Phocus 2 is out

[grandguru]

Visit the Hasselblad.com site

[Alastair Bird]

Hm. So far far I've downloaded it and it is asking me if I want to replace 1.2.1 'Phocus' with the new 'Phocus'.  It would be great if the file was called 'Phocus2' or something like that because I can guarantee you I'm not giving up using 1.2.1 until I can be sure that 2.0 is bug-free - so I'll need to have them both available to me.  It's easy enough to re-name it, but I liked how the Flexcolor versions had the numbers in their titles so you could go back to a previous version if something went, to use a technical term, screwy.

[KeithL]

Have to agree with Alastair, I'll not risk it until I'm sure.

[Dustbak]

Just drop it on your desktop instead of the program folder. It has undergone pretty rigorous testing and many beta versions have past before this final version. Nevertheless, you can never be too sure and have it separated from your regular workflow initially to make sure it works for you.

No software is released without bugs, I am sure this one is no exception. Question is whether these bugs will or will not affect you. A lot of effort has gone into getting the critters out and providing a stable program that works pleasantly.

Personally I have now abandoned Flexcolor totally and gone over Phocus entirely. Phocus 1.2 was simply not good enough to do so. Phocus 2.0 is.

[NickT]

I'm not sure why the naming convention doesn't include the version. I've been running with 2.0 for a couple of months now in various flavours and got into the habit of naming them each time to keep things straight. I have found 2.0 to be very stable and am really enjoying the new features.
Nick-T

[Alastair Bird]

Of course, and I did exactly that. But I can just see someone (or, possibly, many people) not paying attention and dragging the file to the applications shortcut that is provided, over-writing the original Phocus and possibly living to regret it.  I've heard enough horror stories to be very wary of any new software. You know, like when Apple released an OS update and it would destroy the occasional FireWire drive attached to the computer.  That was ugly.  I mean no disrespect to the testers and the software writers, but I feel the previous naming system was safer.  And this isn't an incremental update, it's a full-scale overhaul.  And quite nice, too, judging by my first impressions...

[Alastair Bird]

OK, so far, so good. But one thing that I would love to be able to do is to be able to easily specify my own name when I save multiple copies of the files. For instance, I have a shot of a tube of toothpaste with the toothpaste squeezed out. The shot is, well, overexposed.  Not quite sure how that happened, and of course it WOULD be the image the client chooses...  I would like to process out at least 2 different files.  One with the handy-dandy highlight recovery tool employed (which works very well, by the way) and one without, so I can paint in the highlights where need be in Photoshop.  And I want to be able to name them 'Toothpaste light' and 'Toothpaste Base' or something like that. As far as I can tell, the only way to do this is to build a new template in the save preferences, but that doesn't do me any good if the next time I want to do this is with an overexposed shot of a can of beer.  Or a watermelon.  Am I missing something? A little text box with the filename in it would be perfect. Then you could just add an extra note.

Also, I would love to be able to 'click' on and off single changes to the exposure, rather than all of them. Right now you can click on and off all the changes you've made in the Exposure panel with the little check box in the upper-right.  But I wanted to see how the highlight recovery affected different areas of my image when paired with a drop in the exposure.  Can't be done. Have to drag the slider or clear the box, because if I un-check the box all my changes are shown.  This wasn't much of an issue before, but now we have all kinds of different ways to adjust the image.  The shadow-fill slider is pretty cool, too.

...and if, when you re-size the 'navigator and zoom' tool the crosshairs would be the same size as the window, that would be great.  But a minor request.  That navigator tool is STELLAR. I LOVE it.  Works like a charm.

[Alastair Bird]

...and I'm having trouble with the navigation box lining up with my frame.  I click on one thing and a completely different thing comes up in the window. It's after I un-crop an image that was cropped in Flexcolor. I think the navigator window is only looking at the cropped image - it doesn't update after I update the frame.  I've saved the changes and everything...

**edit** Yep. The frame has been updated and uncropped in Phocus, but for whatever reason the preview in the navigation box doesn't update.  See attached. Updated thumbnail on left, navigation box with old crop on right.  Strange...

[David Grover]

OK, so far, so good. But one thing that I would love to be able to do is to be able to easily specify my own name when I save multiple copies of the files. For instance, I have a shot of a tube of toothpaste with the toothpaste squeezed out. The shot is, well, overexposed.  Not quite sure how that happened, and of course it WOULD be the image the client chooses...  I would like to process out at least 2 different files.  One with the handy-dandy highlight recovery tool employed (which works very well, by the way) and one without, so I can paint in the highlights where need be in Photoshop.  And I want to be able to name them 'Toothpaste light' and 'Toothpaste Base' or something like that. As far as I can tell, the only way to do this is to build a new template in the save preferences, but that doesn't do me any good if the next time I want to do this is with an overexposed shot of a can of beer.  Or a watermelon.  Am I missing something? A little text box with the filename in it would be perfect. Then you could just add an extra note.

