Lightroom or Slikypix

BenCPentax · 04-24-2016, 02:33 AM

Just got a K3ii and was considering using the Silkypix CD included, or should I not bother and use Lightroom ?
I don't have Lightroom yet and previously just used Picasa....so is Silkypix worth the effort ?
Only shot a few in RAW and as yet not sure what to best do with my efforts.

Cheers.

Last edited by BenCPentax; 04-24-2016 at 02:39 AM.

**Kerrowdown** · 04-24-2016, 02:40 AM

Originally posted by BenCPentax

Lightroom or Slikypix

I'm not familiar with Silkypix, but what I do know is, that when I use Lightroom and Photoshop, the only limitation the software has... is me.

mcgregni · 04-24-2016, 02:48 AM - **1 Like**

You're really making a major workflow decision. Lightroom is an all inclusive data management and image workflow solution. There are books of over 500 pages on how it all works. Many people will say it is well worth the effort to learn it thoroughly, but it will need patience and willingness to learn how to utilise it. It's flexible, but you tend to have to work ITS way.

Do you have the latest version of Pentax Digital Camera Utility (commonly confused with Silkypix))? This is more of a stand alone RAW converter with editing functions dedicated to the specific camera custom controls. It also offers the essential RAW extraction tool for the HDR function from the camera.

PDCU has a simple browser feature to view files, but it does not do sophisticated organisation or data management like Lightroom .... Then again, if you don't want to move everything over to Lightrooms way then you can carry on organising your photos as at present and just use PDCU to edit and generate new JPGs for print and web display.

It you need to do any detailed or targeted editing (such as selections and layer type work) then you'll need a PhotoShop style editor as well as PDCU. Lightroom will offer features of this sort (not layers, but it has techniques for selective adjustments).

BenCPentax · 04-24-2016, 03:34 AM

Cheers Gregni,
I see what you mean about that Ricoh CD, it's only 'slikypix' associated, doubt I'll be using HDR much for now
but would I be missing anything by not using the Pentax Digital Camera Utility ?

Yes I'd thought of Lightroom and dread the amount of reading etc involved.
Thinking I might have to upgrade my old computer a bit to run Lightroom fast enough for doing RAW
on a few dozen pics. I'll save up.
Perhaps mine will be a very long slow digital learning curve !

Thanks for the tips.

Last edited by BenCPentax; 04-24-2016 at 03:44 AM.

Na Horuk · 04-24-2016, 03:39 AM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by BenCPentax

Yes I'd thought of Lightroom and dread the amount of reading etc involved.

I found it fairly intuitive. You don't have to use advanced functions on day one. You just set it up, decide how you want to organize folders and photos, and there you go.
I find Lightroom to be much easier to use than Silkypix. Just the user interface, icons, texts.. Silkypix, to me, was really confusing. But it is still quite powerful and has some special features for Pentax raw (whereas in lightroom, Pentax raw get pretty much the least support), like HDR raw extraction, it can mimic the jpeg settings of in-camera, it can tell you which AF point was used if I remember right..

Btw, you can also try FastStone. Lots of people like it, and its free. Not sure what the features of the latest version are, but check it out. Also, I think Lightroom has free trials.

Originally posted by BenCPentax

Thinking I might have to upgrade my old computer a bit to run Lightroom fast enough for doing RAW.

This is a major problem with photo development btw. You need a lot of disk space, and a fairly good amount of RAM and fast CPU. And every few years, the software will demand more. But this is general computer industry problem.

So I vote for LR. Not the cloud version, but a standalone.

**microlight** · 04-24-2016, 03:43 AM

I second what Nigel said. DCU5 supplied with the K-3II is not a complete solution, but as dedicated software provides probably the best conversion from the RAW files. It also does a great job of developing the pixel-shift photos, which I don't know whether Lightroom deals with. With RAWs that need little doing to them, DCU5 will provide a good output without needing to go anywhere else.

My workflow is to develop and do any basic exposure and colour balance in DCU5, export as TIFF 16-bit and continue either in Photoshop/Camera Raw for selective enhancement or layer work, or in Faststone which has remarkably good editing tools.

