I asked how to view two sepatate images at the same time and was told you cannot do it in PhotLab. It would be a great feature when comparing two separate images taken with different lenses. You can do it in Lghtroom and One1 software.
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Hello,
I moved your suggestion to a proper section in order you and other customers can vote for it (as this is the main criteria we make a conclusion on a necessity of the feature).
Regards,
Svetlana G.
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Agreed. This feature would be extremely helpful e.g. for selecting the best picture out of a series of shots. All necessary tools are available, so this shouldn’t be a big deal for development
Certainly this is a great idea. It would allow you to look at the effect of subtle preset differences or even the differences between DxO PL 1 and DxO PL 2 (for testers)
The natural way for me would be to be able to select another picture at the same place where I can also select another virtual copy as the base for comparison. Alternatively right click in the image thumbnail and having something like “Compare with” to set it as a base for the comparison.
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Actually, this is already possible in PL1. See the online documentation (http://help-photolab.dxo.com/en/the-image-browser-2-2):
Reference image
Full-screen mode also gives you the possibility of comparing a reference image to another version of the same image — for example, a virtual copy that was processed differently, or an exported version with applied corrections.
Click on the arrow located on the extreme right in the toolbar, and select the image to compare from the menu.
The original request was for ability to compare two different images.- not different versions of the same image.
The reference you point us to does not (in so far as I can tell) document a means of doing that - - Am I missing something?
Note: It is possible, of course, to move back-and-forwards between 2 images in PL’s Full-Screen Viewer - - but that’s never fast enough on my environment for critical analysis of two images. For this purpose, I use a dedicated image-viewer application … such as Irfan (excellent & free) or Fast Raw Viewer (excellent but not free).
Regards, John M
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An worse alternative would be to cache previews of several recently viewed images, so that one could switch quickly between two of them. I do that sometimes to decide “which shot of this bird has a nicer pose?” but the lack of preview caching means slow refresh time and my short-term memory is too short-term to make this comparison easy.
I agree with your understanding of what I wanted to do. Suppose I was testing two different lenses of the same focal length and f/stop. I would take the same image on a tripod with the different lenses and view them side by side for sharpness, color, etc. I can do that in On1 but not PhotoLab2.
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This feature is a basic requirement. Every other raw converter (aside of Luminar) has that feature.
Maybe DxO expects users to use Lightroom to organize and pre-select images to be edited.
In any case if you miss the compare and selct function you cannot fulfill the complete workflow and that’s why many users use DxO not inprofessional workflows.
I use DxO only on single files where I need the better noise correction or DxO Viewpoint plugin, I do not use Lightroom or Photoshop at all but use On1 and CaptureOne as the main tools because of the missing functions in DxO. I expected V2 to add this missing functions and make DxO a complete tool for Raw conversion.
In that case, Franz, it’s really two instances of DxO at the same time.
When I think about how much trouble this feature would bring, I go back to John’s POV on this issue:
Note : It is possible, of course, to move back-and-forwards between 2 images in PL’s Full-Screen Viewer - - but that’s never fast enough on my environment for critical analysis of two images. For this purpose, I use a dedicated image-viewer application … such as Irfan (excellent & free) or Fast Raw Viewer (excellent but not free).
The time to choose between two images is before DxO Photo Lab.
Even FastRawViewer doesn’t let you put two up at the same time - you can only
- switch thumbnails up to 800px in Grid View or
- switch between the two images quickly on the bottom with the filmstrip.
FastRawViewer is very quick to switch images so this almost works. If I have to study the difference between two different originals or renders, I’ll use resort to Apple Preview. What I don’t like about using Preview is that it doesn’t show images on a pixel basis on a 4K monitor unless you set the resolution to default setting. I have recently picked up LilyView (a $5 Mac App Store purchase) for previewing on my 4K monitor but LilyView doesn’t do multiple images (though it has a great zoom feature between fit to screen and 100% - just put a finger on the option key).
Allowing two images to be open (and corrected) at the same time in DxO Photo Lab would be a great add. Image comparison not a critical feature for a RAW developer. Yet as a software architect my first question would be the number of man hours from my A team required - I’d have to weight that against what features we wouldn’t be able to improve or develop while we are working on this feature.
While I’ve voted for this feature, I don’t think now is the time (there are serious performance issues to conquer first).
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In ON 1 Photo RAW 2019 , it is possible to view 2 or 3 images side by side for comparison. You can even lock the image size so that if you change the image size of one, it will change the size of all you are comparing in the same screen. If ON 1 can do it, it should be possibel in Photo Lab.
Erol, there’s a lot of infrastructure which needs to be put into place to allow viewing multiple images simultaneously. If it’s just a viewer separate from any image controls (you only get the latest version of each), of course it’s possible.
