Modify RAW.plist on Macintosh

[kepstein]

Has anyone been able to modify this file in order to get iPhoto or Aperture to recognize R-D1 RAW files?

Thanks,
Ken

 

[jlw]

I couldn't find a file named RAW.plist in MacOS X 10.4.5. Where are you seeing it?

Even if I could find it, I'm not sure what we'd be accomplishing here. A property list (plist) is just a collection of application preferences and settings. Even if you modified an application's plist so the application would recognize R-D 1 files as a type it could open, it still wouldn't actually be able to open them without the code necessary to interpret them... right?

 

[kepstein]

This process is already being done for several other digital cameras. You will not find the file using Spotlight but it is on the Mac. This link explains how to do it for a Canon:

http://www.macosxhints.com/article.php?story=20051101035330228&query=Raw+support

 

[PaulN]

You can rename an ERF file to a CRW file to have the finder show the embedded thumbnail, but that is it. I believe the reason that this hack works for Canon RAW files is because OSX already supports that file type. The difference between digital rebels boils down to different headers/tags within the raw file. Overall though, the file format remains the same. OSX probably has some embedded logic built into it that has it scan the files for headers that it understands before it decodes a RAW file and displays it on the screen. When it checks the camera type and see's 350D (or whatever) and it only knows about the 300D, it stops. It is better to be safe and say that you don't support the file instead of potentially displaying a bunch of garbage on the screen that results in numerous support complaints, etc.

The ERF file is proprietary and completely different than a CRW file, as such, additional logic outside of an XML tag will need to be added to the OS.

BTW- I encourage people to check out Lightroom. I'm a total convert at this point. It *screams* on a dual core x86 iMac. I can't even tell that I'm working on raw ERF files it is that fast. And the conversion is spot on and removes plenty of color casts that I had problems with in photolier.

-Paul

 

[scho]

Yes!

Yes!

Has anyone been able to modify this file in order to get iPhoto or Aperture to recognize R-D1 RAW files?

Thanks,
Ken

Yes, see the procedure outlined in this thread. Basically, you have to first use Adobe DNG converter to convert the .ERF files to DNG. Next edit the plist file as described in the link to create an R-D1 entry. I just duped the Nikon D-100 file and re-named the dupe EPSON-R-D1. Works well in Aperture 1.52.

http://www.leica-camera-user.com/digital-forum/16559-how-use-aperture-m8-dng-files.html

 

[sirvine]

How sad that Apple apparently had this hack available all during the time that I reluctantly switched to Lightroom. It's too late now...my copy of LR 1.0 is in the mail. I really like Aperture, too.

 

[jlw]

How sad that Apple apparently had this hack available all during the time that I reluctantly switched to Lightroom. It's too late now...my copy of LR 1.0 is in the mail. I really like Aperture, too.

That's just what it is -- a hack. I've tried this on my own before, and I'll probably try it again following the recipe in the thread, just to see if it works – but I don't expect it to have the level of optimized performance that's available for officially-supported raw files.

If Apple could add raw file compatibility for new camera models just by poking their names into a plist, don't you think they would already offer "support" for every flavor of camera in the world, and/or offer an easy user interface for adding new models? It certainly would be a big selling point for Aperture, and there's no real reason for them not to do it... unless the product wouldn't meet consumer expectations, which is what I suspect is the real catch.

As I said, though, I'm game to try it. Note that the structure and location of the raw.plist file are different between Mac OS X 10.3.x and 10.4.x, so what works in one may not work in the other.

I was in the Lightroom beta program from the start (yes, my name is on the website somewhere) and have been running the v1.0 trial... but I still have to say I prefer the Aperture user interface, and the v1.5.2 trial version seems to run at good speed even on my relatively modest Macs (an iMac G5 and a MacBook.) So I really want this hack to work -- but I remain somewhat skeptical about getting everyday-usable, high-quality results with it.

 

[sirvine]

If it works, then I don't care whether it's officially sanctioned. Apple could easily have leaked this information via the back-channel. Assuming it works (and it does appear to work for M8 and Canon models), then Lightroom would have one less paying customer.

By the time I've depreciated $199, I'm guessing my workflow will be melded to Adobe for a good while unless Aperture steps it up with improved features or image rendering. Oh well...

 

[scho]

That's just what it is -- a hack. I've tried this on my own before, and I'll probably try it again following the recipe in the thread, just to see if it works – but I don't expect it to have the level of optimized performance that's available for officially-supported raw files.

If Apple could add raw file compatibility for new camera models just by poking their names into a plist, don't you think they would already offer "support" for every flavor of camera in the world, and/or offer an easy user interface for adding new models? It certainly would be a big selling point for Aperture, and there's no real reason for them not to do it... unless the product wouldn't meet consumer expectations, which is what I suspect is the real catch.

