Getting started with Silkypix - it's easy!

[DP in Tejas]

I had a chance to explore one of the Silky Pix links and found some downloadable "tastes" that look quite interesting.

http://www.isl.co.jp/SILKYPIX/english/taste/index.html

This link will take you to some free downloads that plug into the taste menu. The B&W tastes are quite nice. Once you load one up you can adjust any of the parameters to make it you own.

I gotta say, Silkypix looks like a winner to me.

 

[DP in Tejas]

I haven't been able to get the Cross Processing Tastes to load. Don't know the reason.

 

[Guy Parsons]

I haven't been able to get the Cross Processing Tastes to load. Don't know the reason.

Without knowing the reason, my guess is that those tastes might have been developed on a V4 version and maybe they don't load on the SE V3 version.

Regards......... Guy

 

[DP in Tejas]

I haven't been able to get the Cross Processing Tastes to load. Don't know the reason.

Without knowing the reason, my guess is that those tastes might have been developed on a V4 version and maybe they don't load on the SE V3 version.

Regards......... Guy

I found that the cross process tastes can only be applied to raw files. I also ran across a Silky Pix forum (I saw one of your posts too) that provided a link to the free downloadable Cinema Tastes. The English version shows these tastes as coming soon but there is a Japanese page that allows downloads now. Not too hard to figure out if you've already woked w/ the English downloads. Just be sure to hit the version 3.0 button and rename your folders in English.

Here's the link :

http://translate.google.com/translate?prev=hp&hl=en&js=y&u=www.isl.co.jp/SILKYPIX/japanese/special/arttaste/&sl=auto&tl=en&history_state0=

 

[mh2000]

I like Lightroom, so I'm not looking for a new program to learn, but you list some of the key features that I like in LR, so it sounds good. I'm sure if I got it for free I would have tried it, but does the free program work with all RAW formats and include updates? Just curious.

 

[Trevor G]

I'm sure if I got it for free I would have tried it, but does the free program work with all RAW formats and include updates? Just curious.

You got it for free if you got a Panasonic camera recently, one that takes RAW, anyway.

No, the Panasonic version only opens Panasonic images.

There is a way to make it open others, but its slightly cumbersome and could get me banned.

--
Cheers

Trevor G

http://www.computerwyse.com

 

[Schira]

http://www.isl.co.jp/SILKYPIX/english/p/product/manual/man0001.html
--

And you thought I was staring? No, the truth is You've Been Framed(probably in four thirds). http://jcd.smugmug.com/

 

[Guy Parsons]

http://www.isl.co.jp/SILKYPIX/english/p/product/manual/man0001.html

That manual always is installed with Silkypix so the Help or F1 gets you the same thing.

Regards.............. Guy

 

[Bob Meyer]

I followed that link, and downloaded a number of "tastes." But when I try to import them, the names of the tastes show up as garbled ascii characters, as if the internal names are in Japanese, maybe. Have you noticed that?

I can rename them, one by one, but that's kind of a nuisance.

Thanks!

 

[Corpy2]

When you say a "tiny bit more pixel peeping detail" that ACR has over SP, can you quantify that?

 

[Guy Parsons]

When you say a "tiny bit more pixel peeping detail" that ACR has over SP, can you quantify that?

Was that for me?

Yes, ACR had a slightly clearer and better resolution look to it at 100% but at any real view scale or on any print size to A2 then the difference was never seen, so the "benefits" of ACR better resolution are basically a waste of time (unless of course you only ever view everything at 100%, meaning that you have a 5 foot wide monitor and always need to sit very close to it).

As for quantifying it, I saw it as "a tiny bit better" but in the end it didn't matter at all.

Of course there are indications that Silkypx can do better than ACR with care and using V4 and soon V5, but in the end again, it does not matter, the free SE version for Panasonic works very well indeed for general use.

The good thing about Silkypix is that it seems easier to get good looking results

(from RAW or jpegs), Adobe products have always been rather clunky and illogical as far as my trials have shown to me. Silkypix is very logical in the way it is laid out. I grew up on Paint Shop Pro and that one's ease of use generally spoiled me and made me very critical of most converters and editors that I've tried.

Regards....... Guy

 

[Bob Meyer]

Trevor (if you're still reading this thread):

Thanks for posting this. I probably wouldn't have really looked a Silkypix otherwise, and it does seem to have some things to recommend it. One question:

ACR has the ability to highlight blown out highlights (or blocked up shadows) in red, similar to the highlight indicator on the camera display. I can't find anything similar in Silkypix (at least not in SE). Am I missing it?

