White Balancing in FastStone or Irfan Viewers?

[scriveyn]

Hi Ken, Ted,

I tried Ted's file on my IrfanView (IV for short) installations. I have most of the versions reaching back to 2005 in parallel on my WinXP.
The file opens ok on IV 4.32 and previous versions; it opens too dark on IV 4.33; it doesn't open on the current IV 4.35.

I also downloaded some .X3F files from another site (http://www.rytterfalk.com/) - none of them opens in any IV version, in some the embedded previews open.

BTW: when testing make sure the option for displaying the embedded previews/half size images is turned off, so you don't mistake them for the real thing

The bottom line is, I think, that the FORMATS.DLL after IV 4.32 has a bug.

Cheers,
Frank

[xpatUSA]

Thanks Frank,

I'll keep 4.35 but not use it in my main workflow. It is useful for some of its functions and also for research because it can open the ppm format out of dcraw and display hex.

Today, after much testing, I have established a slightly better workflow that takes advantage of FastStone's choices in re-sampling and in png or jpeg conversion (compared to ACR 5.4/PSE 6). It's also nice to see the folder previews in always up in both SPP and FastStone. Lanczos2 or 3 are delivering superior down-sizing today and Fastone's bilinear is as good as that of PSE 6.

A down-sampled example from an outing down the street with SWMBO:



One of several shoot-outs, screen captured:



top left: ACR bi-cubic
top right: ACR bi-linear
btm left: FastStone lanczos2
btm right: Irfan standard down-size (choices are only for upsizing, apparently)

PSE 6 is relegated to testing, it's quite well suited to shoot-outs and it does show the workspace (not the screen) RGB and HSB wherever the cursor is at in an open image.

Sigma shot themselves in the foot by making succeeding X3F formats incompatible with current converters. I am at least fortunate that my older SD10 are supported by several converters and one can always use DCRAW in a pinch ;-)

[xpatUSA]

. . . . In other words forget all my stuff about using Revo to remove IrfanView completely, the problem seems to a XP versus Win 7 thing.

All can suggest now is to repeat Frank's idea, to try IrfanView's own forum:
[https://irfanview-forum.de/forum.php[/url][/s]

Ken

Hi Ken, thanks for your effort and assistance. I will seek out that .dll and replace it with yours because my computer is stubborn held with XP SP3 and maybe Irfan is now more compatible with Gates' later insanities!

I'll let you know if successful. Meanwhile, I've settled on a change to FastStone for a while. All this to avoid the big boys, eh? For the same reason Microsoft Office is long gone from my machine, along with Outlook in any form. Internet Explorer lies fallow, only used for testing HTML stuff.

[xpatUSA]

Hi Ken, thanks for your effort and assistance. I will seek out that .dll and replace it with yours because my computer is stubborn held with XP SP3 and maybe Irfan is now more compatible with Gates' later insanities!

I'll let you know if successful.

A small step sideways for X3F-kind. Turns out that an X3F can be opened by right-clicking and selecting IrfanView from the file-associations that pop-up (open with . .). But the open dialog does not see them and the option to open raw files is gone when Ken's Format.dll is installed. So, that works for me - at least I can open a X3F for research.

Thanks again, y'all!

[stuck]

The bottom line is, I think, that the FORMATS.DLL after IV 4.32 has a bug.

Agreed, I reported my findings direct to Irfan via the 'email' link on IV's home page. Might be worth you doing the same, two people griping about the same issue in a short space of time might encourage a bug fix this side of never..?

Ken

[stuck]

...I reported my findings direct to Irfan via the 'email' link on IV's home page.

I got a reply from Irfan:

No bug.

X3F is a special format and newer DCRAW versions (used in in Format plugin) do not support all/newer X3F versions, or a special license is needed.
=> this is because of DCRAW changes => complain to David ;-)

So if you want to open a X3F file with ItfanView you have to use an old version.

At least we all know now.

Ken

[xpatUSA]

I got a reply from Irfan:

No bug.

X3F is a special format and newer DCRAW versions (used in in Format plugin) do not support all/newer X3F versions, or a special license is needed.
=> this is because of DCRAW changes => complain to David ;-)

So, if you want to open a X3F file with IrfanView you have to use an old version.

At least we all know now.

Ken

Well, maybe we do (and I'm not arguing with Ken's findings), but Irfan's response makes little sense to me. I was using V 4.33 and it was working perfectly well with my old X3F files until I installed that White Balance plugin, and then Irfan's later format.dll. What I am trying to say here is that for Irfan to suddenly not support older X3F's (by some means, context switching, whatever) is enough to confirm my decision to go with FastStone and do the White balancing in Sigma's raw converter. Plus, I have and still use quite a late version of DCraw (9.02 I think) and it opens my files just fine.

At least you tried, Ken and I do appreciate it . .

I'm reminded of a saying here in Texas "if it ain't broke, don't fix it".