Unexpected system crash, and image from Nikon Df

My computer is an iMac running the latest version of Big Sur, with 8 GB RAM. PL4 seems to run fine on it until today, as long as I’m not doing other intensive software. I was reviewing today’s images, using the crop mode. PL4 stopped responding, but the rest of my computer seemed OK. Normally I would close all my other running apps, but I wanted to send one quick email first - but the second I clicked on the MAIL icon, the computer locked up, shut down, and I got to see the message posted here:

I called Apple Tech Support. The technician had me re-start the iMac, then use FORCE QUIT on the programs that were running. Then I restarted into SAFE MODE, he looked around, and told me to restart the computer normally. It started, everything seemed fine, and when I re-opened PL4 it seemed fine too. I do have a copy of the crash report that I can post here, but I don’t understand any of it. I’ll just copy the first page.

Maybe someone here will understand it, and maybe I’ll hear back from Apple Tech Support. The technician felt that I had too many programs open at once. Had I been thinking ahead, I would have gotten 16 GB ram, but it’s too late now.

I went back to editing my images, but I wasn’t pleased with them. One of them looked like what I hoped to capture, but it’s not very… well, exciting. I am curious if what I did in PL4 is now acceptable, or if I need to change how I do things.

_MJM2553 | 2021-01-19-LF photography with Nikon Df.nef (19.3 MB)

_MJM2553 | 2021-01-19-LF photography with Nikon Df.nef.dop (12.7 KB)

One more image to upload - if I would have had a longer focal length lens, this is the image that I prefer, but it is cropped too much.

Lesson learned - bring a zoom, or additional lenses next time.

Your dop file gives me an internal error. And it creates a virtual copy. I don’t know what you’ve done.
Your wb is manual 5400. This is the result: to blueish. Take the white balance color picker to one of the white boats to see the difference.

Maybe for Joanna. Loading the picture and dop gives me an internal error and creates a virtual copy. Changing the whitebalancetemperature to 6000 in the dop file shows me that the virtual copy does have the wb set to 6000. It looks like the dop file can’t be executed with the image but dcan be with a virtual copy. Also when moved to a new directory.

George

You’ll always have the wrong lens.
Lesson 1. You use the gear you have.

George

2 Likes

Here’s my take…

Main differences are changing the grad filter to cover the sky better and removing the saturation/vibrance in favour of fine contrast

Here’s the .dop with both your and my versions.

_MJM2553 | 2021-01-19-LF photography with Nikon Df.nef.dop (25,3 Ko)

No such problems here.

OK, I put your version next to mine, and went looking for differences.

The most obvious one that hit me instantly was the sky. Last night I thought having the top of the image darker improved it, but now that I see them next to each other, the way you did it looks better.

I assume the “fine contrast” is what influenced the way the water looks. The version I did shows the water as more or less flat. The version you did shows “texture”. Yours is more “exciting”, and mine is more “boring”. I need to think about this for a while longer. I guess the same “fine contrast” is what made the skyline so much nicer in your version. The green trees look greener, and the buildings look sharper. That improved the boats somewhat as well.

Question - was this use of “fine contrast” what you used to make the clouds at the right side of the image 1/3 of the way down, to make they show up? In my version they’re almost invisible. Obviously I prefer what you did.

Lessons learned - from now on don’t use the graduated filter too much to darken the top of the sky, should be just what’s needed to bring out the clouds, without turning the clouds gray. Fluffy white beats gray. And, to try “fine contrast” rather than “saturation/vibrance”.

@mikemyers
Regarding the crash: You could download Etrecheck and have it check your system. The result report will list the problems of your iMac - if any. This might help the Apple support.

Probably my fault. When I was finished, and about to do something else, I forgot to do it on a “virtual copy”. I suspect that’s the reason for the error. Usually I create the virtual copy so I have two separate images.

White balance - I had set it manually to “direct sunlight”. I used to leave it in “auto”. What are you suggesting I do in the future for outdoor shots such as this? I thought “Direct Sunlight” meant 5500 Kelvin. Apparently that’s not the case? I changed it manually to 5500, and will try that today or tomorrow. What would you suggest?

Downloaded.
I assume I should also get the “power user package” once I figure out how to use it.
Thanks!

Apple Tech Support rarely can tell me why I had a problem - the log file probably explains this, but only to a trained technician.

Since the “beachball” appeared, I select that as my first issue.

There’s something strange in the dop files. Joanna’s gives me an error to. Only for the master image.

Forget about the deepprime in the title. A leftover from another exercise.
Did reset, apply ‘no corrections’ and used the gray picker on the left boat. Gave me a color temperature of 7388. In raw therapee the auto wb gave me a color temperature of 8722. Pl doesn’t have an auto wb.

George

George, the problem with the ‘dop’ file might be something I did, but thinking back on this, all I did is decide to crop more as a test. I know I should have made a virtual copy, but I can’t see how that should have caused a problem. Maybe the problem you experienced is a direct result of the program crashing while I was making changes?

Should this happen again, I will do a “Force Quit” to PL4, and see if my computer then seems normal. At that point I could re-start PL4, or more likely do a re-start first.

…before I forget, where did those color temperatures come from? I thought “direct sunlight” was 5500, but you’re getting 7388 and 8722? I’m confused.

Your nef file says 5200 manual. That’s what you learned here to do and that’s the result. Pl wb ‘as shot’.
Read my post again. I used the color picker. Put it on something that supposed to be gray. I used the boat in the left.
In raw therapee you can let the program calculate the color temperature: 8722
Capture nx-d mentions 5211 manual and 5500 calculated.

George

Just to repeat, I opened the file with no problem at all

What exact version of DxO are you running?

pl 4.1.1 4479
On the win10 pc virtual copies are made. On the wi8.1 pc not.
Sorry, all windows.

Just noticed that resetting does show the image. Maybe something in the presets Mike used.

George

The key is to not start the graduation at the top of the image, otherwise the effect starts to fade from there. What you want is for the full effect to be there for all of the sky down to the start of the transition. Anything above the “start” of the transition (mask appears blue) takes the full adjustment.

What you did (with mask visible)…

What I did (with mask hidden)…

Correct in all respects :blush:

The fine contrast is a global adjustment and, combined with the little bit of micro-contrast in the local adjustment for the sky.

You shouldn’t need to change the exposure on the sky, especially a clear blue one. You could try tinkering with the white balance on the grad filter if you want to make the sky slightly (and only slightly) bluer.

Not necessarily. In this case, there was enough saturation to start with, which is why I removed it. Otherwise, I recommend fine contrast as a much more subtle alternative to ClearView Plus.

OK, that is different on macOS, we are at 4.1.2b48.

Since resetting did show the image, I think it’s something in the preset/edit Mike used.
@mikemyers, did you use something from filmpack? I don’t have that.

George

There are no FilmPack adjustments in either Mike’s or my version.

I think I found it. I think a missing optics module. I didn’t download it.

George

No. I moved the files to a new directory. Same result.

George