preview H3DII 50 on mac os

[cool92]

do you know when it will be possible to have preview icon from H3DII 50 files ?

it works for H3DII 31 and 39 !!!

thanks
Pascal

[meesh]

I was wondering the same, but the latest Apple RAW update that came out yesterday I think enabled that. Not sure what took so long. Now I just wish LR would read FFF files, not just 3FR, any idea when that will happen?

[Ali Alriffai]

Today apple updated the Camera raw support
Supported by Digital Camera RAW Compatibility Update 3.1

Hasselblad H3DII-50
Leica M9
Leica X1
Olympus E-P1
Olympus E-P2
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1
Pentax K-7
Pentax K-x
Sony Alpha DSLR-A500
Sony Alpha DSLR-A550
Sony Alpha DSLR-A850

[arminw]

Well, I think it's great news seeing Apple updating it's RAW converter. I use Aperture everyday, but have had a lot of problems recently with large file sizes causing my machine to crash. I think it's time for a new MAC PRO to keep on the ball of this never ending race.
I also have to figure out how to use my Hasselblad files and Aperture together? I used to export preview JPGS from phocus then import them into Aperture, do my selection and editing then go back to export the chosen ones as 16 bit tiff . Now that's the point when my version of Aperture constantly crashes because it somehow can't cope with the file size. What's the workflow  you guys use ?

[Hywel]

I found Aperture 2 very unstable with Hasselblad files because of file size issues. Although I've not gone into full production with it yet, Aperture 3 seems more stable with the big files, which is good. I'm only using an H3DII-31 though so no idea how it'll perform with 49/50/60 Mpixels.

I currently export working files from Phocus as 16-bit ProPhoto TIFFs to a subdirectory called Tiffs in the directory for each set of photos.

I import the Tiffs into Aperture, then afterwards import the raw files from the parent directory and use "Autostack" to stack each TIFF with its master. (Importing the TIFFs first means that they are automatically chosen as the stack pick by Aperture, which is what I want). I then do sorting, keywording, retouching and any other playing around I want to do in Aperture, based on the Phocus TIFF output. Note that whilst Aperture can see the RAW data from FFF files, it doesn't know how to read Phocus' image processing settings (so for example a shot you've processed in Phocus as black and white will be seen by Aperture as colour, interpreted by Aperture's own raw processor).

That's another reason for wanting the TIFF version to be top of the stack.

Then I export the final versions in web-sized JPEG, full-sized JPEG with middling quality (also for the web) and full-sized JPEG with high quality (so I always have compressed, but high quality version of my final render of the image). I don't currently, but probably should then re-import those JPEGs into Aperture and autostack to group them all with the original... but as I use subdirectories for each size render and the same filename throughout, I can quickly go from Aperture's listing to the renders if I really need them.

The idea here is that I save the raw file, the two renders I actually use right now, and a high enough quality JPEG render that if all else failed I could probably go back and print from that. This comes to around 61 MB RAW + 11 MB big JPEG + 3 MB for the rest = 75 MB per shot, whereas keeping the 16-bit TIFF render would be 180 MB.

It means that if I do need to re-render or do some additional cleanup or make a new version, I can search in Aperture and go right to the Hasselblad RAW file, which I can then reprocess in Phocus if I need to: I'd just regenerate the TIFFs based on the snapshot rendering info in the FFF file which should regenerate the TIFF file more or less exactly (the only reason it wouldn't do is if the version of Phocus has changed and it is doing things differently).

Now it has to be said that this is NOT as future-proof as saving all the TIFFs would be, but at 2000 or so shots per month I'd be filling 500 GB a month easily. Disk space is cheap, but managing a collection growing that fast would be hard (and I already have 30 TB of disk space in my office with another 12 TB offsite).

The key feature of this workflow is making sure the FFF files and all its derivatives get keyworded early, and kept together. Then it is enough to locate the FFF file and I instantly have all its derivatives to hand, or regenerable from Phocus.

 Hope that helps. The best place to look for workflow hints is "The DAM book" by Peter Krogh... http://www.amazon.co.uk/DAM-Book-Peter-Krogh/dp/0596523572/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1267366706&sr=8-1 a book I'd recommend EVERY pro photographer read!