Stagnant · 04-24-2016, 03:59 AM

Each software has its benefits.
* Lightroom is better at handling highlights and shadows. Due to the presence of modules it is better at correcting geometrical distortion and aberrations. Some people like the library feature. I dislike it, because my photos are physically organized on HDD.
* SilkyPix has better contrast related adjustments, much better tone curve, better sharpening methods (especially when it comes to vintage manual focus lenses). It has also very handy tools for processing scenes with complex lighting (dodge, hdr, colour burn etc.). If you have blown out highlights, they are almost non recoverable in SilkyPix.

mcgregni · 04-24-2016, 04:06 AM

Yes thanks microlight, I wasn't sure if PDCU was needed for a pixel shift output or whether the camera just creates a single file .....

Your workflow from PDCU into Tiff then PhotoShop is ideal for a non-complete solution product (eg Lightroom). I do similar but use Sagelight for the initial RAW development. I also use a standalone image manager (iMatch) which can be used to launch files into any of the other programs.

By the way, one other suggestion to try is Zoner Photo Studio ... There's a good free version and paid for options too. It actually has a very nice image organiser and interface. Right clicking on an image thumbnail gives great context menu with loads of file operations. It automatically displays RAW thumbnails and as such is good even without trying the editing features.

Stagnant, some good comparative points there. I know Silkypix is very powerful and it offers some unique styles of image controls not found anywhere else (eg the colour fine tune wheel) . We have to be careful not to carry on the age-old confusion over what program we're talking about. There's not many Pentaxians who actually use the real Silkypjx Developer Studio ..... Most references to 'Silkypix' in Pentax land are really about PDCU, which is a very different thing.

**boriscleto** · 04-24-2016, 04:15 AM

I have DCU installed, but I find the interface horrifying. I used Aperture for years, but Apple stopped developing it. So now it is Lightroom. It's amazing what you can do with a photo in a minute or two of editing...

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I am by no means an expert at using it. And my computer is very old (early 2009 2.0 Ghz Core2Duo Mac mini). I was able to pick up what I do by watching someone else use it for a few minutes.

Caver · 04-24-2016, 04:17 AM

AFAIK the Pentax Digital Camera Utility is based on the earlier silkypix engine(s). The standalone Silkypix Developer Studio 7 (or Pro 7) is a complete and powerful solution for raw developing and it is a very good tool. The weakest point is that the user base is very small thus there's very small amount of information about how to use it efficiently. I'm a long time Silkypix (standalone) user and I can tell you that the resulting image quality is very good. The software has a different workflow-approach than the other mainstream raw developers but once you learn it the results are awesome. You can download a fully functional 30 day trial and check it if is good for you or not. For the EU version see this site: Silkypix Download | SilkyPix
It all depends on your preferences. I suggest trying a few solutions (there are a few really good ones) to see which one suits you best.

mcgregni · 04-24-2016, 04:27 AM - **1 Like**

Yep, Sagelight has the same set of issues .... Amazing power and unique interface with fast results, but inevitably suggestions to try it are drowned out by those advocating Adobe products as the ultimate answer to everything.

Class A · 04-24-2016, 05:31 AM - **2 Likes**

Given the choice of Lightroom or Slikypix, I'd choose Capture One 9.

You Tube

I've been using Lightroom for years and am still more familiar with it than I a currently with Capture One, but I'm glad I found an escape from Adobe and a software that provided better colours for Pentax to start with and features a much better colour editor on top of that.

reeftool · 04-24-2016, 05:42 AM

I found the Silkypix/Pentax software that comes with the camera very difficult to work with. This was back in the K10D days and I soon discovered Picasa and never used the Pentax Utility ever again. I moved on to Lightroom a few years later with no regrets whatsoever. I have no doubt that the Silkypix software is capable but I found it so bad to work with that I never shot any Raw photos for a few years. If you don't shoot Raw on a regular basis then the Silkypix/Pentax utility may be perfectly fine if you take the time to learn to use it. I shoot at motorcycle races and events and usually a few hundred shots every week through the spring-summer-fall riding season and Lightroom has been a awesome tool for me. If you shoot a lot, I think Lightroom is the best choice out there. The thought of processing 500-1000 Raw shots with Pentax software is the stuff of nightmares.

mcgregni · 04-24-2016, 06:56 AM

Agreed if you have batch processing needs. PDCU is not designed as a professional workflow tool, hence its more limited management features. However, you can copy a set of parameters from one image thumbnail and paste them to another undeveloped one in order to duplicate the exact same processes. This can speed up things considerably with a number of shots needing the same treatment.

