Raw Photos Support

[phantomfsoc]

Hi,
I'm a long time Sage user.
Just curious if with all the Open Source activity, if anyone has or is planning on adding support to view photos taken in RAW format (cr2,nef etc)?
It's the only feature that I would love at this point because I'm forced to take pics in RAW and also jpg just so I can view them on my Sage screensaver.

Thanks
Nelson

[Fuzzy]

I don't think I've ever even imported a photo into sagetv.

[phantomfsoc]

Well that's good to know. You should try it out.
I try to use every feature and was just hoping someone figured a way around this limitation, maybe in the new open source version or something. So if you come across something useful, let me know.

Thanks

[KeithAbbott]

Originally Posted by phantomfsoc

It's the only feature that I would love at this point because I'm forced to take pics in RAW and also jpg just so I can view them on my Sage screensaver.

Surely there must be a way to convert RAW to jpg, instead of taking two pictures?

[tmiranda]

Originally Posted by Fuzzy

I don't think I've ever even imported a photo into sagetv.

I have thousands and use them and they are displayed as screen savers on my TVs. One of the best features od SageTV, I get to see my old photos all the time.

[phantomfsoc]

I don't physically take 2 pictures, the camera saves 2 copies of the same pic.
But I store the 2 versions only because sage can't display the RAW ones.
It really is one of the best features of sage. Sometimes you'll lose time just sitting there when the screen saver kicks in or when people come over they love just having it going on in the background.

Anyone know at least why it CAN'T be done?

[Fuzzy]

put simply, I just don't think there is any capabilities in Java to pull that in without yet another third party library being thrown in.

[stanger89]

Originally Posted by phantomfsoc

Anyone know at least why it CAN'T be done?

Of course it can be done, but it will take some interested person to do it. And I think you'll have a hard time finding such an interested person.

My real question is why do you want it? RAW files are, by their nature, unprocessed. Don't you process/develop the good pictures? Do you really want all the "less good" pictures shown too?

I shoot RAW too, but I only export the good ones I've developed for Sage to show. The keepers are only a small portion of what I come home with. For example I went to Airventure this past weekend and came back with 5600 pictures. So far about 100 of them are good, non (near) duplicates, that I actually took the time to develop. I don't want the other 5500 pictures showing up in Sage.

[phantomfsoc]

I do process them when and if I plan on printing them or want a real keeper. But like you said, there are many pics that never get touched and just sit on the hard drive, so why not use them for something as simple as a screen saver?
I've been using this feature since day 1, and back in the day it wasn't an issue because older cameras mostly shot to jpegs, but now with DSLR's I would think it would be an obvious step forward. I mean sage can show a PNG... how many of us "NEED" that?
So its cool, I've followed your posts for years Stanger and you've helped up a few time so I respect what you're saying.

[stanger89]

When I got my first DSLR I remember asking Jeff about adding raw support. But as time has moved on and I've grown as a photographer, and also as I've accumulated more photographs, it's basically fallen off my radar, to the point now where I actually don't want all my pictures in Sage's screensaver.

I don't need pictures of test patterns I shot while adjusting AFMA, or pictures of random things I've taken either to post to support or a forum, etc. Additionally, there's the issue of Raw files being undeveloped, and with default processing often times looking terrible. Not to mention all the near duplicates from continuous drive shooting (many out of focus), trying different exposures, different settings, etc.

There's also the practical issue (for developers) that raw is a moving target. Just look at the release notes from Lightroom or similar, there's always updates for some new camera with some new, slightly different raw format.

All that said, from a practical standpoint (ie the low probability of someone having the skills/interest to add support), if you really want every picture to show up in Sage, your only realistic options are to either always shoot RAW+JPG or to always convert to JPG when you get home.

[Tiki]

Originally Posted by stanger89

When I got my first DSLR I remember asking Jeff about adding raw support. But as time has moved on and I've grown as a photographer, and also as I've accumulated more photographs, it's basically fallen off my radar, to the point now where I actually don't want all my pictures in Sage's screensaver.

I don't need pictures of test patterns I shot while adjusting AFMA, or pictures of random things I've taken either to post to support or a forum, etc. Additionally, there's the issue of Raw files being undeveloped, and with default processing often times looking terrible. Not to mention all the near duplicates from continuous drive shooting (many out of focus), trying different exposures, different settings, etc.

There's also the practical issue (for developers) that raw is a moving target. Just look at the release notes from Lightroom or similar, there's always updates for some new camera with some new, slightly different raw format.

All that said, from a practical standpoint (ie the low probability of someone having the skills/interest to add support), if you really want every picture to show up in Sage, your only realistic options are to either always shoot RAW+JPG or to always convert to JPG when you get home.

I didn't think RAW was really even a standard format- don't different camera manufacturers each have their own proprietary raw format?

[Opus4]

Originally Posted by Tiki

I didn't think RAW was really even a standard format- don't different camera manufacturers each have their own proprietary raw format?

Right -- RAW is not a standardized format. It is the raw data for a particular camera and sensor, as the manufacturer chooses to store it. To support RAW files, a library that could read them all would be needed and then it would need to be updated as new cameras and changed RAW files come into existence.

As for the PNG question: it is a standardized format, and thus its support in SageTv comes from whatever image library is used to load images.

Then there is DNG... but the RAW files would need to be converted to that, so you might as well shoot RAW+JPG, which is what I do.

Andy

[mistergq]

Originally Posted by phantomfsoc

I do process them when and if I plan on printing them or want a real keeper. But like you said, there are many pics that never get touched and just sit on the hard drive, so why not use them for something as simple as a screen saver?
I've been using this feature since day 1, and back in the day it wasn't an issue because older cameras mostly shot to jpegs, but now with DSLR's I would think it would be an obvious step forward. I mean sage can show a PNG... how many of us "NEED" that?
So its cool, I've followed your posts for years Stanger and you've helped up a few time so I respect what you're saying.

I understand what you are saying, but I think of raw as more like a negative. You can do a batch conversion in Lightroom and most Raw editors.

[mistergq]

Originally Posted by tmiranda

I have thousands and use them and they are displayed as screen savers on my TVs. One of the best features od SageTV, I get to see my old photos all the time.

I agree. It is one of the features why I stuck with STV. We often just let the photos go and watch them.