[GalacticPhoto]

Just picked up a K-70 for a great price. I did try the PS function and it works excellent. However, is there a way to get the 4 images separate and then process them? I seem to recall reading somewhere that you could do this and get better results than from in-camera. TIA

[Adam]

Just picked up a K-70 for a great price. I did try the PS function and it works excellent. However, is there a way to get the 4 images separate and then process them? I seem to recall reading somewhere that you could do this and get better results than from in-camera. TIA

I believe dcraw has some command line options for extracting the four frames from the raw file. Due to the added overhead of merging these files, JPEG mode is still my go-to for PSR files.

[tduell]

Just picked up a K-70 for a great price. I did try the PS function and it works excellent. However, is there a way to get the 4 images separate and then process them? I seem to recall reading somewhere that you could do this and get better results than from in-camera. TIA

I think dcrawps is the best tool to use to extract the 4 images, it gives you a lot of useful options.

Cheers,
Terry

[GalacticPhoto]

I believe DarkTable has some command line options for extracting the four frames from the raw file. Due to the added overhead of merging these files, JPEG mode is still my go-to for PSR files.

So does PS work the same way in every camera that it produces a single raw file?

[Adam]

So does PS work the same way in every camera that it produces a single raw file?

Yes. Except that the ones from the K-1 are even more massive

[maw]

Pixel Shift Question - splitting RAW files?

1. I also use Photoshop 2018, but pixelshift is lacking,

2. I recommend you "Rawtherapee", is a very good and free Raw converter.

3. The other excellent is Affinity Photo, which opens the Raw files directly.

Rawtherapee is free. Affinity Photo costs around 55 euro/dollar, but you have updates forever.

[GalacticPhoto]

1. I also use Photoshop 2018, but pixelshift is lacking,

2. I recommend you "Rawtherapee", is a very good and free Raw converter.

3. The other excellent is Affinity Photo, which opens the Raw files directly.

Rawtherapee is free. Affinity Photo costs around 55 euro/dollar, but you have updates forever.

What exactly will Rawtherapee do for me over PS / LR? TIA.

[maw]

What exactly will Rawtherapee do for me over PS / LR? TIA.

I hope to explain, excuse me.

Rawtherapee is a free RAW converter that opens files shot with the pixel shift method of Pentax, but also of all other non-pentax cameras.
It initially requires a learning curve, because the interface is different from Photoshop or Lightroom.
But when you understand how you work it's a real pleasure. I have forgotten you can download the manual in PDF in various languages (EN, FR, IT etc.).
Basically, it opens your RAW or DNG file and shows you the four images separately,
then you decide which one to save, usually in TIFF. There are many commands so you can process it as best you like.

More information here: RawTherapee 5.3

[GalacticPhoto]

I hope to explain, excuse me.

Rawtherapee is a free RAW converter that opens files shot with the pixel shift method of Pentax, but also of all other non-pentax cameras.
It initially requires a learning curve, because the interface is different from Photoshop or Lightroom.
But when you understand how you work it's a real pleasure. I have forgotten you can download the manual in PDF in various languages (EN, FR, IT etc.).
Basically, it opens your RAW or DNG file and shows you the four images separately,
then you decide which one to save, usually in TIFF. There are many commands so you can process it as best you like.

More information here: RawTherapee 5.3

Interesting! I'll give it a try and see what happens. So far I am happy with LR / PS processing the raw files but who knows, maybe that's a better way.

[stevebrot]

3. The other excellent is Affinity Photo, which opens the Raw files directly.

I am an Affinity Photo user and to the best of my knowledge the ability to parse/merge pixel shift files (PEF or DNG) has not been added to that product despite a request some two years ago. Affinity Photo is able to open pixel shift files, but processes only the first of the four captures.


Steve

[maw]

Affinity Photo is able to open pixel shift files, but processes only the first of the four captures.

Sorry Steve, Sorry, can you tell me on which parameters you can assert that Affinity processes the first of the four images? And what channel would it be? My version is 1.6.4.104.