If you enjoy using the camera custom image controls and some of the filter / jpeg features of the Pentax cameras, then PDCU is a good tool as it offers superior quality output in 16bit TIFF or JPEG with almost exactly the same image controls as on your camera.

It is also the only computer programme that will display and itemise ALL of your unique Pentax camera settings, should you need to refer to this to remember things you set on the camera.

Fauxton · 04-24-2016, 07:04 AM

Originally posted by BenCPentax

Just got a K3ii and was considering using the Silkypix CD included, or should I not bother and use Lightroom ?
I don't have Lightroom yet and previously just used Picasa....so is Silkypix worth the effort ?
Only shot a few in RAW and as yet not sure what to best do with my efforts.

Cheers.

BenCPentax - I'm going to guess by your question that you are quite new to modern DSLR's. Most people on this forum who have a K5 or K3 or their variants usually will not use PDCU as their photographic management tool or their raw developer. The reason being is that its just too clunky and limiting relative to its inexpensive competition. If you are going to use your K3II and shoot JPegs then you really do not need much. MS Windows will provide you with the basics in terms of tracking your photos and doing minor adjustments. If on the other hand you wish to explore the capabilities of your camera and photography as a whole then there are levels of software that meet your need. For good photographic manipulation, photographic management and some advanced features its hard to beat Adobe's Photoshop Elements. It is a good entry level photography program that will provide good support up to an intermediate level. From there as your skill improves you can spend more on Lightroom or Adobe Creative Cloud or look at the many other capable products such as Capture One, DXO Optics, or Gimp/RawTherapee (if you like free software), or the many others you'll find discussed in these and many other forums. I have tried the latest SilkyPix and I don't recommend it as its expensive for what it offers relative to its competition and it also has an odd interface that offers less control over the photographic post processing than its competitors. There will be some who not doubt disagree with me but you can always trial it and reach your own conclusion. So my advice would be to try the latest copy of Adobe Photoshop Elements.

04-24-2016, 02:33 AM	#1
BenCPentax Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2016 Posts: 41	Lightroom or Slikypix Just got a K3ii and was considering using the Silkypix CD included, or should I not bother and use Lightroom ? I don't have Lightroom yet and previously just used Picasa....so is Silkypix worth the effort ? Only shot a few in RAW and as yet not sure what to best do with my efforts. Cheers. Last edited by BenCPentax; 04-24-2016 at 02:39 AM.

04-24-2016, 02:48 AM - 1 Like	#3
mcgregni Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Surrey, England Posts: 2,603	You're really making a major workflow decision. Lightroom is an all inclusive data management and image workflow solution. There are books of over 500 pages on how it all works. Many people will say it is well worth the effort to learn it thoroughly, but it will need patience and willingness to learn how to utilise it. It's flexible, but you tend to have to work ITS way. Do you have the latest version of Pentax Digital Camera Utility (commonly confused with Silkypix))? This is more of a stand alone RAW converter with editing functions dedicated to the specific camera custom controls. It also offers the essential RAW extraction tool for the HDR function from the camera. PDCU has a simple browser feature to view files, but it does not do sophisticated organisation or data management like Lightroom .... Then again, if you don't want to move everything over to Lightrooms way then you can carry on organising your photos as at present and just use PDCU to edit and generate new JPGs for print and web display. It you need to do any detailed or targeted editing (such as selections and layer type work) then you'll need a PhotoShop style editor as well as PDCU. Lightroom will offer features of this sort (not layers, but it has techniques for selective adjustments). Last edited by mcgregni; 04-24-2016 at 02:59 AM.

04-24-2016, 04:06 AM	#8
mcgregni Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Surrey, England Posts: 2,603	Yes thanks microlight, I wasn't sure if PDCU was needed for a pixel shift output or whether the camera just creates a single file ..... Your workflow from PDCU into Tiff then PhotoShop is ideal for a non-complete solution product (eg Lightroom). I do similar but use Sagelight for the initial RAW development. I also use a standalone image manager (iMatch) which can be used to launch files into any of the other programs. By the way, one other suggestion to try is Zoner Photo Studio ... There's a good free version and paid for options too. It actually has a very nice image organiser and interface. Right clicking on an image thumbnail gives great context menu with loads of file operations. It automatically displays RAW thumbnails and as such is good even without trying the editing features. Stagnant, some good comparative points there. I know Silkypix is very powerful and it offers some unique styles of image controls not found anywhere else (eg the colour fine tune wheel) . We have to be careful not to carry on the age-old confusion over what program we're talking about. There's not many Pentaxians who actually use the real Silkypjx Developer Studio ..... Most references to 'Silkypix' in Pentax land are really about PDCU, which is a very different thing. Last edited by mcgregni; 04-24-2016 at 04:19 AM.

