Some of the comments/responses query why I move the modules around from their default positions in the pixelpipe and advise against that. In this posting I respond to them and also clarify what I’m trying to do. I do that by limiting my scope to just three modules.
I primarily use DT for converting images to B&W.
Three modules are key for the conversion: Color Balance RGB (to prep the color image and make it vibrant prior to conversion), Color Calibration (for grayscale conversion), Tone Equalizer (to dodge/burn, fine tune contrast).
I understand DT wants Color Calibration to precede Color Balance RGB in the pixel pipe. Boris in one of his videos creates a new instance of Col Bal RGB, moves it to precede Color Calib, uses it to make the color image more vibrant prior to the conversion, and then does the conversion in Color Calib. Makes eminent sense. When I do that manually for every image, it works beautifully.
For reasons you’d understand: I use Tone Equalizer after the conversion of the image to B&W. I can then see where/how to dodge/burn and the impact of the (very useful and many different)
presets for contrast.
So, in short, DT by default requires the pixelpipe to be Tone Eq->Color Calib->Color Balance RGB.
Respecting DT’s pixelpipe requirements but for my needs I need and manually have: Tone Eq #1->Color Calib #1->Color Balance RGB->Color Calib #2->Tone Eq #2. The #1 instances of modules are not as critical for this discussion; for the B&W conversion I start with the Color Bal RGB module and work my way up.
This sequence requires me to create new instances of modules, move them around for every image I convert to B&W (which is all I do with DT, for now). That is tedious, repetitive, exactly the kind of effort that can be “automated.” I’d rather have a “Style” for the sequence of modules I descried. I can then invoke that “Stule” for an image and get working.
Now why is that so hard?
p.s. for simplicity I’ve not mentioned the other modules in the workflow: denoise, exposure, crop, local contrast…but you get the picture.