12 step recovery from film to digital

bobV · 04-05-2021, 01:53 PM

Hello . . . !

Photog nut from the old days (110, 35mm, 120) to digital.

No darkroom experience but still have a few 35mm manual camera's left over that have been collecting dust for years. Sold my 120 medium format years ago. 2 Yashica and 1 Fuji 645 folding.

Went digital (kind of) a dozen years ago with a Pentax k2000. "Upgraded" to a k20d a few months ago and added some new fixed lenses (Rokinon, 14mm, 50mm and 85mm). Enjoying these "fast" lenses and relearning how to operate a camera in shutter priority with manual focus.

Shoot mostly in RAW (DNG) but find the need to do MINOR editing without investing in Photoshop or other software. DNG files are "invisible" to most software so I can't rotate and do minor adjustments.

I need to find a way to convert files to PNG or JPG to rotate and/or upload to social media.

G search turns up mostly paid ads with free trials, etc and other come-ons.

Looking for bulk conversion of DNG files that saves as PNG or JPG. Something more convenient than on camera conversion.

Suggestions?

Bob

---------- Post added 04-05-21 at 02:01 PM ----------

Forgot to mention . . . several of the sites with "free" software have Trojans.

bertwert · 04-05-2021, 02:07 PM

From reading your post, it seems that your do not want to edit your photos, but rather just convert to jpeg? Maybe I misread, however.

If that's the case, why don't you just shoot jpeg in camera? Or I don't know if the K20D offers RAW+, where you can shoot in raw and jpeg to keep the raw files as well as having the jpeg available to share.

As far as free software for converting and editing, there's a couple excellent options. Personally, I use Darktable, but Rawtherapee is another good one.

bobV · 04-05-2021, 03:01 PM

@bertwert a little of both. Minor editing (color adjusment, rotate).

I shoot in RAW (DNG) because I have enlarged a few. Used one as a backdrop for YouTube video's I shoot. Yes, I can shoot as JPG or RAW/DNG but sometimes need a compressed file.

I tried Darktable but did not consider is user friendly. Looking for something simple, with a relatively flat learning curve.

Search mentioned Picasa (which apparently is no longer a Google product). Tried to download and got a Trojan warning. Had the same when trying to download GIMP.

I gave the Windows 10 built in Photo Editor and it does most of what I want.

Hoping to find a bulk converter for a dozen+ files on my SD card that can be saved on my hard drive. Taking the SD card from the camera and inserting into the slot on my PC I discovered Windows can't read it. The card does not show on Explorer so I have a need to convert so they can be saved on my HD.

**jatrax** · 04-05-2021, 03:19 PM

Free software:
Irfanview
Faststone
GIMP (try a different download site, GIMP itself is well regarded)

However, as @Bertwert says why not just shoot in jpeg? If you are not going to process the RAW files on your computer there is no advantage to shooting in DNG. And I'm not sure what you mean by "enlarged a few", if you actually upsized an image what software did you use for that? I would think any jpeg from a k20d would be more than large enough for YouTube. K20D is 3100 x 4600 ish. And Youtube is max: 2160 x 3840 more usually it is 1080 x 1920.

Maybe I'm missing something but I am confused by what you are trying to do.

**Kerrowdown** · 04-06-2021, 02:33 AM - **1 Like**

Welcome to the forum from the Highlands of Scotland, I must admit I’m more than happy with the Adobe subscription service, Photoshop, Lightroom and Lightroom mobile for $10 a month.

ChristianRock · 04-06-2021, 07:39 AM

Welcome to the forums!

This might be a dumb question but I'm going to go ahead and ask it...

If you just want a RAW developer to batch process images, meaning you don't really want to edit them at all... why not shoot JPEG then? You can set up the K20D with a four-star JPEG image quality that creates quite pleasing image with little to no JPEG artifacts.

If you do want to do some basic editing, RawTherapee is my RAW editor of choice. Not the most user friendly but it's free and it gives the best results from the ones I have used.

bobV · 04-06-2021, 09:46 AM

Thanks for the responses.

I shoot mostly scenery, landscapes, etc as DNG in order to generate prints. Last one was 48 x 60 printed on matte finish vinyl and used as a backdrop for YT videos.

