[Digikam-users] Color Management and RAW/NEF files

[Wilkins, Vern W]

I agree, RAW conversion is terrible at least w/ 16 bits.  I've never been able to get good 16 bit RAW results with any version of digikam, including 1.0.0rc.  I gave up long ago, but I check every new release hoping something will change.  I've always just used ufraw to convert my raw images and save them to png.  Then I do anything I can't do in ufraw, like sharpening, in Digikam and save the jpg's.  It takes a little longer but ufraw does an incredible job (color management works too) with no hassle.

Vern

________________________________________
From: Mark Greenwood [fatgerman at ntlworld.com]
Sent: Saturday, December 12, 2009 1:39 PM
To: digikam-users at kde.org
Subject: [Digikam-users] Color Management and RAW/NEF files

Please will somebody explain to me what is going on when I try to import my NEF files into Digikam? I've read all the information I can, but I cannot understand how Digikam expects the workflow to occur and I seem to be getting random results.

I'm using digiKam on Kubuntu 9.10. Digikam reports its version as rc..-rc, apt says I have version 2:1.0.0~rc
My settings are as follows:
Image Editor - 'Use Raw Import Tool to handle RAW Images' is disabled
All settings under 'RAW Decoding' are set to the defaults
Colour Management : Enabled
Working colour space is set to SRGB
When the profile of an image does not match the working colour space - 'Ask when opening the image'
When an image has no colour profile information - 'Ask when opening the image'
When loading a RAW file with uncalibrated colours - 'Convert it from the default input profile'
Monitor Profile is set to sRGB
I am using colour managed view for editor and for previews and thumbnails.
Default input colour profile is a Nikon D60 profile I created using the Nikon software under Windows.

I am currently testing using one RAW image I have run through the Nikon software and saved as JPEG so I have something to compare to. The icc profile I'm using is the one the Nikon software used when I loaded that image. The embedded preview when viewed in Digikam is clear, bright, and saturated. It looks exactly like the JPEG I have exported from the Nikon software. However when I open the RAW image in Digikam's Editor I get a dark and highly oversaturated image. Even stranger is if I close the editor and return to the image preview, the preview has changed from the bright saturated image I started with to a dark, unsaturated, washed-out image. I do not understand what is happening.

What am I doing wrong? Please.. I really want to use Digikam but the sheer number of options is making my head spin. Also it seems that some changes to colour management settings don't do anything until I restart Digikam, so it is becoming impossible to tell what makes a difference and what doesn't. Don't make me go out and buy a Mac, please... :)

Mark
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