04-24-2016, 04:15 AM	#9
boriscleto Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: North Syracuse, NY Photos: Gallery Posts: 16,475	I have DCU installed, but I find the interface horrifying. I used Aperture for years, but Apple stopped developing it. So now it is Lightroom. It's amazing what you can do with a photo in a minute or two of editing... I am by no means an expert at using it. And my computer is very old (early 2009 2.0 Ghz Core2Duo Mac mini). I was able to pick up what I do by watching someone else use it for a few minutes.

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04-24-2016, 02:40 AM	#2
Kerrowdown PEG Moderator Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Highlands of Scotland... "Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand" - William Blake Photos: Gallery Posts: 57,835	Originally posted by BenCPentax Lightroom or Slikypix I'm not familiar with Silkypix, but what I do know is, that when I use Lightroom and Photoshop, the only limitation the software has... is me.

04-24-2016, 03:34 AM	#4
BenCPentax Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2016 Posts: 41 Original Poster	Cheers Gregni, I see what you mean about that Ricoh CD, it's only 'slikypix' associated, doubt I'll be using HDR much for now but would I be missing anything by not using the Pentax Digital Camera Utility ? Yes I'd thought of Lightroom and dread the amount of reading etc involved. Thinking I might have to upgrade my old computer a bit to run Lightroom fast enough for doing RAW on a few dozen pics. I'll save up. Perhaps mine will be a very long slow digital learning curve ! Thanks for the tips. Last edited by BenCPentax; 04-24-2016 at 03:44 AM.

04-24-2016, 03:39 AM - 1 Like	#5
Na Horuk Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Slovenia, probably Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 11,186	Originally posted by BenCPentax Yes I'd thought of Lightroom and dread the amount of reading etc involved. I found it fairly intuitive. You don't have to use advanced functions on day one. You just set it up, decide how you want to organize folders and photos, and there you go. I find Lightroom to be much easier to use than Silkypix. Just the user interface, icons, texts.. Silkypix, to me, was really confusing. But it is still quite powerful and has some special features for Pentax raw (whereas in lightroom, Pentax raw get pretty much the least support), like HDR raw extraction, it can mimic the jpeg settings of in-camera, it can tell you which AF point was used if I remember right.. Btw, you can also try FastStone. Lots of people like it, and its free. Not sure what the features of the latest version are, but check it out. Also, I think Lightroom has free trials. Originally posted by BenCPentax Thinking I might have to upgrade my old computer a bit to run Lightroom fast enough for doing RAW. This is a major problem with photo development btw. You need a lot of disk space, and a fairly good amount of RAM and fast CPU. And every few years, the software will demand more. But this is general computer industry problem. So I vote for LR. Not the cloud version, but a standalone.

04-24-2016, 03:43 AM	#6
microlight Site Supporter Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Hampshire, UK Posts: 2,129	I second what Nigel said. DCU5 supplied with the K-3II is not a complete solution, but as dedicated software provides probably the best conversion from the RAW files. It also does a great job of developing the pixel-shift photos, which I don't know whether Lightroom deals with. With RAWs that need little doing to them, DCU5 will provide a good output without needing to go anywhere else. My workflow is to develop and do any basic exposure and colour balance in DCU5, export as TIFF 16-bit and continue either in Photoshop/Camera Raw for selective enhancement or layer work, or in Faststone which has remarkably good editing tools.

04-24-2016, 03:59 AM	#7
Stagnant Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2013 Photos: Gallery Posts: 603	Each software has its benefits. * Lightroom is better at handling highlights and shadows. Due to the presence of modules it is better at correcting geometrical distortion and aberrations. Some people like the library feature. I dislike it, because my photos are physically organized on HDD. * SilkyPix has better contrast related adjustments, much better tone curve, better sharpening methods (especially when it comes to vintage manual focus lenses). It has also very handy tools for processing scenes with complex lighting (dodge, hdr, colour burn etc.). If you have blown out highlights, they are almost non recoverable in SilkyPix.