Compressed files like PNG, JPG, etc don't work well with enlargements.

Most of the editing software wants to compress the file which results in data loss. Compression is an enemy of enlargements.

I can't recall what I used before but think it was Lightworks with Darktable. Could have been GIMP+Darktable but frankly I don't recall which one produced the results without compressing the file.

I mostly shoot in shutter priority, manual mode and am very conscious of lighting, color saturation, etc. Old habits can be hard to break sometimes. I cut my 35mm teeth on a Pentax k1000 and a Ricoh KR-10. Shot a lot of film, color and BW under different settings including night shots where meters don't work well. I rarely used TTL metering, either followed my "gut" or occasionally used a Gossen Luna Pro.

My photo's require minimal editing which is why I have no use for expensive software or a subscription service.

I am also looking for a way to transfer the DNG files to a hard drive. I managed to use a Chromebook with an SD card reader, uploaded to G Drive then downloaded to my PC hard drive. Way too many steps . . .

After a bit more research (this camera is still new to me) I discovered a data port. Unfortunately the port is a "micro-mini" female, not a standard in the USB world. I believe I found a data cable that might work at B&H and on Amazon. I really don't care for using eBay for any kind of technical equipment. I will find out in a day or so if the data cable will solve that problem. It seems everyone that made photo equipment used a proprietary port design making after market parts challenging.

I will certainly check out suggestions like RawTerapee, GIMP, Irfanview, etc and see if these achieve my goals and have a minimal learning curve.

Thanks!

ShutterPro · 04-25-2021, 02:10 PM

Welcome to the forums!

archaeodude · 04-26-2021, 01:32 AM

Welcome to the forums!

I've recently started doing a lot of RAW processing, and I've been happy with Darktable. It definitely processes DNG files (camera*support | darktable), but it sounds like you may already be aware of its uses and merits.

I'm sure you'll find the correct editing software in due time!

04-05-2021, 01:53 PM	#1
bobV New Member Join Date: Apr 2021 Location: Atlanta Posts: 10	12 step recovery from film to digital Hello . . . ! Photog nut from the old days (110, 35mm, 120) to digital. No darkroom experience but still have a few 35mm manual camera's left over that have been collecting dust for years. Sold my 120 medium format years ago. 2 Yashica and 1 Fuji 645 folding. Went digital (kind of) a dozen years ago with a Pentax k2000. "Upgraded" to a k20d a few months ago and added some new fixed lenses (Rokinon, 14mm, 50mm and 85mm). Enjoying these "fast" lenses and relearning how to operate a camera in shutter priority with manual focus. Shoot mostly in RAW (DNG) but find the need to do MINOR editing without investing in Photoshop or other software. DNG files are "invisible" to most software so I can't rotate and do minor adjustments. I need to find a way to convert files to PNG or JPG to rotate and/or upload to social media. G search turns up mostly paid ads with free trials, etc and other come-ons. Looking for bulk conversion of DNG files that saves as PNG or JPG. Something more convenient than on camera conversion. Suggestions? Bob ---------- Post added 04-05-21 at 02:01 PM ---------- Forgot to mention . . . several of the sites with "free" software have Trojans.

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04-05-2021, 02:07 PM	#2
bertwert Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: Golden, BC Posts: 15,173	From reading your post, it seems that your do not want to edit your photos, but rather just convert to jpeg? Maybe I misread, however. If that's the case, why don't you just shoot jpeg in camera? Or I don't know if the K20D offers RAW+, where you can shoot in raw and jpeg to keep the raw files as well as having the jpeg available to share. As far as free software for converting and editing, there's a couple excellent options. Personally, I use Darktable, but Rawtherapee is another good one.

04-05-2021, 03:01 PM	#3
bobV New Member Join Date: Apr 2021 Location: Atlanta Posts: 10 Original Poster	@bertwert a little of both. Minor editing (color adjusment, rotate). I shoot in RAW (DNG) because I have enlarged a few. Used one as a backdrop for YouTube video's I shoot. Yes, I can shoot as JPG or RAW/DNG but sometimes need a compressed file. I tried Darktable but did not consider is user friendly. Looking for something simple, with a relatively flat learning curve. Search mentioned Picasa (which apparently is no longer a Google product). Tried to download and got a Trojan warning. Had the same when trying to download GIMP. I gave the Windows 10 built in Photo Editor and it does most of what I want. Hoping to find a bulk converter for a dozen+ files on my SD card that can be saved on my hard drive. Taking the SD card from the camera and inserting into the slot on my PC I discovered Windows can't read it. The card does not show on Explorer so I have a need to convert so they can be saved on my HD.

