Automating Photomerge Question: Bit Depth & Color Space

Discussion of Automation, Image Workflow and Raw Image Workflow

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Illuminata Photo

Automating Photomerge Question: Bit Depth & Color Space

Post by Illuminata Photo »

Greetings,

I've taken the Photomerge script that several from this forum worked out a couple of years ago (mostly Mike Hale; starting in Aug 2009, it appears) and augmented it for my needs. It works great and I'm sincerely thankful to everyone who put in the effort to figure this out. While I've only used this script once to make about a dozen panoramas, I'm so thankful for all of the hours that it's going to save me in the future. I just wish that I'd found this script a year or so ago.

But, I do have a couple of issues that I can't figure out/work out, where I'd like to make some improvements for my workflow. Prior to using this script, I would start in Lightroom (LR), select the several images that I wanted to use to make my panorama, and then use the external editor function in LR to pass the files to Photoshop and start the panorama photomerge process. In my LR external editor settings, I choose to pass 16-bit, ProPhoto RGB files to PS and that's the final result of my panorama photo merge. And, in this workflow, it wasn't automated, so I had to babysit my computer, which is what I'm trying to get away from.

When I now run this Panorama script, however, my generated panorama is returned to me as an 8-bit, Adobe RGB file. I've been searching and searching for a way to open my files in PS as 16-bit, ProPhoto RGB files (and can't find a way). And, scripts don't work with LR, from what I can tell.

Does anyone know:

1) how to to open my files in PS as 16-bit, ProPhoto files; or,

2) how to script the process starting with LR; or,

3) how there might be another way to do this (through Bridge? which I don't [yet] know); or,

4) should I just be thankful for the script that I have?

Thanks for your consideration!

Tim Mulholland/Illuminata Photo
Fitchburg, WI
Mike Hale

Automating Photomerge Question: Bit Depth & Color Space

Post by Mike Hale »

Are you talking about camera raw files? Photomerge should honor your ACR settings as far as color space and bit depth.

I can't help the the Lightroom side
Illuminata Photo

Automating Photomerge Question: Bit Depth & Color Space

Post by Illuminata Photo »

Hi Mike,

Yes. But, I'm not using ACR, as far as I know. I'm opening my files via PS in the script...

Should I think about modifying the script to open my files through ACR???

Thanks,

Tim!
Illuminata Photo

Automating Photomerge Question: Bit Depth & Color Space

Post by Illuminata Photo »

Mike,

So, I opened five files through PS and get the ACR dialogue box. But, at the bottom of the box it's showing that my files are to be imported as 8-bit, Adobe RGB files...


Tim!
Illuminata Photo

Automating Photomerge Question: Bit Depth & Color Space

Post by Illuminata Photo »

I think that I figured it out!

At the dialogue box, yes, there's a line that's saying how I'm importing my files. The settings were Adobe RGB, 8-bit. But, that line is a link. When I click the link, I'm then able to change the ACR import preferences. I've not seen this before...

I'll give the script another whirl tonight...

Tim!
Mike Hale

Automating Photomerge Question: Bit Depth & Color Space

Post by Mike Hale »

Yes, even though you don't see the ACR dialog when you open raw file in Photomerge, ACR is still used to convert the camera raw format to something Photoshop can use. And the files are opened using whatever is in those settings. Those are 'sticky' so you should only have to set them once and files will be opened with those changed setting until you change them again.

From what you posted I would guess the Lightroom has some way of over-ridding those settings.
Illuminata Photo

Automating Photomerge Question: Bit Depth & Color Space

Post by Illuminata Photo »

Hi Mike,

I ran the script last night and everything's fine - woo hoo!

Since I've been mostly working through LR, I didn't know/understand how to work with ACR.

Tim!