ZoomBrowser loses properties data

[amyl]

ZoomBrowser so dutifully stores all the date, time & settings you used to take the photo, but....If you modify the photo in Photoshop and save it, YOU LOSE EVERYTHING. I was very impressed with this program, until now.

Has anyone heard if Canon has offered a patch to fix this?

[slejhamer]

amyl wrote:
If you modify the photo in Photoshop and save it, YOU LOSE EVERYTHING.

You must extract the EXIF data to a separate file using 3rd-party software before you make your edits. Search these boards using the term "EXIF" and you'll find a few links. I believe there is some freeware that works well.

Another solution is to uninstall ZB and replace it with Breezebrowser which can automatically save the EXIF data to a text file. It's a better image browser in general, largely because it doesn't rely on a database that is inflexible and easily corrupted (like ZB's.) You can try BB for free on a limited basis; if you don't like it you don't have to pay. See www.breezesys.com for more info.

Cheers,

[paul alford]

Yes Amy, I agree. Ditch the ZoomBrowser and load BreezeBrowser. Much better program. Zoom is also known for having errors where you have to re-install the program, which means you lose all of the folders and libraries. PLUS, the RAW images have to be converted in Zoom before you can see them any bigger than a thumbnail... BreezeBrowser will show you a RAW image bigger than a thumb without having to convert it - saving lots of time.

PLUS, BreezeBrowser can create web pages right within the program - really cool templates too... watermarked and everything. HIGHLY recommend all D30 & D60 users to use BreezeBrowser over ZoomBrowser.

Sorry Canon... love the camera, hate the software.

Paul

[ken-w]

amyl wrote:
ZoomBrowser so dutifully stores all the date, time & settings you used to take the photo, but....If you modify the photo in Photoshop and save it, YOU LOSE EVERYTHING. I was very impressed with this program, until now.

Has anyone heard if Canon has offered a patch to fix this?

Actually your problem is with Photoshop, not Zoombrowser. It is the camera that is storing the data in a standard format known as EXIF. You need to use an EXIF compliant software program in order to maintain this data in the file. As Mitch notes, a work-around is to export out the EXIF data as a text file in order to save it - but a better long term solution would be for all software to support the EXIF standard. Hopefully in the next few years all graphics programs will fully support the EXIF standard.

So .. your question is better reprased as "has anyone heard if Adobe has offered a patch to fix this?"

Another hint is to never (ever) work on your original files - these are your negatives, they shouldn't be touched (this will also keep the EXIF data intact). Always work on a copy of the file. If you shoot as JPEG, these copies should be in a lossless format such as TIF, BMP or PNG (I personally prefer PNG) so that you don't lose quality while editing.

[Conk]

Ken
So what you are saying is that after I download my jpeg images from my camera I should make a tif copy and edit that? Then save the edited tif photo as a copy again in jpg?

[slejhamer]

ken-w wrote:
If you shoot as JPEG, these copies should be in a lossless format such as TIF, BMP or PNG (I personally prefer PNG) so that you don't lose quality while editing.

Ken - I thought JPEG only lost data when saving, not necessarily during the editing process. Did you mean when you save edited files? Or is this yet-another-reason not to use JPEG?

oh, GREAT point about never working on your originals.

[ken-w]

Conk wrote:
Ken
So what you are saying is that after I download my jpeg images from my camera I should make a tif copy and edit that? Then save the edited tif photo as a copy again in jpg?

Hi Colin (& Mitch too) - the issue is that everytime a JPEG is saved (even at the highest quality setting) - a little bit of info is lost (because even at the highest quality setting there is still lossy compression going on).

In the ideal world (and even I have to admit I don't always exactly follow the following procedure) this is what I do:

1) Save my files from the camera to the computer (Zoombrowser, Breesebrowser, USB reader, whatever).

2) Go into Explorer and mark these files as "read only".

3) Make a copy of these files onto a CD-RW

4) After making the CD-RW backup (and checking the backup) - then I'll erase the originals on the camera memory card or microdrive.

5) Run my favourite editing software (in my case Corel Photopaint 10) and suck in a photo that I want to edit.

6) Do a "save as" on this photo into a lossless format (TIF, BMP or PNG). I usually name it to something I can understand but keep part of the original number name so I can easily identify my "negative" at a later date (i.e. sandlake-ir-8023.png).

7) Edit to my hearts content with the file now in a lossless format.

8) At the end of the editing session, I often save a copy as JPEG for posting to the web, emailing people or other types of photo exchange.

------------------------
On Mitch's point about bringing in the JPEG, editing away and then saving as a JPEG - yes, you don't lose quality while editing, only on the save, and in a single save at highest quality I don't think even an expert would be able to tell the difference from the original. One danger here though is that you will accidently click on SAVE (rather than SAVE AS) and overwrite your original file (unless you've set your original to be "read only").

The other advantage of saving as lossless format is if you plan (or even don't plan, but end up) re-editing the photo. Also it serves as a fast identifier of edited photos (the ones that are stored in a lossless format).

One of the reasons I don't initially convert all my photos to a lossless format is that I'll probably only end up editing 1 out of 10 or 20 and I don't see a point in converting unless I actually plan to edit that photo.

----------------------

To see the difference in some of the settings on the camera, I have a small section on my website dealing with digital photos and genealogy - but some of the same lessons still apply. You'll find it at:
www.rideau-info.com/genealogy/digital/

Happy editing.

[Conk]

Thank you very much Ken. You have provided some valuble information along with an excellent website of info.
My A40 takes photo's strictly in jpg form but the info you have given will also help me to have the best possible quality images.
I've had my A40 for a little more than a month and have been addicted to it since. I've played around with an SLR for a while around 1995 when digitals were very young and have owned 3 other cheaper digitals in the past year. The Canon being my fourth.
All in all I must say that thus far the info you have provided has been some of the most educating that I've come accross.
Thanx again.