04-05-2021, 03:19 PM	#4
jatrax Site Supporter Join Date: May 2010 Location: Washington Cascades Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 12,991	Free software: Irfanview Faststone GIMP (try a different download site, GIMP itself is well regarded) However, as @Bertwert says why not just shoot in jpeg? If you are not going to process the RAW files on your computer there is no advantage to shooting in DNG. And I'm not sure what you mean by "enlarged a few", if you actually upsized an image what software did you use for that? I would think any jpeg from a k20d would be more than large enough for YouTube. K20D is 3100 x 4600 ish. And Youtube is max: 2160 x 3840 more usually it is 1080 x 1920. Maybe I'm missing something but I am confused by what you are trying to do.

04-06-2021, 02:33 AM - 1 Like	#5
Kerrowdown PEG Moderator Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Highlands of Scotland... "Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand" - William Blake Photos: Gallery Posts: 57,815	Welcome to the forum from the Highlands of Scotland, I must admit I’m more than happy with the Adobe subscription service, Photoshop, Lightroom and Lightroom mobile for $10 a month.

04-06-2021, 07:39 AM	#6
ChristianRock Pentaxian Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: People's Republic of America Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 9,910	Welcome to the forums! This might be a dumb question but I'm going to go ahead and ask it... If you just want a RAW developer to batch process images, meaning you don't really want to edit them at all... why not shoot JPEG then? You can set up the K20D with a four-star JPEG image quality that creates quite pleasing image with little to no JPEG artifacts. If you do want to do some basic editing, RawTherapee is my RAW editor of choice. Not the most user friendly but it's free and it gives the best results from the ones I have used.

04-06-2021, 09:46 AM	#7
bobV New Member Join Date: Apr 2021 Location: Atlanta Posts: 10 Original Poster	Thanks for the responses. I shoot mostly scenery, landscapes, etc as DNG in order to generate prints. Last one was 48 x 60 printed on matte finish vinyl and used as a backdrop for YT videos. Compressed files like PNG, JPG, etc don't work well with enlargements. Most of the editing software wants to compress the file which results in data loss. Compression is an enemy of enlargements. I can't recall what I used before but think it was Lightworks with Darktable. Could have been GIMP+Darktable but frankly I don't recall which one produced the results without compressing the file. I mostly shoot in shutter priority, manual mode and am very conscious of lighting, color saturation, etc. Old habits can be hard to break sometimes. I cut my 35mm teeth on a Pentax k1000 and a Ricoh KR-10. Shot a lot of film, color and BW under different settings including night shots where meters don't work well. I rarely used TTL metering, either followed my "gut" or occasionally used a Gossen Luna Pro. My photo's require minimal editing which is why I have no use for expensive software or a subscription service. I am also looking for a way to transfer the DNG files to a hard drive. I managed to use a Chromebook with an SD card reader, uploaded to G Drive then downloaded to my PC hard drive. Way too many steps . . . After a bit more research (this camera is still new to me) I discovered a data port. Unfortunately the port is a "micro-mini" female, not a standard in the USB world. I believe I found a data cable that might work at B&H and on Amazon. I really don't care for using eBay for any kind of technical equipment. I will find out in a day or so if the data cable will solve that problem. It seems everyone that made photo equipment used a proprietary port design making after market parts challenging. I will certainly check out suggestions like RawTerapee, GIMP, Irfanview, etc and see if these achieve my goals and have a minimal learning curve. Thanks!

04-25-2021, 02:10 PM	#8
ShutterPro Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 389	Welcome to the forums!

04-26-2021, 01:32 AM	#9
archaeodude Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2021 Location: Fens Posts: 524	Welcome to the forums! I've recently started doing a lot of RAW processing, and I've been happy with Darktable. It definitely processes DNG files (camera*support \| darktable), but it sounds like you may already be aware of its uses and merits. I'm sure you'll find the correct editing software in due time!

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