In terms of Silkypix vs. Lightroom, I think the biggest advantage of Lightroom may be the level of 3rd party support. From plug-ins to books to websites blogs and forums, there are just a lot more resources available. I'm partial to some of the Nik software tools, for example, and I don't believe there's any way to use those with Silkypix. So the question becomes, is it worth using one tool for initial Raw conversion and a second tool for image manipulation, and maybe a third tool to maintain an image library?

Thanks again.

 

[exdeejjjaaaa]

ACR has the ability to highlight blown out highlights (or blocked up shadows) in red, similar to the highlight indicator on the camera display. I can't find anything similar in Silkypix (at least not in SE). Am I missing it?

never used "SE", but in a normal SilkyPix : [View] -> [Display Warning]

 

[Bob Meyer]

That's done it! Thanks.

 

[Bob Meyer]

In terms of Silkypix vs. Lightroom, I think the biggest advantage of Lightroom may be the level of 3rd party support. From plug-ins to books to websites blogs and forums, there are just a lot more resources available. I'm partial to some of the Nik software tools, for example, and I don't believe there's any way to use those with Silkypix. So the question becomes, is it worth using one tool for initial Raw conversion and a second tool for image manipulation, and maybe a third tool to maintain an image library?

Oh, yeah, one more thing: With Lightroom I can use the same program to handle both Panny and Canon raw files for less than half the price of the paid version of Sillypix. That may be the biggest problem with Silkypix; the price is kind of high, especially given the limited support available. So far I like Silkypix pretty well. I just don't know if I can justify the expense.

 

[Guy Parsons]

Oh, yeah, one more thing: With Lightroom I can use the same program to handle both Panny and Canon raw files for less than half the price of the paid version of Sillypix. That may be the biggest problem with Silkypix; the price is kind of high, especially given the limited support available. So far I like Silkypix pretty well. I just don't know if I can justify the expense.

Yes, that is the biggest hurdle with Silkypix, its rather high price, even the upgrades for the faithful followers are a bit rich to swallow.

I think they learned their pricing lessons from Photoshop, but the fact is that it is not a full featured layers type graphics manipulation program, it is basically only a very capable RAW + jpeg adjuster with some edit functions. It should be at about half the price in my opinion.

As for support, they always promptly and accurately answer email queries for me at least. The manual of course takes some work, but it is very thorough and has lots of other stray explanatory detail is in there that makes things more understandable.

But, hey, if I didn't spend it then the kids will when I fall off the twig, so I will update from V4 Pro to V5 Pro when it surfaces in English. Been there since V2 and am happy.

Regards.......... Guy

 

[dko22]

Oh, yeah, one more thing: With Lightroom I can use the same program to handle both Panny and Canon raw files for less than half the price of the paid version of Sillypix. That may be the biggest problem with Silkypix; the price is kind of high, especially given the limited support available. So far I like Silkypix pretty well. I just don't know if I can justify the expense.

yes, to me this is the only really big minus. Almost went for Silky 4 with the promise of free upgrade to v5 which I really like (being in Japanese meant I may have missed a few things) but at nearly twice the expected price of a LR upgrade -and this was for a fully paid up v3 -- , I really had to think twice for the moment. Perhaps the price will come down in time. Actually --the price hasn't gone up that much but the problems is the strength of the yen v the pitiful state of the GB pound ( i laugh when UK politicians gloat over the problems with the euro which are nothing compared to the pound) mean that for US, it has more than doubled

David

 

[EddyKilowatt]

I'm experimenting with the various Display Modes... does anyone know if it is possible to assign the Zoom function to the mouse wheel? This is common in other Windows apps that have a hand tool for dragging.

thanks,
Ed

 

[Guy Parsons]

I'm experimenting with the various Display Modes... does anyone know if it is possible to assign the Zoom function to the mouse wheel? This is common in other Windows apps that have a hand tool for dragging.

That feature not there even in the Pro version. I find that the double-click toggle between fit display and 100% pixels seems to be all I need. The scroll wheel just rolls the image up and down, which is OK by me.

Again, I'm used to Paint Shop Pro where the scroll wheel zoom has been there a long time, so that option would be nice if Silkypix ever added it.

Regards......... Guy