Also, I would love to be able to 'click' on and off single changes to the exposure, rather than all of them. Right now you can click on and off all the changes you've made in the Exposure panel with the little check box in the upper-right.  But I wanted to see how the highlight recovery affected different areas of my image when paired with a drop in the exposure.  Can't be done. Have to drag the slider or clear the box, because if I un-check the box all my changes are shown.  This wasn't much of an issue before, but now we have all kinds of different ways to adjust the image.  The shadow-fill slider is pretty cool, too.

...and if, when you re-size the 'navigator and zoom' tool the crosshairs would be the same size as the window, that would be great.  But a minor request.  That navigator tool is STELLAR. I LOVE it.  Works like a charm.

Choose 'Job' as your naming convention.  Voila!

[Alastair Bird]

OK, so far, so good. But one thing that I would love to be able to do is to be able to easily specify my own name when I save multiple copies of the files. For instance, I have a shot of a tube of toothpaste with the toothpaste squeezed out. The shot is, well, overexposed.  Not quite sure how that happened, and of course it WOULD be the image the client chooses...  I would like to process out at least 2 different files.  One with the handy-dandy highlight recovery tool employed (which works very well, by the way) and one without, so I can paint in the highlights where need be in Photoshop.  And I want to be able to name them 'Toothpaste light' and 'Toothpaste Base' or something like that. As far as I can tell, the only way to do this is to build a new template in the save preferences, but that doesn't do me any good if the next time I want to do this is with an overexposed shot of a can of beer.  Or a watermelon.  Am I missing something? A little text box with the filename in it would be perfect. Then you could just add an extra note.

Also, I would love to be able to 'click' on and off single changes to the exposure, rather than all of them. Right now you can click on and off all the changes you've made in the Exposure panel with the little check box in the upper-right.  But I wanted to see how the highlight recovery affected different areas of my image when paired with a drop in the exposure.  Can't be done. Have to drag the slider or clear the box, because if I un-check the box all my changes are shown.  This wasn't much of an issue before, but now we have all kinds of different ways to adjust the image.  The shadow-fill slider is pretty cool, too.

...and if, when you re-size the 'navigator and zoom' tool the crosshairs would be the same size as the window, that would be great.  But a minor request.  That navigator tool is STELLAR. I LOVE it.  Works like a charm.

Choose 'Job' as your naming convention.  Voila!

Brilliant, thanks..  'nother thing. When I go to export and I have a big Navigator window open, the save dialogue box goes underneath the window.  I get this (see attached). In order to see the dialogue box I have to close or move the navigator tool.

[grandguru]

Just like Flexcolor, when you load a new Phocus the older version remains available as well. My own machine has had the earlier beta version of 2 for some time alongside the 'official' version of 1.2.1.

Hm. So far far I've downloaded it and it is asking me if I want to replace 1.2.1 'Phocus' with the new 'Phocus'.  It would be great if the file was called 'Phocus2' or something like that because I can guarantee you I'm not giving up using 1.2.1 until I can be sure that 2.0 is bug-free - so I'll need to have them both available to me.  It's easy enough to re-name it, but I liked how the Flexcolor versions had the numbers in their titles so you could go back to a previous version if something went, to use a technical term, screwy.

[rjanso1]

Hi,
Phocus 2 looks good, new to the digital forum, can any one tell me if I have misread something - I can't see a windows version of Phocus 2?  Is there a link on any release date - when a windows version of Phocus 2 will become available. Thanks

[stewhem]

Downloaded LATE last night and had a brief play. Very impressed with the recovery and shadow fill. Amazed at how well the shadows hold up to quite a bit of pushing. Kudos to Hasselblad.

BUT, why can't we have a sharp preview at normal viewing size? I have set the large preview option but to check sharpness we still have to go in a little, which takes time. I'd love it if someone would say "all you have to do is change this bit and there's your sharp full-size image, idiot." Any takers?

[s.agar]

... when a windows version of Phocus 2 will become available. Thanks

I wonder that too.

[JB]

Have used on my Intel laptop and seems OK. Have used on my G5 PPC and it can't display the image properly at 100% - it corrupts it completely and this is how the image is exported. I have read the readme and I do realise PPC's are not supported, just a bit of a pain as we still have 3, PPC macs that we use for retouching...

As others have commented the recovery / shadow-fill / clarity

Just wrote too soon. Tried to re-open Phocus on the laptop and wont start!

Jason