Search Connected Photographer's 5,992 photography article archive 
Home
EasyPrint
News details Click here for the RSS feed's XML code. This is not a browser URL.
Articles-only Click here for the RSS feed's XML code. This is not a browser URL.
Twitter Feed Click here for the Twitter feed.
Comparing RAW conversion solutions (continued)

Forget printing except for singles and contact sheets. SILKYPIX has measurements in milimeters rather than inches and it doesn't have any image size presets. Use Picasa. It's free.

SILKYPIX instructions are translated from Japanese. This can be confusing at times, but it's very learnable. You don't "save", you "develop". The documentation often uses reversed nouns and verbs, and there are other fun instances of poor translation throughout the program and manual.

Despite the translation errors, I'm impressed. I've always owned Toyotas, so I'm already biased. Plain and simple, those folks over there make great products! Finally, there doesn't appear to be any US distribution. You'll have to convert the 16,000 Yen to dollars and order direct. Order now, because the Yen is gaining strength.

Conclusions
I've been developing my digital workflow for about four months. RAW conversion is the best way to get the best output, period. I have looked at a lot of RAW conversion solutions, both commercial and free.

Bibble and SILKYPIX both produce high quality JPEG output from Pentax and Panasonic RAW input. Either is a better choice for me than Adobe RAW/PS E4-5 or the Pentax boxed software (the stuff that comes with the camera).

To me, SILKYPIX had a better interface, more control, and better final output quality than Bibble. The only thing I find that is still lacking in the two professional packages tested is the ability to easily print photos.

I guess that is why I included Picasa in my comparison. If it doesn't yet, the world needs to know about Picasa. If Bibble and SILKYPIX could add Picasa-like printing to the rear end of their digital workflow, I would not need Picasa. Of course, my wife would, because it's great for her. I develop, she arranges, stylizes, and compiles.

So, for now, I think SILKYPIX 3.0 offers the very best RAW conversion, workflow solution for me. It might, for you, too.

Product availability and resources
Learn about the Olympus 4040.

Learn about the Panasonic DMC-FZ30.

Visit Steve's DigiCams.

Visit Digital Photography Review

Learn about the Pentax *ist DL

Learn about the Pentax K100D.

Learn about Tamron.

Learn about Bibble 4.9.

Learn about SILKYPIX.

Read "Mi Picasa, su Picasa".

Learn about Picasa 2.

Learn about BREEZE.

Learn about ACD.

Learn about Neat Image.

Chuck Lee is president of PartSense, Inc., a contract service that specializes in helping the engineering community leverage the power of advanced 3D modeling and drafting software while providing cost-effective and well-engineered electro/mechanical design solutions.


« Previous  ·  1  ·  2  ·  3  ·  4  ·  5
Other articles you might like
Home > Basics > Camera RAW (5 articles)
   Viewing RAW images in the Windows Explorer
   Using RAW import to create cool color effects
   DxO Optics Pro 3.0 is a must for RAW photographers
Get Weekly Email Updates
Subscribe to our regular weekly email newsletter. It's packed with tips, reviews, deep analysis, and the latest news.
 
Recent Connected Photographer Articles
Incident report: denial of service attack against ConnectedPhotographer.com
How to reduce stress in this crazy, crazy world
Adobe's CS4 Master Collection is the Full Monty
Get ready for wedding photography
Here come the judge, Barack's BlackBerry, David does CNN, and more
We review Photoshop CS4: The Missing Manual and more
So long 2008, and thanks for all the phish
Connected Photographer News
Win an Autographed "Create by Jason Wu" Digital Camera
Ricoh GXR S10 24-72mm in-depth review
Canon EOS 5D Mark II Firmware Update Released
How to Take Photos in Extreme Cold
Mastering Canon EOS Flash Photography
Pentax 645D
35mm Slide Scanner with a Bonus: No Computer Required
>> Read all the news
More from the ZATZ journals
Computing Unplugged: The iPad defenders have spoken
David Gewirtz Online: CNN commentary and analysis
DominoPower: Application development, William Shatner, and the origin of the universe
OutlookPower: More about disappearing text
-- Advertisement --

Coming soon, new book: How To Save Jobs
This book is about how to create and save jobs. Believe it or not, there's not a single book out there that specifically focuses on job creation and preservation -- until now.

This book, by ZATZ editor-in-chief David Gewirtz, is about helping your business work better. It's about helping you change the things you need to change so your company can perform more effectively.

Plus, through a grant from ZATZ, it's a free download.

Read it and reap.

ZATZ Home  ·  News  ·  Back Issues  ·  Credits/Trademarks ·  Link To Us
Copyright © 2010, ZATZ Publishing. All rights reserved worldwide.
Editor's Login