jlw
Rangefinder camera pedant
We've had several past threads on workflows for Epson raw files on a Mac. Now I'm onto a new one, which involves another little custom AppleScript I wrote, so thought I would post it in case anyone else can use it:
I got started on this because of two things: (1) I want to be able to check my raw files on a laptop Mac during studio sessions, to make sure they're sharp; and (2) Yesterday (Aug. 5) was my birthday -- one of those big, bad ones with a zero at the end -- so as an emollient to the pain of my lost youth I bought myself a present, i.e., the upgrade to Photoshop CS2. This includes Adobe Bridge, which turns out to be a good way to handle Epson raw files even without launching Photoshop itself.
So, it looks as if Bridge will become my mobile raw-file-viewing solution. But how to get those raw files into it without a lot of manual dragging?
Well, that's where the script comes in. Download and unzip it, then put it on your Mac wherever you like to store scripts (such as your Library>Scripts folder.) To make it work semi-automatically, launch the Image Capture application, open its Preferences, and choose the script as the application to be launched when a camera is connected.
Now, fire up Bridge and insert an Epson card full o' raw files into your trusty card reader. Inserting the card will launch the script, which will prompt you to designate a folder on your hard disk to receive the files. It then will copy the files into that folder; then it will move the originals from the card to the Trash, empty the Trash, and put up a dialog saying it's now safe to take the card out of the reader. This leaves you with an empty card, ready to store more files.
Meanwhile, use Bridge to open the folder you've designated to receive the files. It will start doing all its Bridge things -- scanning the folder, displaying thumbnails of the images, collecting their metadata, etc. If you want a closer look at one of the pictures, Bridge can launch Adobe Camera Raw without having to launch Photoshop -- letting you get a really close, accurate look at the image.
As you keep shooting up more cards and putting them into your reader, the script will keep launching and transferring the files into your receiving folder; Bridge will keep watching that folder and adding the new thumbnails as they appear. By alternating two cards -- one in the camera and one in the reader -- you can keep shooting pretty much continuously, letting Bridge chew on the files from one card while you're shooting onto the other. Kinda slick, huh?
As usual, the script is offered with NO warranty, liability, or other legal stuff -- use at your own risk!
I got started on this because of two things: (1) I want to be able to check my raw files on a laptop Mac during studio sessions, to make sure they're sharp; and (2) Yesterday (Aug. 5) was my birthday -- one of those big, bad ones with a zero at the end -- so as an emollient to the pain of my lost youth I bought myself a present, i.e., the upgrade to Photoshop CS2. This includes Adobe Bridge, which turns out to be a good way to handle Epson raw files even without launching Photoshop itself.
A note about (1) again: Yes, I have Epson's P-2000 photo viewer, and that's a much more portable way of empyting out memory cards in the field. But the P-2000 doesn't actually display the raw file, only its JPEG thumbnail -- you can't zoom in on it to check for sharpness. (Even the camera's LCD monitor has a very limited zoom capability for raw files, compared to what you can do with JPEGs.) When I'm doing studio shooting, I want to be able to examine the actual raw file, to be sure I'm getting good images -- and the only way to do that is to carry a laptop with a raw-file processing and viewing application.
I've been using Raw Developer very happily on my desktop Mac, but it won't run on my older G3 iBook. Adobe Bridge will, though -- and yes, under the terms of Adobe's license agreement, it's perfectly legal for me to install it both on the desktop and laptop Macs, as long as both copies aren't in use at once.
I've been using Raw Developer very happily on my desktop Mac, but it won't run on my older G3 iBook. Adobe Bridge will, though -- and yes, under the terms of Adobe's license agreement, it's perfectly legal for me to install it both on the desktop and laptop Macs, as long as both copies aren't in use at once.
So, it looks as if Bridge will become my mobile raw-file-viewing solution. But how to get those raw files into it without a lot of manual dragging?
Well, that's where the script comes in. Download and unzip it, then put it on your Mac wherever you like to store scripts (such as your Library>Scripts folder.) To make it work semi-automatically, launch the Image Capture application, open its Preferences, and choose the script as the application to be launched when a camera is connected.
Now, fire up Bridge and insert an Epson card full o' raw files into your trusty card reader. Inserting the card will launch the script, which will prompt you to designate a folder on your hard disk to receive the files. It then will copy the files into that folder; then it will move the originals from the card to the Trash, empty the Trash, and put up a dialog saying it's now safe to take the card out of the reader. This leaves you with an empty card, ready to store more files.
Meanwhile, use Bridge to open the folder you've designated to receive the files. It will start doing all its Bridge things -- scanning the folder, displaying thumbnails of the images, collecting their metadata, etc. If you want a closer look at one of the pictures, Bridge can launch Adobe Camera Raw without having to launch Photoshop -- letting you get a really close, accurate look at the image.
As you keep shooting up more cards and putting them into your reader, the script will keep launching and transferring the files into your receiving folder; Bridge will keep watching that folder and adding the new thumbnails as they appear. By alternating two cards -- one in the camera and one in the reader -- you can keep shooting pretty much continuously, letting Bridge chew on the files from one card while you're shooting onto the other. Kinda slick, huh?
As usual, the script is offered with NO warranty, liability, or other legal stuff -- use at your own risk!
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