Why save as JPG with K3iii?

[manual_focus]

I may be late to this feature so I apologize up front if this is known information.

With the K3iii there are something like 11 different Tones and within each Tone there are 7 sub-adjustments that can be used to process the Raw file into a jpg image.

If you save your files as JPGs, the Finishing Tone values are used to "process" the Raw file into the saved JPG. But there is another way to get the same image file.

Here's the "trick". Pentax adds the selected Custom Image - Finishing Tone to the RAW file. It is needed so that the RAW file can be viewed on a monitor, including the camera's back monitor. This is the same information that is used when you save an image as a JPG in the camera. If you save the image as a RAW (PEF/DNG) you can easily resave (same name or change it) the file as a JPG which uses the same embedded Finishing Tone values.

Using Digital Camera Utility v5, simply select any or all files and right-click, which allows you to select the "Extract JPG" command. Now you have both a RAW and JPG file.

You can also make changes to a file within LABORATORY (after selecting whatever images you want to change) and then right click on the image thumbnail and Copy/Paste Parameters to any and all other files (these Commands are also on the Menu bar). You can then right-click and select "Process Multiple Files" and select JPG as the file format (jpg/tif-8 or -16 bit). It makes the changes in the background. To see the new changed files be sure and go back to BROWSER and hit the REFRESH/F5 button.

I believe you can do most of this with other camera bodies except you don't have the 7 sub-adjustments which make changes to the various Finishing Tones.

While not an earth shaking bit of information it might prove useful. I see no reason to save in both RAW and JPG and really, as I would always like a RAW image file, I don't see much of a reason to save in just JPG either. YMMV ;-)

 

[James O'Neill]

I may be late to this feature so I apologize up front if this is known information.

I think it might be

With the K3iii there are something like 11 different Tones and within each Tone there are 7 sub-adjustments that can be used to process the Raw file into a jpg image.

If you save your files as JPGs, the Finishing Tone values are used to "process" the Raw file into the saved JPG. But there is another way to get the same image file.

Here's the "trick". Pentax adds the selected Custom Image - Finishing Tone to the RAW file. It is needed so that the RAW file can be viewed on a monitor, including the camera's back monitor. This is the same information that is used when you save an image as a JPG in the camera. If you save the image as a RAW (PEF/DNG) you can easily resave (same name or change it) the file as a JPG which uses the same embedded Finishing Tone values.

Yes. The processing values are either used for a preview (large JPEG embedded in the raw, smaller image shown on the back of the camera) or for a finished JPEG>

Using Digital Camera Utility v5, simply select any or all files and right-click, which allows you to select the "Extract JPG" command. Now you have both a RAW and JPG file.

Various tools will extract the preview JPG , I think the Pentax software reprocesses the RAW data to get the best possible JPG, but 3rd party software is more limited in how closely it can copy the preview

You can also make changes to a file within LABORATORY (after selecting whatever images you want to change) and then right click on the image thumbnail and Copy/Paste Parameters to any and all other files (these Commands are also on the Menu bar). You can then right-click and select "Process Multiple Files" and select JPG as the file format (jpg/tif-8 or -16 bit). It makes the changes in the background. To see the new changed files be sure and go back to BROWSER and hit the REFRESH/F5 button.

I believe you can do most of this with other camera bodies except you don't have the 7 sub-adjustments which make changes to the various Finishing Tones.

While not an earth shaking bit of information it might prove useful. I see no reason to save in both RAW and JPG and really, as I would always like a RAW image file, I don't see much of a reason to save in just JPG either. YMMV ;-)

In the very early days you couldn't see the previews in RAW file without loading it into processing software but that changed at least 15 years ago, and since then I haven't seen a reason to save both formats: BUT for some people it would save time to have a lower-res, medium compressed JPG and a RAW file (e.g. to share "proof" JPEGs without having to export them from hundreds of RAWs) .

Other people are happy to pick a look and stick with it and do no processing of their images and shoot JPEG only (they frequently talk about getting it right in the camera, as if processing is fixing something broken). I'm not: very few pictures cannot be improved in the processing.

The only time my cameras save a JPEG is when I process from the saved RAW in-camera using different settings, it's a way to note a direction for processing, but it also means I can show someone I'm shooting more than one the end product might look. Otherwise it's DNG files all the way

 

[The Squirrel Mafia]

While not an earth shaking bit of information it might prove useful. I see no reason to save in both RAW and JPG and really, as I would always like a RAW image file, I don't see much of a reason to save in just JPG either. YMMV ;-)

The jpeg that you extract out of the RAW file is very compressed with lots artifacts showing. I use them on occasion, but more for reference purposes. The OOC (out of camera) jpegs have much more information & don't have compression artifacts. That's the main difference. Lots of people are content with the OOC jpegs & have no need to process the RAW files.

