Newb: Suggested workflow with separate Raw converter

[tedgoudie]

Like many, I'm looking to replace Aperture before I'm forced to sometime in the not too distant future.

Currently, I use Aperture to import, organize and manage raw files (CR2). I also use Aperture as my base editing tool, but also round-trip edit with Photoshop, MacPhun's tools, and a few other plug-in type editors. I'm not a heavy keyworder, but I do apply some keywords to most files. I primarily organize using Aperture Projects, Folders, and Albums. I have metadata presets applied at import, and I use Aperture presets for several export methods (SmugMug, print, website, etc). I have a Library over around 45,000 photos which are a mix of raw (everything shot in the last few years), JPEG photo (shot in the previous years) and JPEG slide scans (~10,000 from the 1950s - 1990s shot by my father). Here's an overview of how I currently organize in Aperture:

[ external image ]

95% of my catalog is organized like this: projects for each import ("January 1 2014"); folders of projects for events ("WDW January 2014"); albums within some projects ("Family 1973").

I've spent about a week using CaptureOne Pro 7 and I'm thrilled with the raw engine and the quality of the final edited pictures, so I've decided on that to replace Aperture's raw conversion and photo editing. I'm not impressed with C1 7's DAM capabilities, so I'm willing to separate the editing tool from the cataloging and organizing tool. I've seen the thread here about how to migrate from Aperture, so I'll leave that topic for another day.

What I'd like advice on is how to work with PSu and C1 7 (could be any platform, really) in a new workflow. I have the trial of PSu and I'm trying to figure out the options (and the best option for me). Please share any workflows you use or workflow ideas. Thanks!

Ted

[Hert]

Hi Ted,
Welcome to the forums!

CaptureOne is a great RAW converter indeed. Of course, as with any RAW converter, the edits in CaptureOne are stored as parameters in a sidecar file. So called COS files. As you manage your files with Photo Supreme, it will allways keep your RAW files and COS file together. In other words, they are considered a single entity.

You can define CaptureOne as an eternal application. You can do that in the Preferences ->Other Settings. Once you've setup C1 as an external tool, a icon will be created for it in the toolbar. You can now select your photo(s) and click the icon in the toolbar to open them in C1. Tip; use Sessions in C1 instead of Catalog.

Something that will probably need more attention in your workflow is if, and how, you want to see your edits in PSU. As C1 is a PIE editor (parameters only), then the edits are proprietary to C1 only. PSU won't be able to show you the exact edited image (thumb/preview/full size). To get around that you have two options:
1. you accept that the edits aren't visible in PSU (no additional action needed)
2. you want to see the edits in PSU. In this case you can create preview files. A preview file is a JPG file that you create with C1 and for which you change the extension to .preview. For instance; a file called IMG_0123.CR2 can have a preview file IMG_0123.CR2.preview. Again, this preview file is a JPG file with another extension. When a preview file exists on the file system, PSU will know that it should use that file for visual representations. And as the preview file doesn't use the jpg extension, no tool will consider it a photo file and clutter their content.

Hope this gets you started (a little). Please don't hesitate to post additional questions.
Hert

[gcurrie]

I would add another option for your workflow, depending on how often you go back and process your RAW files.

When I used the predecessor to PS (IdImager Pro), I ingested the original RAW file (processed with Canon Digital Photo Pro), a TIFF file created from the processed RAW file, and then created additional versions. I NEVER went back and re-processed the RAW files.

I decided to change my workflow so that I process the RAWs (color balance, light sharpening/saturation/NR/lens optimization), make TIFFs from them and then archive the RAWs and ingest (import into PS) only the TIFF. No edits are ever made to the TIFF, only to a version created from the TIFF. The TIFF is my processed negative. (The RAW only exists as a backup in case of drastic backup failure.) I make as many versions as needed from the TIFF 'negative.' Those versions can be opened in Photoshop etc. and all edits will cause the thumbnail for that version to update accordingly.

So if you do all your parametric processing up front, consider keeping the RAWs out of PS entirely. It cuts the data management almost in half.

[andy@damroundup.com]

Welcome to the boards.. as you can imagine, there are lots of workflows around.. yet another that I tend to use involves DNG files. I convert my RAW files (NEF and ARW) to DNG upon import into Photo Supreme and only archive the original RAW file to a "DN" (digital negative) subfolder. I then cull and rate in Photo Supreme before editing the DNG files in Lightroom. Lightroom allows the metadata and, most importantly, the modified preview to be updated and embedded within the DNG file so Photo Supreme can then display the edits made in Lightroom. The benefits are: the single file (no sidecars) and an updated preview.. the downsides: the DNG file can be large depending on the RAW file (my DNG's can be 25MB a piece) and can slow down Photo Supreme and DNG is not supported by a wide variety of programs.

My other approach has mirrored Gordon's... download raw and edit in RAW editor and export a JPG which is them imported to Photo Supreme... Since I too almost never go back and remodify my RAW's, this allows me to use a smaller (5-6MB) JPG which is universally accepted by 99% of software.... and they are fast to load/display in Photo Supreme.

Lots of options... hope this helps as well!