Need help with Picasa and viewing .PEF files

dragonfly · 01-29-2010, 11:04 AM

I'm using the latest version of Picasa, and at some point I lost the ability to view .PEF files properly. Right now they appear with severe color shift. I can see the correct colors for about a second and then they shift to the wrong colors.

I tried reinstalling Picasa but that didn't help.

I'm getting frustrated and could use some help. Thanks.

Alfisti · 01-29-2010, 11:22 AM

I just don't get Picassa. Scour eBay for an older version of Adobe Elements and save yourself the grief.

Otherwise try Gimp or Irfanview but frankly they annoyed the crap outta me too.

dragonfly · 01-29-2010, 11:49 AM

I like picasa and I want to be able to use it again to browse my RAW PEF files.

Alfisti · 01-29-2010, 11:55 AM

Why?

If all you want to do is browse then use faststone, picassa wants to allow google to somewhat take over your PC, i'll never know what the heck anyone uses it.

thrillerb · 01-29-2010, 12:09 PM

Dragonfly, are you using the Kx? I don't think Picasa has been updated to view the RAW files from the Kx. If you use DNG, the pictures display the colors correctly but there's a thin black bar along one edge of the picture. PEF's look like crap.

I really like Picasa for viewing and organizing so I'll be glad when they provide the update to accurately handle the Kx RAW files.

reeftool · 01-29-2010, 02:09 PM

It takes a while for editing software to catch up to new camera models. I think someone posted about Elements not recognizing their Kx Raw shots recently. This problem affects all brands with new models which is why cameras come with some sort of RAW editing software.

cyy47 · 01-29-2010, 06:24 PM

Originally posted by reeftool

It takes a while for editing software to catch up to new camera models. I think someone posted about Elements not recognizing their Kx Raw shots recently. This problem affects all brands with new models which is why cameras come with some sort of RAW editing software.

I don't think for picasa it's new camera model causing the problem though. The PEF taken by my k100d super still show dull color in picasa.
They just don't bother to include raw support for each camera model.

kwv · 02-03-2010, 08:49 AM

Originally posted by thrillerb

there's a thin black bar along one edge of the picture.

I was just getting ready to search on that. I see the black bar in Picasa and when i open it in Gimp (using UFRaw), the bar shows up as a noise pattern.

I've had the camera for 2 weeks, and wasn't sure if this was normal; or a 'feature'.

rawr · 02-03-2010, 08:08 PM

I can report that the latest version of Picasa renders K-x DNG's much better than it used to. Perhaps you could try switching your RAW format to DNG.

The thin black bar on RAW images is 'normal', but annoying. Some viewers (eg Lightroom) are smart enough to mask it out, others dont.

mysticcowboy · 02-03-2010, 11:11 PM

Originally posted by cyy47

I don't think for picasa it's new camera model causing the problem though. The PEF taken by my k100d super still show dull color in picasa.
They just don't bother to include raw support for each camera model.

Picasa does not handle photos taken in Adobe RGB color space well. And certainly photos taken that way will look flat and washed out if exported to Picasa Web or Flickr. Make sure that your camera is set to sRGB color space and not Adobe RGB. Adobe RGB holds more information that sRGB, but free programs don't give you the option to color manage. Give Picase photos taken in its native color space.

michael mckee
My Port Townsend – A City in Photographs – 365

GoremanX · 02-04-2010, 12:41 AM

A few things to point out:

- Why use PEF at all? DNG is way better supported in general. However if your camera isn't directly supported (as is probably the case here), you may get a thin black bar along the right and bottom edges of your picture. This is not lost image, it's the extra pixels from the sensor that the camera usually crops off. You'll have to crop it off yourself.

- RAW files have no colour space.

- Many free programs allow you to colour manage just fine.

Jasvox · 02-08-2010, 12:10 AM

I echo the same from a few others here...why even shoot PEF? There is no real advantage (other than file size, but the cost of memory these days is cheaper than water). DNG is more or less the industry standard and unless you like a crippled format which also forces to to convert to DNG later anyway, what's the point?

