.
This in combination of showing which preset is applied active by a green V in a corner of the preview would be a powerfull upgrade for managing personal presets.
Apologies for my late response, OXi … I’ve been away for a couple of weeks.
Yes, your suggestion is exactly how I have my version of the “base preset” set-up … However, the issue remains that if a face cannot be detected then the tool remains not-activated.
I agree/accept it’s not a big deal to simply activate it manually - but this is an unnecessary step ('cos it’s one that software is able to predict).
The workaround for this is to delete the PL database (assuming you have no dependency upon it - which is the case if you’re using .dop/sidecar files to save/load your corrections … as I am).
no problem, written “talk” can survive longer then a few days
That is fine by me, one click on the tool activate the “box”. sometime i want first use the “hand” for detailed look before adjustment and a auto box will place unwanted boxes.
interesting, can you elaborate on this subject?
what is saved in that pl database?
My understanding is that the database (stored here, for Windows: “%UserProfile%\AppData\Roaming\DxO\DxO PhotoLab 1\Database”) holds the same information that’s saved to the .dop/sidecar file accompanying each RAW image (assuming your Preferences have the settings shown below).
If the settings are as shown above then the database is redundant - because, each time an image is loaded its corrections are loaded from the corresponding .dop/sidecar file - and any new/changed corrections are saved back to the .dop/sidecar file.
In my case, I often rename images (and their corresponding .dop/sidecar file) and/or change the directory structure within which I reside, after having processed my images with PL - so, there’s no value for me in having redundant entries in the database (and I can always depend on the corrections being loaded from the .dop/sidecar file, which I always keep with the RAW image no matter where it resides) … So, I regularly delete the database & cache files.
When a new set of images are discovered by PL it applies the “base preset” defined for the image type (either RAW of RGB … as per your Preferences settings) - and the corrections are saved to the database (before you have had a chance to apply any manual corrections - and, therefore, before a .dop/sidecar file has been saved). And, if an entry exists in the database for which there is not a corresponding .dop/sidecar file for the image - then the database entry is used.
This explains what happens when you make changes to your “base preset” file halfway thru applying corrections to a folder full of images: The new “base preset” will not be applied. because the original “base preset” already exists as an entry in the database.
So, by deleting the database you are forcing PL to apply the new “base preset” to any images that don’t have a corresponding .dop/sidecar file.
yes, thank you.
This is clear to me now.
At first i found the one side car per image irritating folder filling, i was used to a folder in folder system so th folder looked less full. But after a wile it started to grow on me and those flexibility of movement is a plus.
But good to know i can use a database for the same. ( i won’t because that’s the weak point of PSE, move a file when PSE is closed and you get a “orphan” in the database and a not showing image. ) and that the database isn’t filled with the presets and personal settings i build/set because it would be not the way to go to delete this DB and with that also your prefferenced altert settings.
Note that the zip contains a Widows command (.cmd) file … Simply double-click the filename to activate it (like you would for an old-fashioned DOS batch-file).
PS. For your piece of mind (and mine!) I suggest you examine the .cmd file before you execute it - - just to be sure it’s not doing anything you don’t want it to do.
