Automated conversion from RAW to 16-bit TIFF

We use a Canon 1000D to capture images of plant cells that are then analysed by an scientific software that handles only TIFF images.

1. The camera is always tethered to a PC. The images are taken using EOS utility. Since we need good detail, we click the images in RAW.
2. We then convert these images to TIFF using ImageConverter Plus.
3. Finally, we use the analysis software to analyse the images.

We have to continuously switch between these 3 software while working. But we'd like to streamline the work-flow by removing step 2.

Can anyone suggest a software that automatically converts the RAW image without us having to open it and pointing it to the RAW image? Basically, as soon as we click the RAW image, the software does the conversion "behind the scene" without our intervention and saves the TIFF file in a folder of our choice.

I hope I'm clear enough in describing what we would like to do (...or rather avoid doing, i.e. the conversion step manually).

Regards,
Mohit.

Try Step OK Raw Importer

It batch imports and converts to Tiff, not sure how good it is but its free so worth a try.

EDIT: LOL, I should read the whole opening post,there is user input needed for this, sorry.

I don't know of any software that will do what you're asking. There are many options for batch conversions but none that I know of that will do it without user intervention.

If you had Photoshop it would be possible to script Adobe Bridge to monitor a "watch" folder and user the Image Processor function to automatically convert any Raw file it detects to TIFF format.

You could give Lightroom a try. It might not be fully automated, but it will be faster than what you are doing now.

You can shoot tethered in Lightroom, so it can replace EOS Utility in step 1.
You can also save export presets where you can define things like conversion format (TIFF), export location (drive/folder/subfolde​r), and any adjustments that might be needed (resize, sharpen, etc).

This narrows your workflow to opening Lightroom and taking your tethered pictures. Select your images (just one or Ctrl+A for all), then right click and pick your saved export from the menu. All of you images (whether it be 1 or 100) are converted to TIFF and saved to the folder you specified without any additional input from you.

I don't know of a way to do what you are asking about. You can have your EOS Utilities direct your shots to either Digital Photo Professional or a watched folder for Lightroom or Bridge but you will still have to do a batch conversion. For what you are doing, are you saying that a Large/fine jpeg will not work?

tonylong wrote in post #11659863
For what you are doing, are you saying that a Large/fine jpeg will not work?

Unfortunately, no. We need the 14-bit depth of RAW (-> 16-bit of TIFF) per color channel. 8-bit just isn't enough.

The closest to what we need is Nebulosity. But it doesn't have some functions that EOS Utility has (f.e. manual focus).

Are there software writers that we can ask to develop a plug-in kind of thing using EOS SDK? At a much less price than Lightroom, maybe we could get somebody to write us a simple format convertor add-on to EOS Utility.

I just wished that the instead of using proprietary RAW formats, camera manufacturers used TIFF for high quality photos. With the cost of memory cards coming down, the extra MBs wouldn't matter so much.

Regards,
Mohit.

It's not so much a matter of MBs as the fact that any rendered RGB image, no matter what bit depth, has gamma correction, white balance and other data alterations/distortion​s "baked in".

Google for "watch folder automate" found these:

http://www.watchdirect​ory.net/
http://www.coolutils.c​om/TotalFolderMonitor


Might (or might not) work.

Mohit, the links René posted can give you a start, but then you still will have to come up with an automated solution for a finish. If you have Photoshop you could look at either a script or a droplet that will do what you are after -- you could use one of the above tools to activate one of those and it might do all you want, although I'm no expert in such things and it might not. But even older versions of Photoshop support scripts and actions/droplets and such...

Another approach would be to see if the Canon SDK can allow you to automate this, but I admit I don't know diddly about the SDK and whether it can "hook" into EOS Utilities although I've read that you can program with it to actually put together your own tethered shooting app using C or Visual Basic or such.

I wonder if this software will do it - get the trial and try it

http://www.breezesys.c​om/DSLRRemotePro/

tim wrote in post #11669066
I wonder if this software will do it - get the trial and try it

http://www.breezesys.c​om/DSLRRemotePro/

It doesn't. I also don't see what it offers at its price that EOS Utility doesn't!

schouse wrote in post #11658174
We use a Canon 1000D to capture images of plant cells that are then analysed by an scientific software that handles only TIFF images.

For this application, I've gotta ask, why are you shooting in raw? Wouldn't it be easier to shoot in JPG and use any tool to convert from there?

RAW (to me) is all about getting the best possible quality from your shot possible; it seems JPG (which can be quite good) should be sufficient.

hairy_moth wrote in post #11671404
For this application, I've gotta ask, why are you shooting in raw? Wouldn't it be easier to shoot in JPG and use any tool to convert from there?

RAW (to me) is all about getting the best possible quality from your shot possible; it seems JPG (which can be quite good) should be sufficient.

Most of the times, we also need to measure the colour/monochrome intensities. The bit depth we can get out of RAW (14-bit) to TIFF (16-bit) helps us.