Free crw converter

[Hartmut]

Available at http://www.schulla.at/misc/crw1.1.zip
Usage: right click on the .crw file and open with the program crw.exe or Commandline "crw file.crw".
Will produce a linear .psd Photoshop file in the same directory!
Supports D30 and D60.
Benefits: extreme low noise and larger pic with accurate details.
For best results use Pekka's Linear Sharpen 342!
Feel free to give it a try and enjoy yourself.
Here a D60 sample:
http://www.schulla.at/misc/CRW_2202.jpg
Regards
H

[Roger_Cavanagh]

Hartmut,

My first attempt looked very promising. I shall do some more testing. Is it possible to batch convert multiples CRW files?

Thanks for sharing,

[Hartmut]

Hi!
I'm just developing!
In the next weeks I will try to wrap around a GUI with all necessary controls. But try my new one at
http://www.schulla.at/misc/CRW3.1.zip
which will improve colors and sharpness against noise.
An icc-proflie for D60 is also included!
I think this proggy is a lot sharper and accurate as the CANON SDK! Thanks to Matt Dillon for a superb interpolation routine!
Sorry for my bad english, I'm from Austria!
Regards
Hartmut

[Pekka]

It would be interesting to combine this to Linearsharpen, and code it all together as Photoshop PLUGIN. So that you could select parameters from GUI and press one button to do it all. And do this as open source project.

Any takers? :)

[jsk1535]

great idea...not sure even w/his instructions how to use this with photoshop...im confused

[Roger_Cavanagh]

jsk1535 wrote:
great idea...not sure even w/his instructions how to use this with photoshop...im confused

I got it working this way:

Download the zip file and extract contents to a folder. No other installation is necessary it seems.

Create a new desktop shortcut pointing to the program file crw.exe.

Use Windows Explorer to navigate to a folder with a CRW file in it.

Drag and drop a CRW file onto the shortcut. A PSD file with a linear image will be created in the same directory as the CRW file.

Cheers,

[Hartmut]

Hello!
You can easy compare my converter with YARCplus. Take a picture with fine details, e.g a landscape shot, and process it both with my converter and the CANON SDK (e. g. YARCpus).
Apply the supplied profile and look at 400% at the details! In colored areas you will see a lot more details using my crw converter!
You can also play with -d 0 and -s n (n ist the number of times the colors will be smoothed) for less noise (but also a little bit less details).
Regards
H.
http://www.schulla.at/misc/CRW3.1.zip

[Hartmut]

Roger_Cavanagh wrote:
Hartmut,

My first attempt looked very promising. I shall do some more testing. Is it possible to batch convert multiples CRW files?

Thanks for sharing,
Hi!
It's possible to process more files in command line mode:
crw [options] file1 file2 file3 .....
Regards
H.

[Roger_Cavanagh]

Hartmut wrote:
You can also play with -d 0 and -s n (n ist the number of times the colors will be smoothed) for less noise (but also a little bit less details).

Hartmut,

If the image is "noise-free", are the best settings -d 1 and -s 0?

Regards,

[Hartmut]

Roger_Cavanagh wrote:
Hartmut wrote:
You can also play with -d 0 and -s n (n ist the number of times the colors will be smoothed) for less noise (but also a little bit less details).

Hartmut,

If the image is "noise-free", are the best settings -d 1 and -s 0?

Regards,

No!
Settings -d 0 -s 0 will produce the sharpest image but probably more noise. Option -s n is only available with -d 0. Dillon Interpolation needs nor further smoothing cause it looks in the 5x5 neighbourhood of any pixel color. The standard Interpolation searches only the 3x3 pixel neighbourhood.
Regards
Hartmut

[pigasus]

Hi Hartmut,

I've been trying out your converter and I'd like to share what I've found.

But first let me describe the image I'm using to test with:
I took a photo (200 ISO) in hazy sunlight with my D30 of a scene which included a colour and monochrome separation scale card, skin tones and a range of coloured shirts, including red, cyan, dark blue and purple. I originally converted the raw image to linear using BB and then applied Pekka's LS convert only option (minus the initial USM step). I found the result to be very true to the actual colours, with the grey scale matching the original with surprising accuracy and skin tones looking correct.