As I said, though, I'm game to try it. Note that the structure and location of the raw.plist file are different between Mac OS X 10.3.x and 10.4.x, so what works in one may not work in the other.

I was in the Lightroom beta program from the start (yes, my name is on the website somewhere) and have been running the v1.0 trial... but I still have to say I prefer the Aperture user interface, and the v1.5.2 trial version seems to run at good speed even on my relatively modest Macs (an iMac G5 and a MacBook.) So I really want this hack to work -- but I remain somewhat skeptical about getting everyday-usable, high-quality results with it.

I'm using 10.4.8 and the "hack" works just fine. The re-name in plist is critical, must be exactly as I specified : EPSON-R-D1

 

[jlw]

Okay, as I said, I'm interested in trying it. First hurdle was to find the location of the raw.plist file, since Spotlight won't search for it; turns out that for MacOS X 10.4.x it can be reached by pasting the following path; start out in the Finder, type shift-command-G to get the "Go to Folder..." box, and send it here:

/System/Library/Frameworks/ApplicationServices.framework/Versions/A/Frameworks/ImageIO.framework/Versions/A/Resources/

Now I've just got to edit the plist. Apple's Property List Editor apparently won't let me duplicate a property directly, so I'll go looking for something else.

Any guesses as to the best plist entry to duplicate for the R-D 1? Nikon D70? D70s?

 

[scho]

Okay, as I said, I'm interested in trying it. First hurdle was to find the location of the raw.plist file, since Spotlight won't search for it; turns out that for MacOS X 10.4.x it can be reached by pasting the following path; start out in the Finder, type shift-command-G to get the "Go to Folder..." box, and send it here:

/System/Library/Frameworks/ApplicationServices.framework/Versions/A/Frameworks/ImageIO.framework/Versions/A/Resources/

Now I've just got to edit the plist. Apple's Property List Editor apparently won't let me duplicate a property directly, so I'll go looking for something else.

Any guesses as to the best plist entry to duplicate for the R-D 1? Nikon D70? D70s?

Just follow the instructions at the beginning of the thread I linked above. Use PlistEdit Pro to edit the plist (http://homepage.mac.com/bwebster/plisteditpro.html) as described in the thread instructions. I duplicated the Nikon D-100 file in the property list and renamed it EPSON-R-D1. You can try other camera files, but the D100 seemed to give OK results. There is a slight reddish cast in the imported DNG files in Aperture, but you can correct this easily with a custom white balance preset or RGB color balance adjustment.
Note: I just tried this again using a re-named duplicate of the Nikon D70 file and it seems to be a slightly better fit in terms of color balance. Still a little reddish, but not bad.

 

[galavanter]

Note: I just tried this again using a re-named duplicate of the Nikon D70 file and it seems to be a slightly better fit in terms of color balance. Still a little reddish, but not bad.

Hey scho,

Thanks for pointing out the link. I just finished following the instructions and was about to post that you try the D70S profile (I traded my D70 with S firmware for my R-D1). That's what I used and the colors appear spot on to me, no reddish cast on my MBP using Safari. [EDIT] I just noticed your photo in the original thread and must say I don't see any reddish tint there either. Monitor or me?
I had even started a thread a couple months back asking everyone to contact Apple and ask for R-D1 support. For me, this is just as good...
Thanks to Eoin at the Leica User Forum for figuring it out too!

Jim

 

[triplefinger]

i bought LR 1.0 and returned it. not crazy about the interface. I am gonna try this with aperture.

cheers!

How sad that Apple apparently had this hack available all during the time that I reluctantly switched to Lightroom. It's too late now...my copy of LR 1.0 is in the mail. I really like Aperture, too.

 

[jlw]

Right, I tried it and it does work! The only mild potential 'gotcha' other than locating the file in the first place (see path quoted above) is that you have to change the raw.plist file's ownership so you can edit it. This will be self-evident to any experienced Mac tinkerer, but I thought I'd mention it for any relative newcomers.

(To change the file's ownership, select it and type command-i to bring up the Get Info box. Scroll down until you see the Ownership and Permissions section, click the triangle to view the Details, click the padlock to unlock the settings -- you'll need an administrator ID and password -- and then change the owner from System to your own ID, and give yourself read/write privileges. After I was done I changed the ownership back to System, but I'm not sure it's necessary.)​

So, yay, now I can work with R-D 1 files in Aperture, and thanks to all who have contributed to this thread.




I still think the trick is a bit hackish, though -- I'm sure the settings in the plist aren't as optimized for the R-D 1 as they would be for an officially supported camera.

I used the Nikon D70 entry as my starting point, and while I do get images, I feel the color balance is excessively warm and I doubt that the sharpening and noise-reduction settings are ideal. With enough tweaking, I suppose I could come up with settings that I could save as presets for various combinations of shooting and lighting conditions -- but it would be uncertain and time-consuming enough that I might be better off just sticking to Lightroom, which already has R-D 1 support baked in.