But if DxO gives us that image comparison tool, users will start to shout for the ability to apply changes to an image when in comparison. And if DxO adds that option, the cries will ring out for changes to all of the images in comparison. I’m a bit worried this viewer will become a real distraction and will never please people. Image comparison is more the province of a triage and rating tool than a RAW developer. Since DxO has suggested they want to improve DAM features, you may get your wish.
If so, I hope this comparison tool doesn’t slow down Photo Lab, the way Adobe Lightroom slowed down between versions 2 and 6, as Adobe added more and more features and more and more development teams to Lightroom. Speed is the one essential feature for me in a RAW developer for many photographers.
Software development is not so easy.
For me it would be enough to compare 2 images in their developed state, only in the Organize tab, side by side. This is only to select one of many that I “feel” is the best, and not the one that is scientificly the best, because its histograms are better distributed.
If the tool can present a grid to the user, it also can present a grid with one row and two columns that contain large previews. With a little bit of zooming and simultanous scrolling, it is sufficient for the most basic users, to make a decission on which image to keep, and which to delete.
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You could say the same thing about every other feature. User feature requests should be considered on their own merits, without resorting to the slippery slope argument (I also work in software development, btw).
I don’t think improving caching of developed images, so that switching back-and-forth between two recently developed images didn’t require a redraw period of several seconds, would require so much work. No UI changes needed, just add more caching under the hood.
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Cool. Rwerp, what would you do in answer to these issues:
- Are these image modifiable when being compared?
- Can the user switch out to either image or does the user have to return to the original one from which s/he started to compare and switch there?
“Developed state” in “exported Jpeg or Tiff” by DPL? So you like to use DPL for examining your output?
Normal in the tree of the [Organize tab] i select the rawfiles only.
I use something like Faststone Image Viewer for comparing. You can up to 4 images compare at ones and zoom in move around as one or image by image. It shows also RW2’s, But i am pretty sure it shows the embedded thumbnail Jpeg not a impression of the rawfile it self. Aldoh they state raw support so i am not sure because zoom in at 400% in a thumbnail size? (a incamera black and white is showed black and white so no raw because that’s always “color”.)
So the only real extra i think a raw developer would be giving is real raw workspace-preview side by side.
Back to DPL Organisor and customize image browser.
With CTRL + U you can undock the strip and do a full screen with zoom function left upper corner for the thumbnails:
Again CTRL + U docks it back to original state.
So maybe it easy (quick fix in update terms) to enlarge the zoomingfactor to 2 or 4 images on fullscreen So you can cull more easily on thumbnail comparison?
just plain comparison not a extra zoom 1:1 comparison like FSIV does.
That requires a different tool: Selection of 2 til 4 images in the image browser and a comparisonbutton which allows you to zoom in til 1:1 or further.
I am, personally, not sure if i “need” this feature(same as FSIV) in DPL as priority update.
What i would like to have first is a realtime developer history in steps.
So i can go several steps back and forward to see if my work is progressing the right way or not and if not just go back X steps in that list and start over.
now we have one step (or repeatable) < or > and a switch on / switch off of the whole tool to compare your work in progress.
The work around now is use virtual copy and practise on that one.So your original isn’t ruined by messing around and you didn’t count your editingsteps to undo.You can’t combine them if the outcome is good other then copy paste all corrections on original and delete virtual copy after that. So a history list would be easier to use.
But i guess in the DAM function the comparison side by side function will add a functionality which bring it to the next level. (i don’t upgrade to v2.0 yet so i don’t know how well its improved Organisor tab is working now.)
When a raw is displayed in the organize tab it is basically a preview which is rendered with the default settings. These settings can be changed in the customize tab, so that new previews are generated. Like thumbnails but in original size or at least screen size. I just want to compare two previews, to see which one I like more, and to delete the other. Basically like in Lightroom.
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Ah ok, So the organisor can be having two comparison (new) screens: the strip window in somewhat more bigger thumbnails then i can now blowup for quick culling and the preview screen in the Organisor it provides now, but then with two images if selected.
quick compare test shows same kind of 1:1 grab and move but only for no corrections and corrected (latest state) so the basissoftware for a two different image comparison is present. Only now a base preview and one with the dopfile info applied.
And as i understand you correct, just the latest state version (correction preview) freely selective in the strip for two images.
If they can implement this easy i think it will be a step forward.
Until its implemented i just open FSIV wile DPL is running and use that to examin and delete, re-enter folder to refresh in DPL’s organisor. (minor drawback the dop-files arn’t deleted with the delete inside FSIV, so a clean up is needed afterwards.)
But i get your wish. And in a DAM it’s not very preferable to delete/alter outside its window in a other app or explorer of window10, because it can corrupt its database.
if you like i will drop a vote (it has allready 12)
