Software to batch processing Tiff to RAW in OSX?

Karel Bata

Hi!

Any one know of software that will batch processing TIFF files to RAW in OSX without losing any quality?

Strange request I know.

Cheers! :1drink

Richard

AFAIK, it is not possible to go from any format back to raw. It's a one-way street.

Why do you want to?

arodney

Yup, one way street. You can convert a TIFF to DNG, that doesn’t make it raw (its still rendered).

Karel Bata

It's to import files into Photomatix, which seems to only accept RAW files.

Richard

Karel Bata wrote: »

It's to import files into Photomatix, which seems to only accept RAW files.

That's not what they claim on their Web site. While you will probably get the best results with raw files as input, the program also accepts JPG and 8 and 16 bit TIFFs. It will not save the results as a raw file, but that shouldn't matter.

Karel Bata

Thanks for checking it out, but though Photomatix accepts a variety of file formats to batch process files taken at different exposures, it won't accept anything (That I've tried!) other than RAW files to batch process single files.

I can see the logic of that but it's an unnecessary limitation.

There must be a workaround. I'm not expecting to create genuine RAW camera files, just something that will fool the software.


EDIT - just tried changing the suffix of a tif file to raw. Doesn't work.

jfriend

Karel Bata wrote: »

Thanks for checking it out, but though Photomatix accepts a variety of file formats to batch process files taken at different exposures, it won't accept anything (That I've tried!) other than RAW files to batch process single files.

I can see the logic of that but it's an unnecessary limitation.

There must be a workaround. I'm not expecting to create genuine RAW camera files, just something that will fool the software.


EDIT - just tried changing the suffix of a tif file to raw. Doesn't work.

Perhaps they think that a single TIFF image doesn't have enough dynamic range to make an HDR.

If you want to make an HDR with TIFF or JPEG images, you probably need to shoot multiple images at different exposures and let the software combine them.

RAW images on the other hand, contain more data than a rendered TIFF or JPEG so they can do more with a RAW file.

Karel Bata

Not neccesarily. A TIFF image can hold up to 48 bits http://www.scantips.com/basics09.html but I only want 12.

arodney

Karel Bata wrote: »

Not neccesarily. A TIFF image can hold up to 48 bits http://www.scantips.com/basics09.html but I only want 12.

Bit depth and dynamic range are two different specifications. You can have an 8-stop 16-bit file or a 10 stop 12 bit file.

And raw files don’t have any more dynamic range than a rendered image inherently. The dynamic range is a fixed specification of the camera system (chip, AtoD converter etc). The controlled rendering of the raw by a savvy user with a good raw converter can produce more range than an automatic conversion by an in-camera raw to JPEG process. But that’s based on the rendering, not the initial data.

Karel Bata

Yes, you can certainly pack an X-stop dynamic range image into a X+a bit file. But I don't see how that mitigates against TIFFS.

arodney

Karel Bata wrote: »

Yes, you can certainly pack an X-stop dynamic range image into a X+a bit file. But I don't see how that mitigates against TIFFS.

The main differences here is TIFF is a rendered image, raw isn’t.

MarkR

Karel Bata wrote: »

EDIT - just tried changing the suffix of a tif file to raw. Doesn't work.

That's because "raw" is not a file format. It's a description of a kind of camera file that contains the unrendered ("raw") data that will be used to create a jpeg, tif, psd, what have you. Every camera maker has their own "raw" format-- .pef, .nef, .orf.

It is not possible to un-render a tiff to create a "raw" file. The person who figures that out will be rich beyond imagining. And also may have violated certain laws of causality and reality.

BinaryFx

Off the top of my head, there appears to be two basic options:

i) Use other HDR software that does allow "tone mapping" on a single image

ii) Render out three TIFF versions of the image:

One at zero exposure value, a second at +1ev and a third at -1 ev. I would also look at careful use of highlight recovery on the -1 render and fill light on the +1 render.

I am not sure if you will have to tell Photomatix which exposure is which (if there was no exif meta data in the file), or if you will have to use exif software to fake the exposure value for all three renders if it does not like the current exif meta data.

I personally think of such images as "EDR" or Extended Dynamic Range, as opposed to "HDR".


Sincerely,

Stephen Marsh

http://binaryfx.customer.netspace.net.au/ (coming soon!)
http://members.ozemail.com.au/~binaryfx/
http://prepression.blogspot.com/

pathfinder

Karel Bata wrote: »

It's to import files into Photomatix, which seems to only accept RAW files.

Photomatix will accept files other than RAW files. I can open and tone map tiffs and jpgs as well as RAW files with my up to date Photomatix Pro.

I've always kind of wondered why we shoot RAW files for HDR rendering, since we are going to shoot 3-5 images that capture the entire luminosity of the image, why we can't use jpgs instead of RAW, since we are varying the exposure. I suspect the answer revolves around the larger color space of RAW files, versus that of jpg.

Karel Bata

Hold on. I've got PM 3.2.7. If I click 'batch processing' the window that opens only accepts RAW images. Have you got a more recent version that accepts other formats..? I don't see that in the PM4 features list http://www.hdrsoft.com/download/mac.html

I'm sorry if I'm being a bit obtuse here, but I'm trying to find a realistic workflow for processing image sequences that run into the thousands, but which are not RAW, and converting to RAW appears to be the only realistic route. It doesn't have to be genuine RAW, just something PM will accept.

Karel Bata

I've always kind of wondered why we shoot RAW files for HDR rendering

I think that using JPEGS is likely to introduce compression artefacts. Even the slightest deviation between images will be accentuated.

bgarland

Karel Bata wrote: »

Hold on. I've got PM 3.2.7. If I click 'batch processing' the window that opens only accepts RAW images. Have you got a more recent version that accepts other formats..? I don't see that in the PM4 features list http://www.hdrsoft.com/download/mac.html

I'm sorry if I'm being a bit obtuse here, but I'm trying to find a realistic workflow for processing image sequences that run into the thousands, but which are not RAW, and converting to RAW appears to be the only realistic route. It doesn't have to be genuine RAW, just something PM will accept.

I'm not sure why you aren't seeing the other import options with your Photomatix. I am currently on their 4.0.1 level but I always brought in TIFF images in past versions. Even when using the plug in for Lightroom the software converts the RAW files to 16 bit TIFFs as it sends them to Photomatix.

In Photomatix if you click on file open you should see a list all file types it can work with. My list says JPG, TIFF and about 9 different kinds of RAW.

Karel Bata

file/open doesn't allow for the batch processing of thousands of individual files, like Batch Single Files does. What it does is process whatever is selected into one tonemapped file.

If I open Batch Processing the drop down allows for the processing of 2 to 11 files, not single files. Batch Single Files (the one I need) only accepts RAW.

BradfordBenn

I am not sure if this applies but it often happens at work when people are trying to open files in "another format" is there a drop down menu in the dialog box that says "file type" or something similiar? If there is, try either All files or the format you are trying to import. I do not have Photomatix so I am working with other software quirks....

Karel Bata

Nope. :cry

bgarland

Oops, I wasn't looking at the batch options. Now I am.

In my Photomatix Batch process window, down in the source section on the lower left there is a filter option. If I select that drop down you can select, JPG, TIF, PSD or RAW for your source files. That should give you the control and input options you want.

Edit: I also checked the Batch single files and selected a source folder that had both JPEG and TIFF images in it. Both file formats showed up in the source window as selectable for batch import.