Using PDCU4 without going mad...

**MetteHHH** · 11-01-2011, 02:27 PM

Until recently I did all my file management in FastStone and the rest of post processing in UFRaw + GIMP.

I tried PDCU4 back when I got my k7, and the horrible user interface drove me away before I really got to know the software. Then I noticed how people in this forum praised PDCU for superior colour control and sharpening, and I decided to give it another try. After all, the cd I got with my k5 would be an upgraded version, I expected.

Well, it wasn't. But I found a post in this forum directing me to a download link for the most recent upgrade, so now I have version 4.33. And I confess, I am still not happy!

I THINK the colours are actually a bit better when I do the raw -> jpg conversion in PDCU4. It's a bit hard to decide for certain, because the "preview" function in PDCU4 is messed up: Once I do a single adjustment (white balance or exposure or even saturation or sharpening), the picture in the preview tab becomes weird and pixellated. Any further changes after that are not displayed at all. So, to see the results of an adjustment I have to first export a jpg, and then open the exported jpg.

Maybe my workflow is completely wrong to begin with. I begin by clicking the "browser" tab, locate a photo for processing, then right click it and choose "display on tab page". Then I click the "laboratory" tab, and begin doing adjustments. The first adjustment I make is shown (f.x. exposure), but the preview doesn't load completely - I'm left with a strange smeared pixellated half-loaded preview. So at this point I give up, export a jpg, open it in GIMP and do the rest in there.

Surely some of you get more out of PDCU4? I'm not usually a complete idiot around new software, but this interface seems soooo counter intuitive to me. For instance - I suppose there is an unsharp mask somewhere in the program, but I never found one...

If someone has positive stories about PDCU4 to share, I would love to hear them, and learn where I went wrong...

rockmaster1964 · 11-02-2011, 09:45 AM

I don't have the problems you are having with the preview. I also only use the lab and just open everything directly in it.

I use it a lot if I am processing RAW files. I like that it produces the same colors etc as the jpeg created from my camera.

It does not have a unsharp mask.

11-01-2011, 02:27 PM	#1
MetteHHH Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Oct 2010 Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,817	Using PDCU4 without going mad... Until recently I did all my file management in FastStone and the rest of post processing in UFRaw + GIMP. I tried PDCU4 back when I got my k7, and the horrible user interface drove me away before I really got to know the software. Then I noticed how people in this forum praised PDCU for superior colour control and sharpening, and I decided to give it another try. After all, the cd I got with my k5 would be an upgraded version, I expected. Well, it wasn't. But I found a post in this forum directing me to a download link for the most recent upgrade, so now I have version 4.33. And I confess, I am still not happy! I THINK the colours are actually a bit better when I do the raw -> jpg conversion in PDCU4. It's a bit hard to decide for certain, because the "preview" function in PDCU4 is messed up: Once I do a single adjustment (white balance or exposure or even saturation or sharpening), the picture in the preview tab becomes weird and pixellated. Any further changes after that are not displayed at all. So, to see the results of an adjustment I have to first export a jpg, and then open the exported jpg. Maybe my workflow is completely wrong to begin with. I begin by clicking the "browser" tab, locate a photo for processing, then right click it and choose "display on tab page". Then I click the "laboratory" tab, and begin doing adjustments. The first adjustment I make is shown (f.x. exposure), but the preview doesn't load completely - I'm left with a strange smeared pixellated half-loaded preview. So at this point I give up, export a jpg, open it in GIMP and do the rest in there. Surely some of you get more out of PDCU4? I'm not usually a complete idiot around new software, but this interface seems soooo counter intuitive to me. For instance - I suppose there is an unsharp mask somewhere in the program, but I never found one... If someone has positive stories about PDCU4 to share, I would love to hear them, and learn where I went wrong...

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11-02-2011, 09:45 AM	#2
rockmaster1964 Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Frisco Texas Photos: Gallery Posts: 382	I don't have the problems you are having with the preview. I also only use the lab and just open everything directly in it. I use it a lot if I am processing RAW files. I like that it produces the same colors etc as the jpeg created from my camera. It does not have a unsharp mask.