PrintEXIF fun & games
rutt
Registered Users Posts: 6,511 Major grins
Harry (and probably others) uses this Photoshop script called PrintEXIF to sign their shots and add some info to them before posting online. I asked Harry if it could add some extra info and he got all grumpy and said NO!. But it turns out that Harry doesn't think it's perfect the way it is, he just didn't want to hack on it.
But I've always been curious about how to make scripts work in Photoshop and this seemed like an opportunity to learn which might not be too challenging. So I downloaded the original and made one change which I think Harry was saying woudl be a definite improvement: I made it add the time of day as well as the date taken. Fun and easy, it turned out. If you want to try it out pick it up here: http://www.chezrutt.com/rutt/PrintEXIFv1_7_rutt.zip Follow the same installation instructions as from the original download site: http://www.joe-sherry.com/PrintEXIF/index.htm
OK, so now I know a little about this script, what would we actually like it to do differently than it does? I'm willing to try a few other hacks before I get bored. What about that "Uncalibrated: flash" thing. That's awfully misleading. Must be something about Nikon exif data, I don't get it with Canon. But I could try to fix it so it wouldn't print anything about flash unless you used one.
But I've always been curious about how to make scripts work in Photoshop and this seemed like an opportunity to learn which might not be too challenging. So I downloaded the original and made one change which I think Harry was saying woudl be a definite improvement: I made it add the time of day as well as the date taken. Fun and easy, it turned out. If you want to try it out pick it up here: http://www.chezrutt.com/rutt/PrintEXIFv1_7_rutt.zip Follow the same installation instructions as from the original download site: http://www.joe-sherry.com/PrintEXIF/index.htm
OK, so now I know a little about this script, what would we actually like it to do differently than it does? I'm willing to try a few other hacks before I get bored. What about that "Uncalibrated: flash" thing. That's awfully misleading. Must be something about Nikon exif data, I don't get it with Canon. But I could try to fix it so it wouldn't print anything about flash unless you used one.
If not now, when?
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One difference between the version I started with and what I see from Harry and friends is that mine uses a gray background for the box at the bottom. Has everyone else already customized to use black. If not, perhaps I really did start with a later version.
The color of the yellow copyright is very easy to change, btw, if you wanted to.
How do you change the yellow copyright color. I'd like it toned down to something a little less bold.
One more question. I checked the option box to move the copyright to "left under" but then it overwrites the picture title. Is there a easy way to add a line so this doesn't happen?
I knew, of course, that trees and plants had roots, stems, bark, branches and foliage that reached up toward the light. But I was coming to realize that the real magician was light itself.
Edward Steichen
Can you edit the script with confidence? If not, let me know. If so, search for the string "Color Settings" and you can see the script creating the yellow color for the copyright:
I.e., yellow = R=255, G=255, B=0
Make your own color by copying this line and applying your own RGB values to the new color. Perhaps:
for an all white signature. Then just below you'll find:
Change that "yellow" to "copyrightcolor"
I'll look into your second question.
I figured out the copyright color change question. As a test I changed mine to :
var yellow = new SolidColor()
yellow.rgb.red = 168, yellow.rgb.green = 162, yellow.rgb.blue = 3
Here's what that color looks like:
I knew, of course, that trees and plants had roots, stems, bark, branches and foliage that reached up toward the light. But I was coming to realize that the real magician was light itself.
Edward Steichen
Shouldn't it just print a lens make/model if it actually knows and otherwise just say nothing about it?
Yes, I agree.
I wonder why it doesn't pick up the standard Nikon 18-70 Kit lens from the exif or is that info not included. Just zoom position.
Also playing around (but not trying to mess too much with a good thing!), I changed the copyright font size:
TI.font = TEXT_COPYRIGHT_FONT
TI.size = fontSizeSmall
I like the slightly smaller font.
I knew, of course, that trees and plants had roots, stems, bark, branches and foliage that reached up toward the light. But I was coming to realize that the real magician was light itself.
Edward Steichen
Email me.
Lens info isn't in the exif info proper. For my canon cameras, though, photoshop seems to know it. I think that means that the script could discover it, but I might have to RTFM for photoshop scripting. Perhaps it can be done in some way that works for all the cameras were PS can decipher the lens info?
If you need some originals Nikon D70s with flash:
http://cs-pics.smugmug.com/photos/48209857-O.jpg
http://cs-pics.smugmug.com/photos/53724055-O.jpg
http://cs-pics.smugmug.com/photos/29244869-O.jpg
No Flash:
http://cs-pics.smugmug.com/photos/40499162-O.jpg
http://cs-pics.smugmug.com/photos/50903062-O.jpg
In re-reading your email, you want NEF file also. I could email . . . Let me know.
I knew, of course, that trees and plants had roots, stems, bark, branches and foliage that reached up toward the light. But I was coming to realize that the real magician was light itself.
Edward Steichen
Thanks. I might use those, but your camera doesn't seem to have the problem that Harry's does. He gets the word: "Flash:" iin his caption when the flash doesn't fire. That seems like a bug but reading the code, it's a bit hard to know exactly what's going on. Doesn't seem to happen with the D70. Your camera does get the "Uncalibrated" word. I'll figure that out and do something about it. It would at least be nice to know what is uncalibrated. Is it the matrix metering? If so it would be nice to get it on the same line. Otherwise, it would be nice to know what is uncalibrated.
I just noticed in Adobe ACR that while editing a Nef file it does say at the top of the screen:
At least it picks up the zoom range of the lens and not just "undetermined lens" . . .
I knew, of course, that trees and plants had roots, stems, bark, branches and foliage that reached up toward the light. But I was coming to realize that the real magician was light itself.
Edward Steichen
too bad it doesn't recognize any canon lenses
Its a bit more work than having the script do everything for you (I don't remember any of my scripting training...
20D | 300D-IR | EF-S 10-22 | EF-S 18-55 | 50 f/1.8 II | 70-200 f/4L | 17-40L | Lensbaby 2.0 | 250D | 550ex | Gitzo 1257 | RRS BH-40 | RRS L-plates
The Blog | The Photos
That looks good and nice food shot.
It doesn't recognize any lenses, Canon or Nikon, that I can tell. Photoshop has a bit more info than the script manages to print. I'm going to fool around a little and see if I can figure that out.
I should post them in the 'other cool shots' for Andy to dool over
20D | 300D-IR | EF-S 10-22 | EF-S 18-55 | 50 f/1.8 II | 70-200 f/4L | 17-40L | Lensbaby 2.0 | 250D | 550ex | Gitzo 1257 | RRS BH-40 | RRS L-plates
The Blog | The Photos
http://www.nikoncafe.com/vforums/showthread.php?t=48164
I use any earlier version of the script as I'm running CS.
http://behret.smugmug.com/ NANPA member
How many photographers does it take to change a light bulb? 50. One to change the bulb, and forty-nine to say, "I could have done that better!"
Oh, that makes sense. I grabbed the CS2 version as a starting point. It does have a few bugs as well but perhaps you are getting the flash message and the word "uncalibrated" because you are using the earlier version. I'll take a look at it and see if that makes sense. After a modest amount of playing, I'll offer back my changes to the originator.
I didn't figure out how to move the rest of the info down if "below right" is specified. Wordaround: option "don't flatten" and then you can move it all manually.
I'd like to merge these changes into the 1.6 version so CS (not CS2) users including Harry can use as well, but it's more work than I guessed and needs testing. So I didn't get to it yet.
Pick up the newest version here: http://www.chezrutt.com/rutt/PrintEXIFv1_7_rutt.zip