CeroNoice processing the 'easy' way

Started by garry23, April 17, 2014, 11:47:55 PM

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garry23

I think there are three basic types of people who read the posting on this ML forum: the developers & coders who know what they're doing ; those who have no clue what going on; and those, like myself, who know enough but want to know more!

I have been excited about the work Alex and others have been doing with CeroNoice. I think it is an exciting tool, but, as usual with the bleeding edge stuff on this forum, it is not always easy for those like myself to follow. So 'idiots' like me end up asking 'dumb' questions and looking like fools when the experts come back at us with the 'obvious'.

Until this week, I had never written a Windows .bat script, but I sensed this is what I needed for my workflow with CeroNoice and Lightroom. Thus what follows is how I have done it and got CeroNoice running for me. To be clear, 'all' I want to do is use CeroNoice to create a 32-bit (tif) negative for me, starting with a set of bracketed .cr2 files. That is, I'm not interested in .dngs and not using LR. I want a LR workflow.

So this is my LR-based workflow: I have appended the .bat file I wrote to the end of this post (which I'm sure will have the experts cringing, ie I'm sure it could be more efficient: but it works for me).

First, set up a Folder where you will do your 'out of LR' processing, eg a folder called CeroNoice, or anything you like.

In that folder place the following executables, which you will find references to on this site: CeroNoice.exe, dcraw.exe, dng_validate.exe and exiftool.exe. Note: I'm not even sure you need all these, but there is no harm placing them in the folder. Also note (read the stuff on this site, you must have the right/latest versions, ie each piece of software needs to be compatible with the others).

Open up a .txt file, ie in NotePad, and past in the .bat text below and save this file as a .bat file, ie with a .bat extension. You can call it what you like, but make sure it is in your processing folder.

The Folder is now set up.

Now go to Lightroom (you don't have to use LR to get your .cr2 files into the processing folder, but this is how I do it.) Set up an export preset, with the following attributes:
1.   Identify the processing folder as the export location
2.   Don't identify any sub folder
3.   Select file naming as Custom Name – Sequence
4.   Enter "in", without quotes or spaces, as the custom text (key point)
5.   Select Original as the File setting format, ie the .bat file works with .cr2 files. You will need to change the .bat if you use .dngs.
6.   Save this as an export preset, eg called, say, CeroNoice

You are now ready to process .cr2 brackets.

Go to the brackets you are interested in processing, say, x of them. Select the darkest one (key step!) and holding the Ctl button down left click on the other brackets you wish to select, in a darker to lighter manner.

You will now have x images selected. Now right click on the brackets you have selected in order, and choose export...

Select the CeroNoice preset and press export. If you are doing multiple brackets, you only need select export with previous next time (unless you have used another preset in-between), BUT, only process one bracket set at a time!

Now go to the folder you set up, where you should see x .cr2 images and x .xmp files.

Now double click the .bat file.

You are now presented with one user input, ie how many brackets. Now is not the time to tell lies!

Enter the number of brackets and press enter.

The .bat file will do its stuff and create a 32-bit Tiff called out.tif. All input files will be deleted.

You can now play with the 32-bit Tiff, say, in PS-CC or ACR. But, as I said, this post is for the LR users.

Go back to LR and the library module, select import... , select the folder where the .tif is, there should only be one image there, ensure move is selected, select your 'To' folder, ie where you wish to move the 32-bit file to, and press Import.

The file will move from the processing folder, so this is ready for another bracket set, and now it will be in LR, ready for 32-bit processing!

The file will be large!

The file will be green!

However, all the LR processing tools work at the 32-bit level, including the WB.

That's it: I hope some have found this post useful?

Here is the .bat text. As I said it is far from perfect, but is functional (although I do get warnings, it appears to not matter! Maybe Alex or someone else can throw some light on these warnings?

@echo off

title CeroNoice Processor

set brackets=1
set /p brackets=How many brackets to process?
set /a brackets=%brackets%+1

set counter=1

set cero=ceronoice.exe

:begin

set  cero=%cero% in-%counter%.cr2

set /a counter=%counter%+1

if %counter% EQU %brackets% (
goto continue
) else (
goto begin
)

:continue

%cero%
dng_validate.exe -3 out out.dng

rem ensure all the input and working files are deleted
del *.xmp
del *.cr2
del *.dng

exit



garry23

I had another idea. This batch file counts the number of brackets automatically.

Enjoy!


@echo off

title CeroNoice Processor

set brackets=0

for %%n in (*.cr2) do set /a brackets=brackets+1

echo %brackets%

set /a brackets=%brackets%+1

set counter=1

set cero=ceronoice.exe

:begin

set  cero=%cero% in-%counter%.cr2

set /a counter=%counter%+1

if %counter% EQU %brackets% (
goto continue
) else (
goto begin
)

:continue

%cero%
dng_validate.exe -3 out out.dng

rem ensure all the input and working files are deleted
del *.xmp
del *.cr2
del *.dng

exit

garry23

BTW as I'm so stupid I don't know how to paste an image here, I thought some may like to look at a CeroNoice processed image on my blog

http://photography.grayheron.net/2014/04/noiseless-post-processing-fact-or.html

This post repeats the info above.

Cheers

Basosa

Hi Garry23,

First, thank you very much for your tutorial it is very helpful for noobys like me.
I made all the steps you explained but I still have one major problem with a lot of chromatic aberrations in my final picture even ordering carefully all my pictures from the darkest to the brightest: http://www.casimages.com/i/150313093518604717.jpg

You can find the 5 CR2 files here: http://uptobox.com/uqd4hq4zqpbh

What do you think I should do?

Regards

garry23

@Basosa

I'm on travel at the moment with no access to my PC.

I will, however, try processing your RAWs as soon as I can, so we can compare.

I seem to remember Alex saying there were some coding tweaks that needed doing, ie to the black point.

I don't think Alex has up dated this post processor, but I may be wrong.

Maybe Alex can confirm the status of CN.

poromaa

Quote from: Basosa on March 13, 2015, 10:35:10 PM
I made all the steps you explained but I still have one major problem with a lot of chromatic aberrations in my final picture


That is not chromatic abberations but rather something  to do with the exposure. Do you have any areas in the picture that are overexposed? Have you tried with any other image sequence?

garry23


Basosa

Sorry guys to answer so late I was very busy this week. Thank you garry for consider my request. Enjoy your trip don't worry is not so urgent is to test the differences between ceronois, PS & photmatix pro. Tell me with which website I can share my pictures.
Thank you poromaa for your advice. As you say, the area where is the artefact is an over-exposed area in all pictures. So to correctly use ceronoise, all part of the pictures have to be balance at least in one of all the iage sequence?