04-24-2016, 04:17 AM	#10
Caver Pentaxian Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Hungary (ex-pat from Transylvania, Romania) Photos: Gallery Posts: 541	AFAIK the Pentax Digital Camera Utility is based on the earlier silkypix engine(s). The standalone Silkypix Developer Studio 7 (or Pro 7) is a complete and powerful solution for raw developing and it is a very good tool. The weakest point is that the user base is very small thus there's very small amount of information about how to use it efficiently. I'm a long time Silkypix (standalone) user and I can tell you that the resulting image quality is very good. The software has a different workflow-approach than the other mainstream raw developers but once you learn it the results are awesome. You can download a fully functional 30 day trial and check it if is good for you or not. For the EU version see this site: Silkypix Download \| SilkyPix It all depends on your preferences. I suggest trying a few solutions (there are a few really good ones) to see which one suits you best.

04-24-2016, 04:27 AM - 1 Like	#11
mcgregni Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Surrey, England Posts: 2,603	Yep, Sagelight has the same set of issues .... Amazing power and unique interface with fast results, but inevitably suggestions to try it are drowned out by those advocating Adobe products as the ultimate answer to everything.

04-24-2016, 05:42 AM	#13
reeftool Pentaxian Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Upstate New York Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 9,555	I found the Silkypix/Pentax software that comes with the camera very difficult to work with. This was back in the K10D days and I soon discovered Picasa and never used the Pentax Utility ever again. I moved on to Lightroom a few years later with no regrets whatsoever. I have no doubt that the Silkypix software is capable but I found it so bad to work with that I never shot any Raw photos for a few years. If you don't shoot Raw on a regular basis then the Silkypix/Pentax utility may be perfectly fine if you take the time to learn to use it. I shoot at motorcycle races and events and usually a few hundred shots every week through the spring-summer-fall riding season and Lightroom has been a awesome tool for me. If you shoot a lot, I think Lightroom is the best choice out there. The thought of processing 500-1000 Raw shots with Pentax software is the stuff of nightmares.

04-24-2016, 06:56 AM	#14
mcgregni Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Surrey, England Posts: 2,603	Agreed if you have batch processing needs. PDCU is not designed as a professional workflow tool, hence its more limited management features. However, you can copy a set of parameters from one image thumbnail and paste them to another undeveloped one in order to duplicate the exact same processes. This can speed up things considerably with a number of shots needing the same treatment. If you enjoy using the camera custom image controls and some of the filter / jpeg features of the Pentax cameras, then PDCU is a good tool as it offers superior quality output in 16bit TIFF or JPEG with almost exactly the same image controls as on your camera. It is also the only computer programme that will display and itemise ALL of your unique Pentax camera settings, should you need to refer to this to remember things you set on the camera.

04-24-2016, 07:04 AM	#15
Fauxton Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2011 Posts: 100	Originally posted by BenCPentax Just got a K3ii and was considering using the Silkypix CD included, or should I not bother and use Lightroom ? I don't have Lightroom yet and previously just used Picasa....so is Silkypix worth the effort ? Only shot a few in RAW and as yet not sure what to best do with my efforts. Cheers. BenCPentax - I'm going to guess by your question that you are quite new to modern DSLR's. Most people on this forum who have a K5 or K3 or their variants usually will not use PDCU as their photographic management tool or their raw developer. The reason being is that its just too clunky and limiting relative to its inexpensive competition. If you are going to use your K3II and shoot JPegs then you really do not need much. MS Windows will provide you with the basics in terms of tracking your photos and doing minor adjustments. If on the other hand you wish to explore the capabilities of your camera and photography as a whole then there are levels of software that meet your need. For good photographic manipulation, photographic management and some advanced features its hard to beat Adobe's Photoshop Elements. It is a good entry level photography program that will provide good support up to an intermediate level. From there as your skill improves you can spend more on Lightroom or Adobe Creative Cloud or look at the many other capable products such as Capture One, DXO Optics, or Gimp/RawTherapee (if you like free software), or the many others you'll find discussed in these and many other forums. I have tried the latest SilkyPix and I don't recommend it as its expensive for what it offers relative to its competition and it also has an odd interface that offers less control over the photographic post processing than its competitors. There will be some who not doubt disagree with me but you can always trial it and reach your own conclusion. So my advice would be to try the latest copy of Adobe Photoshop Elements.