I use Picassa to just quickly view my files before sending my selected shots to LightRoom, and with DNG files, looks fine and has never been a problem.

Jason

irishwhite · 02-08-2010, 12:15 AM

I have a samsung gx-1s and my raw files have the .pef extension. Although i've never noticed a problem with the files, i have noticed people mentioning the .dng file format and would like to know if there's a way for me to switch from one to the other. I've had this camera for about 5 years now and i've never noticed the option to switch but maybe it's really well hidden? or i'm just blind (i hope that's not the case, or else i'll cut my losses and sell my equipment now)

rawr · 02-08-2010, 02:39 AM

Originally posted by irishwhite

I have a samsung gx-1s and my raw files have the .pef extension. Although i've never noticed a problem with the files, i have noticed people mentioning the .dng file format and would like to know if there's a way for me to switch from one to the other. I've had this camera for about 5 years now and i've never noticed the option to switch but maybe it's really well hidden? or i'm just blind (i hope that's not the case, or else i'll cut my losses and sell my equipment now)

The GX-1s may not support the creation of DNG in-camera, like the GX10 and GX20 can. You could try using the free Adobe RAW to DNG converter on your old and any future PEF's. It can convert hundreds of RAW formats into DNG. The Windows version is here:

Adobe - Adobe Camera Raw and DNG Converter : For Windows : Adobe DNG Converter 5.6 update

GoremanX · 02-08-2010, 05:02 AM

Originally posted by Jasvox

I echo the same from a few others here...why even shoot PEF? There is no real advantage (other than file size, but the cost of memory these days is cheaper than water).

Actually even file size is a non-issue with the K-7 and K-x since those use compressed DNG files. They're just about the same size as PEF files now.

01-29-2010, 11:04 AM	#1
dragonfly Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: on the wall Photos: Gallery Posts: 715	Need help with Picasa and viewing .PEF files I'm using the latest version of Picasa, and at some point I lost the ability to view .PEF files properly. Right now they appear with severe color shift. I can see the correct colors for about a second and then they shift to the wrong colors. I tried reinstalling Picasa but that didn't help. I'm getting frustrated and could use some help. Thanks.

02-03-2010, 11:11 PM	#10
mysticcowboy Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: port townsend, wa Photos: Albums Posts: 968	That may not be Picasa's fault Originally posted by cyy47 I don't think for picasa it's new camera model causing the problem though. The PEF taken by my k100d super still show dull color in picasa. They just don't bother to include raw support for each camera model. Picasa does not handle photos taken in Adobe RGB color space well. And certainly photos taken that way will look flat and washed out if exported to Picasa Web or Flickr. Make sure that your camera is set to sRGB color space and not Adobe RGB. Adobe RGB holds more information that sRGB, but free programs don't give you the option to color manage. Give Picase photos taken in its native color space. michael mckee My Port Townsend – A City in Photographs – 365

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01-29-2010, 11:22 AM	#2
Alfisti Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Toronto (for now) Posts: 1,748	I just don't get Picassa. Scour eBay for an older version of Adobe Elements and save yourself the grief. Otherwise try Gimp or Irfanview but frankly they annoyed the crap outta me too.

01-29-2010, 11:49 AM	#3
dragonfly Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: on the wall Photos: Gallery Posts: 715 Original Poster	I like picasa and I want to be able to use it again to browse my RAW PEF files.

01-29-2010, 11:55 AM	#4
Alfisti Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Toronto (for now) Posts: 1,748	Why? If all you want to do is browse then use faststone, picassa wants to allow google to somewhat take over your PC, i'll never know what the heck anyone uses it.

01-29-2010, 12:09 PM	#5
thrillerb Forum Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Atlanta Posts: 60	Dragonfly, are you using the Kx? I don't think Picasa has been updated to view the RAW files from the Kx. If you use DNG, the pictures display the colors correctly but there's a thin black bar along one edge of the picture. PEF's look like crap. I really like Picasa for viewing and organizing so I'll be glad when they provide the update to accurately handle the Kx RAW files.

