Exporting Raw Canon DPP4 Edits to Other Programs?

[Marc Hildebrant]

Group,

I am using the Canon raw editing program, DPP4 to make some picture edits on my raw camera files. The DPP4 program uses a "recipe" file to tell the software the changes I want to be made to the raw file.

If I want to use a new software program, for example Capture One, will the new program use my recipe values from DPP4? Or will I have to start again with the original raw file and confine my edits to the Capture One software?

If I cannot use the edits, I made in DPP4 with another software program, is a conversion in DPP4 to a tiff file a way to save my edits and then bring the tiff file into Capture One?

Note: My question is really general, as Capture One is just an example.

Marc

 

[Ysarex]

Group,

I am using the Canon raw editing program, DPP4 to make some picture edits on my raw camera files. The DPP4 program uses a "recipe" file to tell the software the changes I want to be made to the raw file.

If I want to use a new software program, for example Capture One, will the new program use my recipe values from DPP4? Or will I have to start again with the original raw file and confine my edits to the Capture One software?

If I cannot use the edits, I made in DPP4 with another software program, is a conversion in DPP4 to a tiff file a way to save my edits and then bring the tiff file into Capture One?

Note: My question is really general, as Capture One is just an example.

Marc

That's a very important question. I'm surprised no one else has responded yet. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news then. This is one of the important concerns for any photographer working with raw files; the processing is proprietary. There have been a few attempts on the part of some software vendors to try and create a translation function typically from LR to their own product but none have been very successful.

I think the problem is both intentional and unintentional. Unintentional is easy. You ask about DPP. What if you use DPP's DLO function to process a raw file. DLO has no corollary in any other raw processing app. It can't be translated to another app. Is intentional taking place? I think it's fair to assume none of the software vendors want to spend money to help users migrate away from their software. Is it possible they think about the issue and have maybe made efforts to make the possibility more difficult? It wouldn't surprise me.

Selecting a raw processing app is an big deal and fraught with future dangers. It's like getting married and once you have say 10,000 processed images in a collection that's like having a big family. Divorce is going to be very painful. What if your spouse dies (goes out of business)? You're left with a bunch of half orphans. I remember when a new raw processor was launched with a bunch of hoopla -- LightZone. There were lots of internet reviews and the Youtubes popped up and praise in blogs and it started selling. Then a couple years later it went belly up. Not good if you had invested in it and by invested I don't mean $$$$$. The real cost of investment is your time and you can be left a widow(er). What do you do with all those processed images? Re-process them all in another app? Export them all as TIFF files and save those with all editing lost?

It's a workflow issue and your second question is a workflow issue. What you ideally want is a raw file workflow that is both 100% non-destructive and 100% non-linearly re-editable. A workflow that creates a raster image (TIFF) and them jumps to a second app is typically going to become destructive. Destructive of your work because you'll lose the 100% non-linearly re-editable option. You likely can't go back to any point in your edit and make a change and expect that change to update through the entire edit. You get stuck redoing work unnecessarily. No big deal if it's a couple photos. Very big deal if it's all 200 photos from a job.

DPP is basically Canon's DIGIC software in a version for your computer with a sparse few addon features. Feature wise it doesn't compete well with the industry's leading processing apps. You're probably going to want to move up eventually, so sooner than later and make the choice carefully. Up to and including is the business stable and will they be around in a decade or two or more? How well do they support the product? How well do they keep up with new developments in the industry? How soon do they add support for new cameras? Do they have the features you want?

Lightroom
Capture One
DXO PL7
On1 Photo Raw

Pick one.

 

[Marc Hildebrant]

Ysarex,

Well, that's not great news. I've processed about 30 raw pictures using DPP4 and have just started to be quite comfortable with the Canon Product.

However, now I have the correct info, and that is important. I'll check out another program.

Thanks for the information.

Marc