I find that I get much better colors, better color separation (i.e.: colors don't "bleed" into each other), clarity, fine detail, & whatnot when I process RAW files in DCU5 (Digital Camera Utility 5) especially at higher ISO.

For those wondering:

https://www.ricoh-imaging.co.jp/english/support/digital/dc_utility5_win.html
^ DCU5 for Windows

https://www.ricoh-imaging.co.jp/english/support/digital/dc_utility5_mac.html
^ DCU5 for Mac

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums...lling-digital-camera-utility-no-cd-drive.html
^ How to install DCU5 if you don't have original software.

 

[RBIV]

While not an earth shaking bit of information it might prove useful. I see no reason to save in both RAW and JPG and really, as I would always like a RAW image file, I don't see much of a reason to save in just JPG either. YMMV ;-)

...

I find that I get much better colors, better color separation (i.e.: colors don't "bleed" into each other), clarity, fine detail, & whatnot when I process RAW files in DCU5 (Digital Camera Utility 5) especially at higher ISO.

...

I agree. I use just a few of the LAB tools in DCU.5 and often export to a TIFF file, then use 3rd party software for any pixel level corrections (spot removal, cloning, local color adjustment, haze or noise reduction, etc). I find the major 3rd party editing programs do a better job there. Then save the TIFF as a JPG at the size and resolution that you want for on screen viewing.

Interesting, just for the record, the Nikon system is similar, using NXStudio for overall NEF adjustment, then export to a TIFF file. Both DCU5 and NXStudio are Silkypix products I believe.

 

[DougOB]

I shoot RAW and process with LR, which does not recognize the embedded Pentax specific processing parameters. On a rare occasion I will process with DCU which does read/recognize these parameters.

Having said that I have my K-3iii set to record RAW to SD1 and JPEG to SD2. This is mainly for when I am travelling and if I want to share a number of images that I have shot and don't feel like processing 10 or a 100 photos in the camera.

Doug

 

[MaKeR]

I save raw+JPEG (at full resolution and highest quality), and I discard the JPEG files after culling images and developing a selected raw file on my computer. The camera displays the separate, highest-quality JPEG instead of the embedded lowest-quality JPEG when displaying any raw+JPEG capture, and generates the histogram from that separate image. The separate highest-quality JPEG provides for better image evaluation than the embedded lowest-quality JPEG, both in the field and on the computer, of focus placement, sharpness, exposure (histogram and blinkies), and the success of pixel-shifting, if applicable.

I use 100% magnification on the K-3 III monitor (which isn't available on previous models), to check critical parts of an image in the field, essentially without any interference from compression artifacts, which can degrade the embedded JPEG.

 

[manual_focus]

Excellent responses everyone and I've learned more on this topic.

1) Yes, 3rd party software while being able to show the embedded JPG on a monitor can't use it when one saves it from a DNG file.

2) When using the "EXTRACT JPG" command, DCU.5 greatly compresses the output file causing a lot of smearing. Almost not usable unless you're going for that look.

So, instead of using "EXTRACT JPG" I would suggest using the "Save With Image Processing" command for single files or "Process Multiple Files" for batch files which allows for 4 different levels of JPG compression. The default level of compression is 3 Stars which gives somewhat similar compression levels to those used by the camera when you select JPG as your file output.

Here are the results (all at Full Resolution of 6192x4128 pixels).

File Type .....................File Size

DNG ............................ 30,872

Extract JPG .................. _2,990

4 Star Compression ... 17,020

3 Star Compression ... _9,393

1 Star Compression ... _4,817

Camera JPG - L ............ 11,890

Below are the actual images using default RADIANT Tone, with Camera JPG, Save As w/ Image Processing, and Extract JPG.

From Camera JPG - L file output 11,890 bytes

[ATTACH alt="DCU.5 "Save As with Image Processing - 4 Star Compression" 17,070 bytes"]3439325[/ATTACH]
DCU.5 "Save As with Image Processing - 4 Star Compression" 17,070 bytes

[ATTACH alt="DCU.5 "EXTRACT JPG" 2,990 bytes"]3439326[/ATTACH]
DCU.5 "EXTRACT JPG" 2,990 bytes

Again, thanks everyone for your comments.

 

[MaKeR]

2) When using the "EXTRACT JPG" command, DCU.5 greatly compresses the output file causing a lot of smearing. Almost not usable unless you're going for that look.

"Extract JPEG" is literally what DCU is doing. It is extracting (saving an exact copy of) the JPEG that is embedded in the raw file, the same JPEG that is displayed on the camera monitor when you view the image on the camera's LCD [when you don't save raw+JPEG]. DCU is not compressing that JPEG nor processing it.