DIY would be another possibility. But each camera entry in the plist has a lot of parameters: as few as 16 or as many as 28. The Nikon D70 profile has 23 parameters. These are the adjustments used to fine-tune the raw conversion, and they seem to be fairly sensitive; many of the numbers for the D70 are significantly different from those for the D70s, for example.

What the parameters do isn't necessarily self-evident, at least to me; they have names such as 'black0', 'black1', 'black2', 'esein', 'eseth', 'esint', 'esrad' and 'gresc.' Some have multiple options: 'm1', 'm2', and 'mc', for example, are arrays with nine values apiece. So while it might be possible to find optimal values by trial and error, I would think it would take a lot of trial and error!

I suppose what Apple does when it adds a "supported" camera to the list is profile it to see what values give the best results, and I could see how that might be time-consuming enough that they wouldn't want to do it for low-volume cameras. It would be nice, though, if they'd document the process so that third parties that wanted to generate their own plist values could do it, or even offer a software development kit (SDK.) Not that Epson would be interested, but maybe someone else would pick up the ball...


Also note that every time Apple issues an update of its supported cameras, you'll probably have to redo the hack on the new plist. Those of us who have customized our configuration files for other system services are used to this, but it's tedious.

 

[scho]

Right, I tried it and it does work! The only mild potential 'gotcha' other than locating the file in the first place (see path quoted above) is that you have to change the raw.plist file's ownership so you can edit it. This will be self-evident to any experienced Mac tinkerer, but I thought I'd mention it for any relative newcomers.

(To change the file's ownership, select it and type command-i to bring up the Get Info box. Scroll down until you see the Ownership and Permissions section, click the triangle to view the Details, click the padlock to unlock the settings -- you'll need an administrator ID and password -- and then change the owner from System to your own ID, and give yourself read/write privileges. After I was done I changed the ownership back to System, but I'm not sure it's necessary.)​

So, yay, now I can work with R-D 1 files in Aperture, and thanks to all who have contributed to this thread.




I still think the trick is a bit hackish, though -- I'm sure the settings in the plist aren't as optimized for the R-D 1 as they would be for an officially supported camera.

I used the Nikon D70 entry as my starting point, and while I do get images, I feel the color balance is excessively warm and I doubt that the sharpening and noise-reduction settings are ideal. With enough tweaking, I suppose I could come up with settings that I could save as presets for various combinations of shooting and lighting conditions -- but it would be uncertain and time-consuming enough that I might be better off just sticking to Lightroom, which already has R-D 1 support baked in.


DIY would be another possibility. But each camera entry in the plist has a lot of parameters: as few as 16 or as many as 28. The Nikon D70 profile has 23 parameters. These are the adjustments used to fine-tune the raw conversion, and they seem to be fairly sensitive; many of the numbers for the D70 are significantly different from those for the D70s, for example.

What the parameters do isn't necessarily self-evident, at least to me; they have names such as 'black0', 'black1', 'black2', 'esein', 'eseth', 'esint', 'esrad' and 'gresc.' Some have multiple options: 'm1', 'm2', and 'mc', for example, are arrays with nine values apiece. So while it might be possible to find optimal values by trial and error, I would think it would take a lot of trial and error!

I suppose what Apple does when it adds a "supported" camera to the list is profile it to see what values give the best results, and I could see how that might be time-consuming enough that they wouldn't want to do it for low-volume cameras. It would be nice, though, if they'd document the process so that third parties that wanted to generate their own plist values could do it, or even offer a software development kit (SDK.) Not that Epson would be interested, but maybe someone else would pick up the ball...


Also note that every time Apple issues an update of its supported cameras, you'll probably have to redo the hack on the new plist. Those of us who have customized our configuration files for other system services are used to this, but it's tedious.

Yes, the un-adjusted files in Aperture are warm/red and a preset adjustment is needed to get rid of the cast. I'm also still undecided about Lightroom vs Aperture. No problems getting RAW R-D1 or M8 files into Lightroom, but my biggest problem with Lightroom is the print engine. I print a lot of B&W using QuadToneRIP and this doesn't work well in Lightroom. No problems printing from Aperture. I also prefer the editing features in Aperture.

 

[photorat]

The link doesn't work. Does anyone know how to edit the plist to make Aperture compatible with Epson erf files?

Thanks,

J

Yes, see the procedure outlined in this thread. Basically, you have to first use Adobe DNG converter to convert the .ERF files to DNG. Next edit the plist file as described in the link to create an R-D1 entry. I just duped the Nikon D-100 file and re-named the dupe EPSON-R-D1. Works well in Aperture 1.52.

http://www.leica-camera-user.com/digital-forum/16559-how-use-aperture-m8-dng-files.html