HDR-VLT for Windows. First impression.

[HenryS]

Finally I had a chance to check out new HDR-VLT for Windows. (6.0.2r31)

1. SL-O-O-O-O-W
Usually I process thousands images in one JM job. It took one minute (in worst case) to get all images ready to start in JM preview window.
I tested 1017 images on 2.5Ghz/512M XP-Pro. I waited half an hour. Images were still loading in VLT. I lost my patience, forced SF to close, then reduced the number of images and tried again. (Just to see what an animal is the new SF . Sure, the decision NOT to update had been made)
1a. Sometimes images were not selected when clicking. Seems, the click event was lost. However, the magnify window monitors mouse movement perfectly.

2. Lost feature.
There was an invaluable setting window to manage job parmaters like: keep input size , etc. I learned about that from forum (thank you, LSI_Ralf) and used it heavily. I did not find the way to get it now.

3. Format.
One of the images was LAB/PSD. It was crossed out and did not processed.

I hope my notes help the great LSI team to make SF better and we will enjoy new VLT features.

Henry

[LSI_Magnussen]

Dear Henry,

I assume it was the first time you visited the folder with the 1017 images with HDR-VLT. Please understand that the process of generating the thumbnails for the first time now takes longer because we now generate a thumbnail with a size of 512x512 pixels to be able to show a fast magnify afterwards. Therefore it doesn't help anymore, when there's already a thumbnail embedded in the file, as it isn't big enough, so we really have to generate it from the HiRes data. This is a one time process though - once done the thumbnails are loaded from a cache.

It took one minute (in worst case) to get all images ready to start in JM preview window

What do you mean: Did you try to load a big job in JM and it took one minute to load it?

2. Lost feature.
There was an invaluable setting window to manage job parmaters like: keep input size , etc. I learned about that from forum (thank you, LSI_Ralf) and used it heavily. I did not find the way to get it now.

This window is still there, just the way you add images to the JM has changed. You now add images to the JM by dragging images from the VLT to the JM - when releasing the mouse button in the JM that setting window shows up.

3. Format.
One of the images was LAB/PSD. It was crossed out and did not processed.

HDR was never able to load and process Lab data. It can only load 8/16bit RGB/Grayscale data.

Ralf

[HenryS]

Dear Ralf,

I assume it was the first time you visited the folder with the 1017 images with HDR-VLT.

Yes

Please understand that the process of generating the thumbnails for the first time now takes longer because we now generate a thumbnail with a size of 512x512 pixels to be able to show a fast magnify afterwards. Therefore it doesn't help anymore, when there's already a thumbnail embedded in the file, as it isn't big enough, so we really have to generate it from the HiRes data. This is a one time process though - once done the thumbnails are loaded from a cache.

And that is unappropriate for people like me - who makes living from image processing. We have to be able to process a lot of images in reasonable time. The most advanced hobbist will be happy with Photoshop.
I understand, that SF is The Professional tool. That is why I am writing here - to call your attention to the issue.

Sorry for unsolicited tip: Would not you create 512x512 images not for the whole folder at once, but just for images which are in preview window now, and load preview window, say, with ~36 images at once. Virtually no screen has enough room for more than 36 images, which somebody would want to magnify. So the operator will not wait for images which (s)he actually will not process right now. Then further images could be generated in background process, while processor is idle or the next window is requested.

It took one minute (in worst case) to get all images ready to start in JM preview window

What do you mean: Did you try to load a big job in JM and it took one minute to load it?

Yes. But there is a trick. As a folder for SF job has been prepared on pre-SF stage, the WHOLE folder should be submitted to JM. So you may click on the first image and immediately go to the last frame (usually still empty at that time) and Shift-Click on that. In a minute or less you will see, that all frames are selected (although ALL thumbnales have not been generated yet) At that time you may click Add. That works perfectly every day.

This window is still there, just the way you add images to the JM has changed. You now add images to the JM by dragging images from the VLT to the JM - when releasing the mouse button in the JM that setting window shows up.

It does not show up. May be some initial settings were wrong?
Could you lead me from the very beginning how to create new setting, save it and use whenever I want in JM ? To get a specific example, say I want to have a setting, that keeps the input file size, but changes the resolution to 300 dpi and name this setting Set1. Thank you

HDR was never able to load and process Lab data. It can only load 8/16bit RGB/Grayscale data.

I cannot recall any case, when I get LAB data in real files to process, the LAB image was in test data by accident, so thanks for the info.
Henry

[LSI_Magnussen]

Dear Henry,

the main problem of the VLT thumbnail loading/generating probably is, that you cannot select the images until the thumbnail is there (the frame and the image name is there, but at the moment it cannot be used). I think we have to change this in the near future.
The thumbnail loading/generating process may need some optimization, too (I will see what we can do).

How to add images to the JM from the VLT:
The upper part of the VLT is the overview. It shows the content of the folder selected in the navigator to the left of the VLT.
1) Select the images you want to add to the JM (by Shift-clicking, Ctrl-Clicking or Dragging a frame with the mouse).
2) Bring up the JM window (e.g. by clicking on the JM icon in the toolbar on top of the VLT).
3) Drag the selected images into the listbox of the JM window.
4) The "old" setting window pops up.

Ralf