NC -vs- ACR game ...

Well I like the outcome of progam X better. And I'll guess that was the one done in NC. Just a guess, no reason behind it.

 

Why do I think of the Kobiyashi Maru gambit? Other than the color balance being way off on image y, image X has a lot more detail in the whites but a slight magenta cast. I'm going to assume you've done the same processes to both. I'll guess program x is NC 4.2

Rich

 

OK Captain Kirk (I mean Rich....;-)), I agree with you.

Frank

 

Rich :

I don't know what's scarier, that I agree with your judgment on the photo or that I immediately know the Kobiyashi Maru reference. But then, I'm old enough to have watched TOS on NBC in the 'sixties (and still like Trek).



John P.

 

I don't shoot RAW or use either program but the X program results are far better than the the Y program. Even if that wall really has a green tint to it. I also would not know which program is which. I just run my JPGs through good old PSP9.

 

Chris, are you using info panel and eyedropper to evaluate casts?

 

X=NC

 

I guess NC and X

At least that is what I notice when I use NC on most of my pics..

If I really screw up :>)) often lolol I will use photoshop.

regards
Gale

 

Ps: if we are all wrong. You got some teaching to do, big time :>))

Gale

 

Chris, Image 1 (Program X) is clearly the better color-balanced pic.

Your hint makes me nervous, though, because I'm thinking that it may be easier for a color-blind person to see WB issues in the ACR histograms than in NC. I haven't done any testing on this, but if you know what you're looking for I would think the ACR interface might be easier to use for that one aspect. I do, however, personally prefer NC for just about every other aspect of RAW processing, especially after Ron Reznick's training.

 

So.......? Which is which? )

 

Hey Rich -

If you were directing that at me, I guess I think Program X is ACR and Program Y is NC. Definitely not because I think ACR is better, just because I think Chris could deal with the interface better.

Then again, maybe I'm just totally offbase here...

 

Problem with the "Y" image is that it is rendered too high, highlights are blown-out. Channels are clipped. Hence it is much harder to balance the image across the tonal range - balancing one tone skews the other tones.

"X" image is slightly overcompensated in attempt to preserve highlights. The most clipped is red channel, so while compensating exposure in ACR green and blue channels were slightly underexposed. If white balance would be adjusted a little after exposure compensation, result would be a little better IMHO.

 

Thanks Chris. This was fun. 8)

Frank

 

There are four fixed and one free eyedropper in NC; but first thing to try is to bring back the "exposure" in NC.

You can do it using Advanced palette, exposure compensation; while watching "L" histogram in LCH editor and switching through channel histograms in Curve pane. As your near-highlights in this photo are nearly neutral, exposure and white balance should be adjusted so that channel histograms near right wall should have very similar shape and just touch the wall. The one that touches first will determine cast of the image