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Your views on Photo Mechanic and Adobe Lightroom.

Mon 14-May-07 11:00 PM
I just started using it.

Photo Mechanic I thought it was faster but not sure what it accomplishes over Nikon View, I have not used Picture Project but I heard that was clumsy.

Lightroom, I liked it and liked how the printer preview and the slideshow. Its more simple too. I thought it lacked printer profiling, all I gathered was you could choose the profile and that was it, not a lot of options. Cannot deal with layers. I saw it as something like Phase One, C1Pro a general edit before output, but Lightroom was more clumsy not as streamlined as Phase One. If I was editing a lot I think this and Phase One is an option but for real editing I prefer CS2.

What are your views?
LATENTA LATENTA

Is from: US
1153 posts

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#1. "RE: Your views on Photo Mechanic and Adobe Lightroom." | In response to Reply # 0

LATENTA Registered since 21st Feb 2007
Tue 15-May-07 06:17 AM
I really like all of the aspects of Lightroom. However, my
output is primarily PDF, Flash, and "Ken Burnes' DVD slideshows.
I use PSE3.0 + "Hidden Elements" for my editor. On occation, I
do a few prints for my wife's odd size picture frames. I do have
a custom printer profile, because LR is not too friendly with the
"Managed By Printer" option.

Lightroom and PSE3 can do everything I do except the "Motion"
slideshows. I use MOTV for the "pan & zoom" DVDs.

To see ane example of what you acn do with LR
in about 10 minutes, see a non-motion, web, Flash
file here (I'm sorry about the horrible bright sun lighting):

http://5773812.home.insightbb.com/





I had a darkroom. Now I have a PC. PC smells better.
Visit my Nikonians gallery.

DrJay32 DrJay32

Is from: Colorado Springs, US
3450 posts

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#2. "RE: Your views on Photo Mechanic and Adobe Lightroom." | In response to Reply # 0

DrJay32 Silver Member Awarded for his multiple written contributions for the Resources and eZine Nikonian since 11th Mar 2003
Tue 15-May-07 10:15 AM
Photo Mechanic is a front-end browser and keywording tool. Lightroom is also a RAW converter.

The advantages of Photo Mechanic over Nikon View include speed, ability to view combined thumbnails for NEF+JPEG, ability to extract preview JPEGs from NEFs, automated Flash web galleries, and FTP capability. In addition, you can perform a lot of basic IPTC keywording during import, and import your files to two directories simultaneously-- making file archiving effortless.

The MAIN reason why I choose Photo Mechanic is because it utilizes the embedded JPEG preview in your NEFs to generate thumbnails. This has several inherent advantages for browsing files if you use Capture or Capture NX as your RAW converter. Because Capture NX embeds a high-quality, full-size JPEG in your NEF when you save the file, Photo Mechanic will update its thumbnails based on the embedded preview image. This feature enables me to streamline my workflow because I don't have to save a TIFF or JPEG for my browser to see the NX edits-- I can save my NEFs as NEFs and reduce the number of files I have floating around on my HDD.

More importantly, I can edit my shots in NX, save the files as NEFs, and then directly extract the preview JPEGs for web, email, or other uses directly from Photo Mechanic.

In browsers that include a RAW converter (Lightroom, Aperture, Bridge, etc.), you won't see any of the Capture/NX edits unless you first save the edited NEF as a JPEG or TIFF and then re-import the file.

If you are happy with the Lightroom/Aperture conversions, then using Photo Mechanic as a browser is less of a workflow advantage.

I enjoy Photo Mechanic because I use Capture NX as my primary raw converter. Its features allow me to use a virtually 100% NEF workflow. If I didn't use NX, then Photo Mechanic might not be as useful to me. Needless to say, it is the best browser I've come across.

-Jason

Jason P. Odell
Colorado Nikonian
Author, The Photographer's Guide to Capture NX
Now includes Supplement One

www.luminescentphoto.com

Listen to The Image Doctors

Jason P. Odell
Colorado Nikonian
Author: “Bird Photography with the Nikon Z9”

Co-Host "The Image Doctors" Photography Podcast

www.luminescentphoto.com

#3. "RE: Your views on Photo Mechanic and Adobe Lightroom." | In response to Reply # 2

Wed 16-May-07 12:29 AM
J,
Help me with the statement that "NX embeds a high-quality, full-size JPEG in your NEF..." I'm starting this week to use Photo-Mechanic and Capture NX. And after I've adjusted things in NX, saved the file, and opened it in PM, I see something like NEF+JPEG in the image info. Am I looking at the camera's little JPEG or something derived from NX NEF? Seems like the latter.
Thx//Del

#4. "RE: Your views on Photo Mechanic and Adobe Lightroom." | In response to Reply # 3

Wed 16-May-07 12:51 AM
Del-
Jason is referring to the utility in PM, where you can extract embedded jpeg, this in fact is the full size jpeg that will have all the same changes you made in NX, you simply extract the jpeg and then use the extracted image for online posting email, etc. It is alot easier and faster than batch saving using NX. Jason correct me if I am wrong. But use PM, and extract files in this manner.
DrJay32 DrJay32

Is from: Colorado Springs, US
3450 posts

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#5. "RE: Your views on Photo Mechanic and Adobe Lightroom." | In response to Reply # 3

DrJay32 Silver Member Awarded for his multiple written contributions for the Resources and eZine Nikonian since 11th Mar 2003
Wed 16-May-07 01:35 PM
Del,
If you shoot NEF+JPEG in the camera, then Photo Mechanic can be set up to display a single preview thumbnail for the image. You can choose to use the JPEG file or the NEF file to render the preview.

However, there is already a JPEG embedded in each NEF your camera produces; this is the file that you see in the camera's LCD as you are chimping. Photo Mechanic uses this file to generate the image thumbnail and previews when you are browsing NEFs.

The embedded JPEG file is updated if you save your NEF in Capture NX. That JPEG is a higher quality file than the camera-produced JPEG, and has the pixel dimensions of the saved NEF file. This is one of the reasons why NEFs increase in size slightly after saving them in NX.

For Mac users, Photo Mechanic has the ability to render raw previews from the RAW data using the internal Apple RAW converter engine. While this feature is useful for ensuring that RAW files are not corrupted, I take advantage of the ability of Photo Mechanic to render previews from the embedded JPEGs for two reasons:

1) Speed
2) Shows NX edits

If I were converting my NEFs to TIFFs or JPEGs, then #2 would not matter as much.

-Jason


Jason P. Odell
Colorado Nikonian
Author, The Photographer's Guide to Capture NX
Now includes Supplement One

www.luminescentphoto.com

Listen to The Image Doctors

Jason P. Odell
Colorado Nikonian
Author: “Bird Photography with the Nikon Z9”

Co-Host "The Image Doctors" Photography Podcast

www.luminescentphoto.com

G