01-29-2010, 02:09 PM	#6
reeftool Pentaxian Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Upstate New York Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 9,553	It takes a while for editing software to catch up to new camera models. I think someone posted about Elements not recognizing their Kx Raw shots recently. This problem affects all brands with new models which is why cameras come with some sort of RAW editing software.

01-29-2010, 06:24 PM	#7
cyy47 Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Boston, MA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 157	Originally posted by reeftool It takes a while for editing software to catch up to new camera models. I think someone posted about Elements not recognizing their Kx Raw shots recently. This problem affects all brands with new models which is why cameras come with some sort of RAW editing software. I don't think for picasa it's new camera model causing the problem though. The PEF taken by my k100d super still show dull color in picasa. They just don't bother to include raw support for each camera model.

02-03-2010, 08:49 AM	#8
kwv New Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: stl, mo Posts: 6	Originally posted by thrillerb there's a thin black bar along one edge of the picture. I was just getting ready to search on that. I see the black bar in Picasa and when i open it in Gimp (using UFRaw), the bar shows up as a noise pattern. I've had the camera for 2 weeks, and wasn't sure if this was normal; or a 'feature'.

02-03-2010, 08:08 PM	#9
rawr Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 11,913	I can report that the latest version of Picasa renders K-x DNG's much better than it used to. Perhaps you could try switching your RAW format to DNG. The thin black bar on RAW images is 'normal', but annoying. Some viewers (eg Lightroom) are smart enough to mask it out, others dont.

02-04-2010, 12:41 AM	#11
GoremanX Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Georgia, VT Photos: Albums Posts: 1,657	A few things to point out: - Why use PEF at all? DNG is way better supported in general. However if your camera isn't directly supported (as is probably the case here), you may get a thin black bar along the right and bottom edges of your picture. This is not lost image, it's the extra pixels from the sensor that the camera usually crops off. You'll have to crop it off yourself. - RAW files have no colour space. - Many free programs allow you to colour manage just fine.

02-08-2010, 12:10 AM	#12
Jasvox Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Melbourne, Australia Posts: 3,107	I echo the same from a few others here...why even shoot PEF? There is no real advantage (other than file size, but the cost of memory these days is cheaper than water). DNG is more or less the industry standard and unless you like a crippled format which also forces to to convert to DNG later anyway, what's the point? I use Picassa to just quickly view my files before sending my selected shots to LightRoom, and with DNG files, looks fine and has never been a problem. Jason

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02-08-2010, 12:15 AM	#13
irishwhite Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: philadelphia Photos: Gallery Posts: 349	I have a samsung gx-1s and my raw files have the .pef extension. Although i've never noticed a problem with the files, i have noticed people mentioning the .dng file format and would like to know if there's a way for me to switch from one to the other. I've had this camera for about 5 years now and i've never noticed the option to switch but maybe it's really well hidden? or i'm just blind (i hope that's not the case, or else i'll cut my losses and sell my equipment now)

02-08-2010, 02:39 AM	#14
rawr Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 11,913	Originally posted by irishwhite I have a samsung gx-1s and my raw files have the .pef extension. Although i've never noticed a problem with the files, i have noticed people mentioning the .dng file format and would like to know if there's a way for me to switch from one to the other. I've had this camera for about 5 years now and i've never noticed the option to switch but maybe it's really well hidden? or i'm just blind (i hope that's not the case, or else i'll cut my losses and sell my equipment now) The GX-1s may not support the creation of DNG in-camera, like the GX10 and GX20 can. You could try using the free Adobe RAW to DNG converter on your old and any future PEF's. It can convert hundreds of RAW formats into DNG. The Windows version is here: Adobe - Adobe Camera Raw and DNG Converter : For Windows : Adobe DNG Converter 5.6 update

02-08-2010, 05:02 AM	#15
GoremanX Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Georgia, VT Photos: Albums Posts: 1,657	Originally posted by Jasvox I echo the same from a few others here...why even shoot PEF? There is no real advantage (other than file size, but the cost of memory these days is cheaper than water). Actually even file size is a non-issue with the K-7 and K-x since those use compressed DNG files. They're just about the same size as PEF files now.