Finally got around using PhF

[McCap]

…and I really like it!
It took me a while to realise that it could probably replace Gimp for most of the things that I do (Layers, masking, overlays…), as it can do the same things only directly on the raw file. I’m still learning though.
So a big thank you @Carmelo_DrRaw!!

I’m still having some problems though (like buttons being white text on white background, etc…), which I will report here when I find time.

[Carmelo_DrRaw]

@McCap

…and I really like it!

Glad to hear that!

@McCap

it could probably replace Gimp for most of the things that I do (Layers, masking, overlays…), as it can do the same things only directly on the raw file.

… and non-destructively …

@McCap

I’m still having some problems though

Which OS and PhF version are you using?

[McCap]

@Carmelo_DrRaw

Which OS and PhF version are you using?

I’m on Win10 and using PhF 0.2.7. I get a screen like this:

Notice the buttons are all whiite. Same with the mouseovers, they are white text on white background…

[Carmelo_DrRaw]

Could you try the latest win installer from here?

[McCap]

Sure, is it the zip file or the -setup zip file?

[Carmelo_DrRaw]

-setup.zip

[McCap]

Solved the problem, thanks!

[McCap]

Hi,
I finally got to use photoflow for a couple of weeks and I’d like to give a little feedback (especially for @Carmelo_DrRaw)
I’ll start with the cons and then go to pros.

Con
I got a lot of crashes. So many that it deterred me from using it further. The only one I can pinpoint is that it always crashes when I try to use dream smoothing from Gmic. The others looked quite random to me and I didn’t have the time to pinpoint them.
I’m sorry, I would love to give a more concise feedback, but at the moment I can’t.
I’m on WIN10.

Pro
I really love the idea of the program.

• The possibility to use layers
• The possibility to use masks and do local adjustments
• The non-destructivness
• Working directly with the raws

So though I stopped using it for awhile I will certainly look into it again (and maybe then I can give a better feedback regarding the crashes).

To give at least a little back here’s a preset using contrast masks which I think is just killer!
Not because I made it, but because it’s possible in PhF so easily.
Overlay Group.zip (750 Bytes)
(Uh, I can’t upload pfp?)

It allows you to do contrast masks and all the things I did here:

Study - using RGB channels in overlay mode for Portraits

A study about using RGB channels in overlay mode to manipulate details in portraits Inspired by a video of, who else could it be, our very own @patdavid, namely this one: [Calvin Hollywood's Check Layer in GIMP] In the video he uses the blue channel as a check layer for retouching skin, as the skin details seem to be more visible in that channel. Looking around the internet one learns that the red channel seems to have less detail. So my original idea was to use grain extract mode…

Only that it is so easy in PhF because the clone layer in the preset already gives the L, R, G, and B channels.
It works like this:

• If the invert layer opacity is on 50% basically nothing is happening.
• If the invert layer opacity is >50% then Contrast is “reduced” (actually only absolutely correct if using the L channel)
• If the invert layer opacity is <50% then Contrast is “augmented” (again only absolutely correct if using the L channel)
• The bilateral layer is there to bring back details when working with perfectly inverted masks.

[Carmelo_DrRaw]

@McCap

So though I stopped using it for awhile I will certainly look into it again (and maybe then I can give a better feedback regarding the crashes).

Indeed, the Windows version is the less stable one, firstly because it is the only OS I cannot test directly, secondly because either there are Windows-specific bugs or bugs that are occurring more frequently under Windows (due to the different OS and/or compiler).

Anyhow, in case you will have some time to help me identifying and solving those bugs, I have prepared an updated windows version which has debugging symbols included and which ships a gdb.exe command that can be used to debug a photoflow instance. You can get the latest installer (tagged 20170111) from here.

The procedure for generating a useful crash report is pretty much the same as the one suggested here for RawTherapee:

• open the windows console
• go into the folder where the photoflow.exe executable is stored (install_directory\bin)
• run photoflow through gdb:
  gdb.exe photoflow.exe
  and then type
  r
  at the GDB prompt to start photoflow
• when the program crashes, save the full backtrace to a log.txt file with those commands:
  set pagination off
set logging file log.txt
set logging on
thread apply all bt full

@McCap

It allows you to do contrast masks and all the things I did here

You might want to try blending the a and/or b channels in overlay mode as well… this allows to do some interesting “contrast by color” adjustment, as I described here.

Thanks for your feedback!

[McCap]

Thanks for the info about debugging @Carmelo_DrRaw.
I will definitely be using that next time I use PhF and give you feedback.

@Carmelo_DrRaw

You might want to try blending the a and/or b channels in overlay mode as well… this allows to do some interesting “contrast by color” adjustment, as I described here.

Yes, I’ll definitely be looking into this as well. I just love using different masks derived from the picture itself in overlay mode.

[elwoode]

Is this program only for 64bit machines? I went to the website and downloaded the compressed file to install on Arch linux but it was for 64bit

[Carmelo_DrRaw]

@elwoode

I went to the website and downloaded the compressed file to install on Arch linux but it was for 64bit

As far as I know, photo flow should be available on arch from AUR…

[elwoode]

Thanks, you are right, installing it now