<br><br><div class="gmail_quote">2009/1/13 Gerhard Kulzer <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:gerhardkgmx@gmail.com">gerhardkgmx@gmail.com</a>></span><br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">
<div class="Ih2E3d">On Tuesday 13 January 2009 06:10:09 Chris Savery wrote:<br>
> Hello,<br>
> I'm new to digiKam. I am currently using Lightroom on WinXP under<br>
> VirtualBox. I would very much like to move to using digiKam so that I<br>
> can do my photo work under linux.<br>
><br>
> First thing that comes to mind when trying this out:<br>
><br>
> -> if I add my image file tree being used under Lightroom into digiKam<br>
> as albums is digiKam going to write back to the image metadata on those<br>
> images?<br>
</div>digiKam cannot write into RAW files, but can write into DNG files and normal<br>
formats like jpg and png, tif. The latter depends on your settings: you can<br>
leave it at the default where metadata are kept in the database only, or tell<br>
digikam to write into the images (I prefer the latter for security reasons).<br>
<div class="Ih2E3d"><br>
> I'd rather that all my Canon CR2 images remained intact and unaltered. I<br>
> would also very much like if they can co-habitate in both Lightroom and<br>
> digiKam until I have decided that digiKam offers enough incentive to<br>
> drop Lightroom. I have looked through the manual but can't find a clear<br>
> answer on this.<br>
</div>see above, CR2 will not be touched.<br>
But digikam can convert them into DNG files and add metadata. (If you read my<br>
article on Digital Asset Management <a href="http://www.gerhard.fr/DAM" target="_blank">http://www.gerhard.fr/DAM</a> you'll find<br>
arguments against keeping propriatary formats in the long run)</blockquote><div><br>Note : with Exiv2 0.18, a generic tiff writter have been implemented, and Exiv2 start to tupport writting mode in some RAW file format based on TIFF/EP, as DNG of course, but also, PEF, and NEF. I know that Andreas Huggel (Exiv2 coordinator) work on CR2 support.<br>
<br>As Gerhard said previously, DNG can be a solution. This depand of your workflow.<br><br>DNG is not perfect. I recommend to test my RAW to DNG converter tool for Linux avaialble in digiKam as plugin:<br><br><a href="http://www.digikam.org/drupal/node/373">http://www.digikam.org/drupal/node/373</a><br>
<br>Personally, i don't use yet DNG. My raw workflow is :<br><br>RAW (mrw-minolta) [Camera, backup]<br><br>PNG (16 bits) [Editing, cataloging, storage, backup, versioning]<br><br>JPEG [publishing and printing only - i never store in local JPEG image]<br>
<br>Gilles Caulier<br><br>Best<br><br>Gilles Caulier<br> </div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;"><br>
<div class="Ih2E3d"><br>
> Second thing that I'm not clear on is when adding images from my CF<br>
> cards using the auto-album mode to create date folders is what those 3<br>
> date options really mean. It isn't stated anywhere that I can find, but<br>
> maybe I'm not looking enough. I want to use the same format I do now -<br>
> eg. 2009/January/03 for the folder name. Is that "full text" or ISO. It<br>
> would really help if that selector box there gave examples of what the<br>
> options mean. I guess that should be added to some wish list.<br>
</div>Use the context help: Shift+F1 (question mark appears), then click onto the<br>
Date format and a detailed example explanation will come up.<br>
<div class="Ih2E3d"><br>
> Lastly, in digiKam it looks like there is no similar concept to the<br>
> "catalog" of Lightroom. As far as I can tell when images are added to an<br>
> album it is simply a way of managing a file folder tree. So if that's<br>
> the case I'm not clear how one works with offline content stored on<br>
> removable media. If the albums are "out there" (not online) is the data<br>
> still stored in the database. So is there only ONE really big database<br>
> for everything ever touched in digiKam or is there some way to select a<br>
> current database, ie. catalog?<br>
</div>Currently digiKam can not deal with offline content, but that feature is in the<br>
development pipeline.<br>
<div class="Ih2E3d">> I have many years background programming for Win32 GUI in C/C++. If I am<br>
> able to really use digiKam for my photography under Linux then I'd be<br>
> really happy to contribute through programming for digiKam too. There<br>
> would be a learning curve for me as I have not yet coded for Linux Gui<br>
> (just console apps so far).<br>
</div>You are more than welcome to contribute to digikam. It's best to write or talk<br>
to Gilles Gaulier, our lead developer, directly. He is often on the freenode<br>
#digikam channel.<br>
<br>
Cheers<br>
Gerhard<br>
<div class="Ih2E3d">> Thanks for any input on my questions above.<br>
<br>
</div>_______________________________________________<br>
Digikam-users mailing list<br>
<a href="mailto:Digikam-users@kde.org">Digikam-users@kde.org</a><br>
<a href="https://mail.kde.org/mailman/listinfo/digikam-users" target="_blank">https://mail.kde.org/mailman/listinfo/digikam-users</a><br>
</blockquote></div><br>