Digikam raw files and darktable

[Remco Viëtor]

On dimanche 15 janvier 2017 10:19:29 CET Juan Jose Casafranca wrote:
> I don't understand your point about thumbnails. Thumbnails in DK are stored
> in the database, the only thing needed is to change the way the thumbnail
> is generated in the first place and that will be the image that is saved in
> the database.
> 
And that is exactly what I don't like about your idea...

> When the associated xmp file is changed for a raw image, the thumbnail will
> be updated.
> 
Meaning, if I understood your previous posts correctly, that you _replace_ the 
thumbnail in the digikam database by a new one. Which means that you won't see 
the original thumbnail anymore (as it has been overwritten)...

Now, imagine a new Digikam user, who uses the build-in editor for a while and 
is used to seeing his edits and the original (RAW or jpeg/tiff/dng/...) file 
side by side. That user hears about Darktable and decides to give it a try. He 
edits a few files with it, and goes back to Digikam, _where his original 
images seem to have disappeared_ (as DK replaced the thumbnails).

> About how to associated a single raw file with several xmp, I still have to
> understand that part of the code. Simon proposed to use a virtual file. I
> believe this means adding several entries to the file database for a single
> file, but as I said, I have to think about this part and how can be
> implemented.
> 

And if you go that way, there is no reason anymore to replace the original 
thumbnail, you just add an extra virtual file.

Also, it seems that UFRaw and RawTherapee require you to save the edited 
images to jpg (or whatever you like), and in that case, Digikam sees the new 
files appear and takes care of the new thumbnails automatically. So the 
'virtual file' solution is only needed for Darktable (afaik). So, if possible, 
a plugin that automatically saves a jpeg from within Darktable might be an 
easier solution (the 'virtual file' solution might cause a lot of other head-
aches when you use DT and another editor like te GIMP: as no real file exists 
for the DT edit, it's going to be complicated to avoid file naming conflicts).

I'd love to see a solution where the DT edits are visible from within DK, but 
replacing thumbnails isn't acceptable for me.