[stevebrot]

Sorry Steve, Sorry, can you tell me on which parameters you can assert that Affinity processes the first of the four images? And what channel would it be? My version is 1.6.4.104.

I am using v1.6.4.104 for 64-bit Windows.

I extracted the four captures from an available PS DNG at Imaging Resource and simply compared to the image displayed by the Develop Persona.

Imaging Resource: Pentax K-3 II Pixel Shift Test Image

I have experience with the linked file from a few years ago when the extraction question was first asked and chose it because of obvious motion elements that are unique in each of the four component captures.* A quick look at the Affinity Photo RAW conversion when compared to that from Pentax DCU shows an obvious difference in detail in the Affinity version. It was obviously not a pixel shift rendering or if so, not a very good one.

My understanding is that the "first of four" behavior is expected for both PS DNG and Pentax HDR DNG. Pentax's storing of several nested RAW captures in a single DNG is not strictly to DNG standard of only one capture per DNG file. Tools that are not PS or Pentax HDR capable simply process the first file they find in that directory. That is the behavior of LR versions 5 and older.

All that being said, I am possibly mistaken since it may be that Affinity completely subtracted the flag as part of motion correction and may simply be very poor at executing the merge.


Steve

* The most obvious is a flag at upper left that PDCU renders as a thin blub at the frame edge. That flag is completely absent from the first capture and present to various degrees in the other three.

[maw]

I am using v1.6.4.104 for 64-bit Windows.

I extracted the four captures from an available PS DNG at Imaging Resource and simply compared to the image displayed by the Develop Persona.

Hi Steve,

1. Tonight I downloaded from 'Imaging Resource: Pentax K-3 II Pixel Shift Test Image',
I opened it in both Photoshop and Affinity, at the moment I have not installed Rawtherapee.
In the photo you can see a kind of flag at the top 'but it could be any moving object', certainly not a U.F.O. Open in Photoshop is visible in Affinity disappears, simply there is no track,
I checked the individual channels. In the next days I will also try with Rawtherapee some photos I have done using mostly images where there are flowers or leaves (which are the most sensitive objects).

2. I know Sony is developing a software to convert Pixel Shift Mode Shots to DNG, again is in beta, but I think we will see it in action. I'm surprised at this point that no software house has in serious
consideration for this technology (relatively new), and taken over by other brands, Sony follows Pentax in some ways, (pixel shifting, SR on sensor) Pentax is currently not following Sony (Mirrorless for example).

Bye Mario

[Rondec]

With Raw Therapee you can take the Raw file and save each of the four Raw images found in it individually, but as far as I know, it is a four step process where you choose each image, save it and then move on to the next one.

[maw]

I extracted the four captures from an available PS DNG at Imaging Resource and simply compared to the image displayed by the Develop Persona.

Hi Steve,

The other night I downloaded the sample photo from Imaging Resource, well what I understood from these images, (you were right) the first image opened in Affinity is the first in the series and is deformed,
that is corrected by Affinity, evidently is able to detect the optics and then make changes, (I did not change the images), so the conclusion seems to be this.

1. Affinity opens and corrects the first image (PixShift), so that being deformed due to the correction, the flap of the flag that appears in the top left disappears in Affinity,
but is visible by opening it with Raw Therapee in the 1st. channel.

2. another note. looking at the images in the transition areas with the light of the sky, it seems me to notice a greater amount of aberrations (not much) than those opened with Raw Therapee.
Of course I excluded PS as it opens the image (in the way we know), the problem remains, just select the individual channels R, G, B to see that the flag takes different positions,
this confirms that you can separate the individual images (ie channels), but you can not recompose them to get the file without the effects undesirable.

Did you try it yourself?

1. Open in Affinity

2. First channel in Raw Therapee

3. Second channel in Raw Therapee

4. Third channel in Raw Therapee

5. Fourth channel in Raw Therapee