This has probably been asked a million times on this site, but at 73 I’m getting used to being stupid. . . .
Say I want to return to an image that I processed last week. In the folder containing said image, RT’s File Browser displays the original NEF and the .tiff that I made. In Windows 10 explorer, if I click on the .NEF file, of course I get the unedited raw file with just my default processing profile applied. If I click on the NEF.pp3 file, it opens in a new RT black console window, then in a blank editor window. No image, no history.
I’m using 5.8-2983-g3f58095b6 in Multiple Editor Tab in Own Window Mode.
I would assume that, in an incredible program like Rawtherapee, I could open a file to where I left off. Is that not possible?
Hi Jim,
The best way to work with your files is to open RawTherapee itself and go from there. This way you have the full RawTherapee experience.
It is possible to use an external file browser (Windows’ in your case) but this might have a view disadvantages:
- You need to set up the external file browser so that it knows which program to start when you double click on a file (or use the open with functionality). If this isn’t done Windows, in your case, will open the NEF (actually the embedded jpg and not the edited version) with the default viewer that it has for viewing images.
- (If point 1 is set up correctly) You will go directly into RawTherapee’s editor mode. This might not be an issue per se, but you will have to close RawTherapee and go back to the external file browser to open the next image you want to edit. Bit cumbersome.
If you use RawTherapee itself you have full control. This would include a (RAW) file browser. RawTherapee only shows those files it knows it can handle and no others. This way you can just go to the folder that holds the RAWs, double click on the one you want to edit and start or continue editing.
There is something that might be seen as missing in RawTherapee: An edit history. This does not mean, though, that you need to start over! All the edits are kept in the sidecar file (the pp3), it just means that you cannot see in which order you applied those edits and compare previous steps using the snapshot functionality. Opening this file will get you to the point that you stopped editing.
About using the pp3 (sidecar) files to open your edit: These files are used by RawTherapee to record the edits/changes you’ve made and cannot be used to open the RAW/Image they are partnered with. This method was choosen to make sure that the whole editing process is non-destructive. As in: Your RAW isn’t changed in any way by RawTherapee.
EDIT: Some clarification.
There’s a button on the top right of the editor which you can use to apply a .pp3 file. The manual has more details Editor - RawPedia
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Thank you for your thorough response. My problem may have been caused by my moving the NEF file to a new folder and leaving the sidecar file behind, or some other poor housekeeping on my part. I was able to re-open an image with all my edits from File Browser this morning. Now I know how precious those pp3s are.