I have now run the same image through your CRW3.1 conversion and applied Pekka's LS exactly as described above. I'd like to comment on colour and noise.

As regards colour, I did not think the results with your conversion were as good as with the BB conversion. In general, the results were significantly too blue/not enough yellow - particularly obvious in the grey scale and skin tones. But I'm not surprised that the colours after applying Pekka's action don't hold up with your conversion. Pekka developed the action specifically to produce the right colours from a linear conversion done with the Canon converter. If the starting point is changed by using another converter, then how could one expect Pekka's action to be appropriate?

As regards noise. I found noticeably more noise in your conversion than in my original. Remember, in doing this comparison I have not added any further sharpening to the raw linear conversions in either case. You talk about sharper images, so I assume you have added sharpening to the equation in your conversion and thus have increased the noise. By way of another comparison, I ran the BB raw linear file through Pekka's full LS 400-800 action, which converts plus sharpens. Even after the sharpening, there was less noise visible to me than with your conversion.

For me, one of the main points about raw linear is that it is a straight conversion with no adjustments made. Getting from the Canon conversion to a finished product should then be achievable via a good icc profile (haven't seen one yet for the d30 that I like) or via photoshop actions (like Pekka's which I like very much). In less I am misunderstanding, your conversion combines the step of straight conversion with some of the steps of post conversion and is thus a sort of hybrid.

I think it might be interesting (as Pekka suggested) to have a single routine which would convert to linear and then adjust to a final result (perhaps with options). But to me, the most important part of that routine would be the post linear conversion adjustments. And I would expect the inital conversion to make as few changes as possible to the original data.

Sally

[Rudi]

The pig that flies! Nice to see you back. :)

If you ever find an ICC profile for the D30 that you like, please let me know. I have got the linear conversion down pat now (wouldn't you believe it, I was just trying it out with really strange photos - I told you I take some weird photos, right? - and that seems to have been the problem. I just use combined conversion for those kinds of photos now, and all is well... :))

BTW, my monitor was set to the correct colour temperature all this time... :D

[pigasus]

Rudi wrote:
If you ever find an ICC profile for the D30 that you like, please let me know. I have got the linear conversion down pat now (wouldn't you believe it, I was just trying it out with really strange photos - I told you I take some weird photos, right? - and that seems to have been the problem. I just use combined conversion for those kinds of photos now, and all is well... :))

Hi Rudi,

Have a look at this link for details of my current preferred linear workflow with an adjusted version of Pekka's LS342 400-800 action.
http://www.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1019&message=2990149

Sally

PS. I have finally come to terms with the 70-200 f4 L. It's just too good not to love.

[Rudi]

pigasus wrote:
PS. I have finally come to terms with the 70-200 f4 L. It's just too good not to love.


:D Yeah, it's a nice lens!

I'm off to see the other thread. Thanks for the tip!

[Hartmut]

Of course, showing fine details will enhance some noise. But look in the dark areas of a pic converted with the CANON SDK with ZOOM in PS6 at 900%. You will see some ugly "flat" areas without any detail and any noise. Looks like a "color reduced picture" at low resolution.
Canon seems to supress some details below a specific level which results in those "flat" areas!
I, for myself, prefer some little noise in dark areas, when the overall sharpness is better!
Regards
Hartmut

[pigasus]

Hartmut,
Is additional sharpening required in order to get fine detail? I'm just not clear how many different things you are trying to accomplish with your converter. I agree overall sharpness is better, particularly in the important parts of the image. But I'd prefer to sharpen with Pekka's 400-800 action which seems to subtract rather than add noise. Can you only achieve the extra fine detail through sharpening?

Sally

[Hartmut]

I use Pekka's LinearShapen 342 for very good results!
When only converting, I use my own 16bit sharpening especially tuned for D60!
Regards
Hartmut