[fgates]

I am trying out Kubuntu. I was able load raw images from my EOS 350D without any trouble. I was less happy with the raw converter (Raw Studio) but maybe I just need to get used to it. I am struggling a bit with Gimp, but it seemed quite flexible. So here is the result:



The great thing is that Linux is free, so none of the software cost me a penny . I would appreciate comments and suggestions, both on the photo and on using Linux for image processing.

Fred

[Steve]

Silky is a big fan of Linux so he will be along to back you up. On saying that I am sure he is using a commercial software package to process his shots..Bibble for raw work and PSP for the editing if my memory serves me correctly.

Regarding your shot, there is nothing there that would tell me that it was processed on completely free software offerings. I personally would like to have seen the stamen a little sharper but I can't attribute that to the software without seeing the original raw file. I guess to do a more accurate comparisons you would have to do two conversions..one on linux with free software and another using a commercial OS and image processing applications.

[Dabhand16]

I've moved this thread to Manipulation as I think the essence of your post is in this area.

This is a very different macro Fred - and I think it works well. I like the abstract feel that it has

[fgates]

Originally Posted by Steve

I personally would like to have seen the stamen a little sharper but I can't attribute that to the software without seeing the original raw file.

Its difficult to tell whether the software or the picture, as I found USM quite different to Photoshop. I was planning on processing the image in Photoshop as well. I'll post it later.

Thanks for the comments.

Fred

[silkstone]

I'm afraid I don't get on too well with the GIMP for some things - especially HSL adjustment. Paint Shop Pro has a great HSL feature with a colour wheel where you can selectively adjust a range of hues with feathering out at each end, whereas the GIMP only lets you select R,G,B,C,M,Y with no feathering etc, so the result is blocking. Also the GIMP's rendering of some JPGs is less than impressive.

I'm running PSP 7.4 under Crossover and most of it works quite well. I understand that you can run CS2 under the latest version of Wine.

For RAW processing I use Bibble Pro which I really like, especially with some plugins which turn it into an all-in-one package most of the time. You can do some great HSL manipulation with the Roy Pro plugin, although it's not as intuitive as the PSP method. Bibble is available for Windows, Mac and Linux.

The absence of support for graphics packages such as PSP X2 is one reason why (despite appearances) I am still not 100% sure I will stick with Ubuntu/Linux in the longer term. But I really don't like Windows, and I can't convince myself that OS-X is much more than a very expensive version of Linux.

[fgates]

Thanks for the comments about Linux. I agree that I am not quite ready to migrate completely. This is only my first week playing with it. It has gone down a few times, mostly because of experiments that I have made.

I have a lot more experience in Photoshop than in Gimp, so it is not a fair comparison, but here is the Windows version.

[silkstone]

The first (GIMP) version is technically better because on Photoshop you've blown the red channel summat rotten and have lost detail in the yellows, but that could be corrected.

[fgates]

Thanks for pointing that out Silkstone, I still have a lot to learn. I think that the blown reds are something to do with the Raw converter. The Linux version was very dark and I had to do a lot of adjustments in Gimp to get an acceptable colour balance. In Photoshop any levels or brightness/contrast adjustment just made things worse. I basically just sharpened the stamen.

Fred

[silkstone]

If you're using Kubuntu/Ubuntu, I'd recommend downloading the Bibble Pro trial (.deb version). The interface is a little odd and you really need to watch the videos which are excellent, but I think the results are very good. You may find that you don't need any other image editor for most shots.

Bibble Labs - Professional Photo Workflow Software

[fgates]

I downloaded and installed it without a hitch. Then all expectantly I waited to see what it looked like... it took its time ... and then disappeared

I have an old machine, so maybe its not quite up to spec.

[silkstone]

Oh that's odd. Play around a bit more and if you don't get any joy post a query on support.bibblelabs.com :: Index.

A good thing about the Bibble forum is that the program developers are active on it and try to sort out problems, although maybe they're taking a break over Easter.

[fgates]

I just tried Bibble. Here is the result. Comments please.

[silkstone]

Is that straight out of Bibble without any other processing?

It's OK but I wouldn't use Bibble to resize for the web - the images always look soft. Save from Bibble at full size and then resize with gThumb (Linux) or Faststone (Windows). Also the colour balance on your pic looks a little cool.

Bibble's default sharpening isn't set high enough for most shots. The whole sharpening feature will be improved in v5, but meanwhile I use a setting of 250 as default. That generally gives decent results with no further post-processing. Disable the Highlight Recovery (untick the box), and use the histogram in the Advanced tab to assess exposure. You can tweak black and white points from there, and also use Fill Light, Exposure, Contrast, etc. I use 0.5 as default for Fill Light.

Keep playing with Bibble - there's a lot in it and it takes some familiarisation, but it's worth it!

[fgates]

Yes straight out of Bibble. The interface was a bit daunting, but seemed to offer lots of possibilities. I will try to process a few more over the weekend.

[silkstone]

There are some video tutorials on the Bibble website...

Bibble Labs: Learning Center

I would highly recommend these as a shortcut to familiarisation. They're not very long but pack in a lot of information.