 Cheers, Hywel.

[Phil G]

Hi Hywel

Are you putting all your files in the Aperture Library ? we have adopted the practice of 'referenced files'

ie import from external drive or camera convert in Phocus and save on to 'ITB HDD Internal'* then import into Aperture as referenced file
our Aperture library and scratch pad is on a striped pair Drives 2+3 for speed; Aperture  Library vault is saved to Drive 4 and external along with HBlad referenced files  
All other formats are imported into Aperture library

I know SATA HDDs are cheap but with a working copy, a onsite backup and an offsite back up copy and a Preservation Archive copy
Paranoia soon increases the storage needs for one digital object

I have not yet installed A3 but a colleague who is using an early 4core Mac Pro reports that it works well even cleaning up CA on my H3D39 images which only Phocus would do

Phil

* this is in Drive 4 and copied onto a 1TB Archive on a Wiebetech eSATA  

[Hywel]

HI,

  I am using referenced files everywhere, not using the Aperture library at all. I don't want to be locked in to using Aperture, I use other programs (eg Phocus) as necessary in the workflow but use Aperture as a DAM tool to keep track of everything.

  I'm still deciding whether to switch to Ap3 full time for my professional workflow. (I'm currently using Phocus, then LR3 beta). Overall I prefer Aperture, and I'm definitely using it for all my personal projects. LR3 has some things going for it for handling thirty sets a month each of 100 or so finished pictures, mostly to do with how it handles metadata import and export. Aperture 3 has some distinct oddities and is positively cussed when it comes to exporting the metadata again.

  For example you can't force it to store metadata in XMP sidecar files automatically, you have to export the masters... and it can't spot hierarchies in keywords on import. So if you have a hierarchy like Landscape->Features->Waterfalls, and import a file keyworded in another program (eg Phocus) with the Waterfalls keyword, it creates a new keyword "Waterfalls" at the top level rather than figuring out that you probably meant the Waterfalls keyword that already exists in your heirarchy. This is a pain. Somewhat understandable, because nothing stops you having the same keyword in different branches of the hierarchy, but still... it would be nice if it asked you on import if it should use the existing keyword, especially if it is unique.

  It is a funny thing. In almost every way I prefer Aperture, but it refuses to play nice sometimes.

Cheers, Hywel.

P.S. my backup strategy goes...

1) Import from card, using Phocus, to "Virgin Imports" directory on my working disk, a RAID5 array in my MacPro.
2) Check the photos look OK.
3) Split into sets, assigning a permanent and hopefully unique filename and set name/number.
4) This is automatically backed up to a Drobo via Time Machine, so this happens automatically during a shooting day. Working disk is backed up to this automatically.
4) Copy to main DroboPro. This is considered the "master" copy hereafter. Changes to Master copy are only committed manually, by rsync from the working disk.
5) Keyword. (Sometimes I do this whilst splitting sets). Update master copy with keyworded versions if necessary.
6) Switch on and connect backup DroboPro. This is kept unconnected normally to guard against power spikes, file corruption and the like.
7) Copy to backup DroboPro. This has two rotating disk sets, one of which is kept offsite, and swapped every few weeks (or immediately after a big shooting trip).
Then and only then clear images off card.
9) Export TIFFs from Phocus, on working drive only. (Backed up with Time Machine)
10) Import TIFFs into LR3 and/or Aperture for retouching.
11) Export finished versions as small, medium and "final" JPEG renderings. Check they all look OK.
12) Import TIFFs and renderings into Aperture for DAM.
13) Import FFF's into Aperture to keep all versions of image together.
14) Delete TIFFs
15) Move files from working drive to "done" area (currently another directory on same drive, but when that fills up the final resting place of the files is defined as the "done" area on DroboPro master drive).
16) Backup "done" area to DroboPro master area, and on next sync to backup copy, and next disk set swap to external copy.

I know that I really ought to get a BluRay drive and make write once backups as well, but I must admit I can't quite face it!

[Phil G]

I have just found that after latest update  A2 will import the H3D 50 files but will only show them as distorted thumbnails so looks like I better move to A3

Phil