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GRD RAW files in Apple Aperture?

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snowmouse

Guest
Hi folks.

Thanks to those of you who started this forum, I´ve discovered the GRD II, and recently started using one, with the hopes of finally getting to work with RAW images.

The ergonomics of the camera are fantastic. However, I´ve not been able to work with any images yet, as Apple´s Aperture doesn´t want to recognize the files.

Does anyone know of tricks to make Aperture get along with the RAW files? I´ve found very little through web searches.

I have basic proficiency with Aperture and Lightzone, but do not have experience with other image editing software.

Thanks for any suggestions!
 
S

Sean_Reid

Guest
Hi folks.

Thanks to those of you who started this forum, I´ve discovered the GRD II, and recently started using one, with the hopes of finally getting to work with RAW images.

The ergonomics of the camera are fantastic. However, I´ve not been able to work with any images yet, as Apple´s Aperture doesn´t want to recognize the files.

Does anyone know of tricks to make Aperture get along with the RAW files? I´ve found very little through web searches.

I have basic proficiency with Aperture and Lightzone, but do not have experience with other image editing software.

Thanks for any suggestions!
I'm afraid that I can't answer your specific questions but if you do end up needing to use another program for RAW conversion, I would recommend looking at SilkyPix.

Cheers,
 
S

snowmouse

Guest
Sean, thanks for the tip. Maybe I'll have to figure out a way of putting another RAW image editor into the workflow.

I've spent a couple of hours fiddling with lightroom, lightzone and silkypix, simply converting the GRD II RAW images to B+W and then sharpening - no more editing yet. However hard I try with the other programs, the silkypix images come out significantly nicer. Is this because I don't know how to use Lightroom or Lightzone properly, or do the algorithms really differ?

Anyone had similar experience?

Graham
 

Jonathon Delacour

Subscriber Member
However, I´ve not been able to work with any images yet, as Apple´s Aperture doesn´t want to recognize the files.

Does anyone know of tricks to make Aperture get along with the RAW files? I´ve found very little through web searches.
When I first got my GRD, I found that iView Media Pro didn't recognize the DNGs. I may be wrong about this but I initially thought that it's because the Ricoh DNGs didn't have an embedded JPEG for preview -- although it may be due to a difference in the way the GRD writes its DNGs.

My "solution" has been to run the DNGs through Adobe's (free) DNG Converter with the following preferences:
* JPEG Preview: Full Size
* Compressed (lossless)
* Preserve Raw image
* Don't embed original

iView handles the "converted" DNGs just fine so this may also work for Aperture. The extra step in the workflow doesn't bother me because I pretty much follow Peter Krogh's DAM methodology and I figured that I'll have to do this conversion from the proprietary raw files when I eventually supplement my GRD (maybe GRD2) with a Pentax, Nikon, or Olympus DSLR.
 
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S

Sean_Reid

Guest
Sean, thanks for the tip. Maybe I'll have to figure out a way of putting another RAW image editor into the workflow.

I've spent a couple of hours fiddling with lightroom, lightzone and silkypix, simply converting the GRD II RAW images to B+W and then sharpening - no more editing yet. However hard I try with the other programs, the silkypix images come out significantly nicer. Is this because I don't know how to use Lightroom or Lightzone properly, or do the algorithms really differ?

Anyone had similar experience?

Graham
I don't know Lightroom or Lightzone well at all but it is true that not all RAW converters are created equal (with respect to any given camera). I tend to like C1 conversions but, for cameras not supported by C1, I like Silkypix.

Cheers,

Sean
 
S

snowmouse

Guest
Thx again, both.

Follow-up is that Aperture will not recognize the DNG files output from the Adobe converter, either.

OTOH, I am really liking the results from Silkypix - it looks like this one is a winner.
 
E

edslaughter

Guest
There is far too much misinformation on the internet, so I hesitate to post this since I don't use Aperture and don't have a GRD 2. But this may give a useful starting point for getting Aperture to read your .dngs, so you may want to try it out.

I gather that Aperture expects to find a .plist file labelled with the exact name of the camera that created the .dng file. It seems to be possible to copy and rename a .plist file for another camera to create a "close enough" profile for a camera officially unsupported by Aperture. The trick seems to be figuring out the exact name to use on the copied file. I've seen reports of using this to create .plists for GRD I, GX100, and Leica M8 (before it was officially supported).

For an idea of the basic approach, look at this thread (first and last posts especially):

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1013&message=23723763

To repeat: I haven't tried this, and even if it works you'll probably have to fool around a little to figure out the right name for the GRD 2.

ed
 
S

snowmouse

Guest
Hi Ed, and thanks for the suggestion; I had meant to fiddle around with this and then report back to you, but I have found a better solution:

Don't use Aperture.

Soon after you posted, the program crashed on me, and after restarting it the thumbnails were all messed up. A picture of a child, when enlarged, turned out to be a goat. Other thumbnails were elongated horizontally, as if they were in front of a bent mirror at the circus. I messed around with it for a while and then gave up and restored from a vault, losing a fair amount of editing work.

Then it happened again. I restored again.

Then I innocently turned on the new "time machine" feature of Mac OS. In the middle of editing photos, I found pictures appearing and disappearing from collections and folders. The dates changed - randomly as far as I could tell - and amazingly, Aperture will NOT allow you to change the dates of a photo. The smart albums lost their pictures. I searched around and, helpfully, found that this is a known issue reported on Apple's support pages.

If one is to spend one's time in frustration trying to get around glitches in a program, and if there is a KNOWN database conflict that Apple doesn't even have the decency to inform its users of BEFORE they lose data, I have no longer have interest in using the program.

So I am calling the investment in Aperture a waste of $250 and will move along elsewhere.
 
B

Bob Yanal

Guest
The following is a post from the ricoh forum on dpreview. (I don't remember who originally posted it.) Anyway, perhaps it can help:

First download the free trial of PlistEdit pro:

http://www.fatcatsoftware.com/plisteditpro/

Then navigate to here on your Mac:

System/Library/Frameworks/ApplicationServices.framework/Versions/A/Frameworks/ImageIO.framework/Versions/A/Resources/Raw.plist
Copy the Raw.plist file to the desktop in case you mess up (Eoin's advice).
Open "the original file in its original location in PlistEdit Pro. You may have to unlock this file to allow you to save it depending on your security setup. To unlock right click and select get info, go to ownership and permissions and change from read only to read and write". Direct quote from Eoin.
After opening in PlistEdit Pro find the entry for the Panasonic-DMC- LX2 (or LEICA-D-LUX 3)in the upper panel, highlight it and click on duplicate. A new entry is created called Panasonic-DMC- LX2 2 (or LEICA-D-LUX) .I used the plebian Panasonic profile. Click on the name and edit it to read RICOH-Caplio GX100. The name must be entered exactly as I have typed it here. It's probably easiest to cut and paste it. A lot of this is Eoins exact wording but I substituted the correct camera names.
Now just save the edited Raw.plist file in its original location, close all your apps, start up Aperture, and import DNG's directly from your GX100, without the need for any conversion. Again, I have paraphrased Eoin. If you haven't changed your security permissions to read and write, it won't allow you to save.
My only contribution was to find through trial and error the correct name to enter, which again is RICOH-Caplio GX100. Wrong name, won't work. No dash, no caps in correct place, it won't work.
10.5
System>Library>CoreServices>RawCamera.bundle>Contents>Resources>Raw.plist​

Bob Yanal
 
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