Photo Mechanic Camera Bits

[Melany Odeh]

HiI don't know if I'm using the right section to ask for help, but I'll try!

My problem is not with Photoshop nor with the associated plug-ins (such as Camera Raw).

Instead I have a file conversion problem with Adobe DNG Converter. I usually use this utility associated with the Camera Bits Photo Mechanic software (it is a software that allows you to quickly view a large amount of raw photos in order to select them: ).

Using Photo Mechanic I go to view raw files (photos taken with a Sony camera in .arw format). These photos are in B/W since I shoot directly with this profile set in the camera. However, the B/W one is only a preview, because the original raws contain the color photo.

My goal is to have these raw photos converted and displayed in color through Adobe DNG Converter.

The problem is precisely in this passage! The software does not convert raw files to color.

However, this problem only occurs with two of my computers (Windows 10 intel i7 PC - Macbook pro 14 M1), however with other PCs (Macbook pro 13 intel i5 - Windows 10 intel i9 PC) it works fine.

I have already heard from the Photo Mechanic support center and they told me that the problem is related to the Adobe DNG Converter software.

For this reason I ask for help in understanding how to solve this B/W to color conversion problem.

I hope I was clear in explaining the problem and I hope someone can help me solve it.

Thank you!

Invece ho un problema di conversione file con Adobe DNG Converter. Utilizzo solitamente questa utility associata al software Camera Bits Photo Mechanic ( un software che consente di visualizzare velocemente una grande quantit di foto in raw per poterle selezionare: ).

Utilizzando Photo Mechanic vado a visualizzare dei file raw (foto scattate con camera Sony formato .arw). Queste foto sono in B/W visto che scatto direttamente con questo profilo impostato nella camera. Tuttavia quella in B/W solo un'anteprima, perch i raw originali contengono la foto a colori.

Tuttavia questo problema si presenta solo con due dei miei computer (PC Windows 10 intel i7 - Macbook pro 14 M1), invece con altri PC (Macbook pro 13 intel i5 - PC Windows 10 intel i9) funziona benissimo.

Whatever your terminology for it, the process of culling, editing or selecting photos can be very time consuming. Choosing images takes time, but one's choice of software can have a huge effect on speed as well.

When you need to edit images quickly, there's only once choice: Photo Mechanic. In this article, I'll dive into why ever photographer working in events and when fast delivery is essential should be using Photo Mechanic by Camera Bits..

Photo Mechanic by Camera Bits is custom made to make selections as quickly as possible and this precisely what I use it for. There are other functions of the app where it excels, such as metadata and ITCP data, but my favorite use is with editing.

The most compelling reason to use Photo Mechanic over Lightroom is that it is much faster at loading images. Lightroom's default is create its own preview image for every single file. This takes processing power as well as time.

Any user of Lightroom is familiar with importing a set of images and starting to edit. When you go from one image to the next, there's a noticeable delay. The reason for this is that Lightroom is rendering it's own image preview from the RAW data.

Photo Mechanic, on the other hand, uses the built in JPG of the RAW file to create its previews. As a result, images load instantaneously. When going through images in sequence quickly, this speed is essential for an efficient workflow.

This difference means that you can load folders of images in Photo Mechanic without needing to save a catalogue file. It also makes browsing images fast, whether you're looking through existing folders or using the software to ingest or download images.

Since I'm only importing selects to Lightroom, my Lightroom catalogues are streamlined and more efficient. So long as I've done a proper image selection, there's very little need to have any images I won't be editing in my LR catalogue.

Another reason I love Photo Mechanic is for the more sophisticated ingest options. With Lightroom, the options are simple. You can ignore suspected duplicate files, tweak basic preview options, keyword and apply a preset.

The feature of Photo Mechanic downloading protected and locked images is low key one of the ultimate workflow hacks I can share with you. I learned this from my friend Brad Moore, who is a fantastic music photographer. Nikon cameras like the Nikon Z 9 have included image protection buttons as a default, dedicated UI option. The reason for this is to easily and quickly lock images against deletion while reviewing in camera.

However, the ability to protect images in this manner also dovetails perfectly as a workflow solution to flag images for editing. Whether a photographer does this for an independent photo editor or themselves, being able to lock images while photographing has become an essential part of my workflow.

Photo Mechanic's ability to download protected images first is truly a game changer. While I'm photographing, I naturally review images anyway. Protecting images in camera is extremely quick and adds only a very small amount of time to something I'm already doing. The benefit of essentially doing a first round edit in-camera and then having those images download first is one of the best things you can do to speed up your workflow.

Using this image protection/Photo Mechanic workflow, I can very quickly do a second and third round of selects. Often, I'm done with my final edit before the memory card is finished downloading. Then, I'm able to quickly process images, export, deliver and get back out shooting in a matter of minutes.

When people lament the time it takes culling or editing photos, my very first suggestion is to start using Photo Mechanic. Camera Bits has created software that is custom made to speed your photography workflow for selecting images to process.

If you're working on tight deadlines doing same night edits for clients, Photo Mechanic is for you. For any kind of high volume photography where tight deadlines are essential, you need this software. From tour photography to sports, festival media teams to photojournalism, this is software that will dramatically speed up your workflow.

I have zero affiliation with Camera Bits or Photo Mechanic other than loving their software, by the way. I simply love this software. It's saved me untold hours and days in the decade I've been using it.

ishootshows.com is the blog of music photographer Todd Owyoung. Started in 2007 as a personal blog, the site has turned into a resource for music photographers that includes articles on how to get started in the world of concert photography, technical articles and general photography advice.

Photo Mechanic supports the initial capture of photos from the camera, previewing and making selections, and tagging each photo with various types of IPTC metadata such as captions, keywords, and copyright notices.[2][3]

While Photo Mechanic has basic support for simple image edits, such as crops, it is meant to be used in concert with a dedicated photo editing program, such as Adobe Photoshop or Adobe Photoshop Lightroom.[citation needed] In contrast to competing products such as iView Media Pro, Adobe Bridge, or Extensis Portfolio, Photo Mechanic does not include photo cataloging or asset management features.[3]

In Part 1 of this In-Depth review, I outlined the core philosophy of Photo Mechanic Plus before going on to summarize and test the ingestion process. Arguably, this is the star in the crown however, Camera Bits have now added an image catalog allowing it to manage your photo archive. Read on to find out how it performs, as well as a comparison with Lightroom's own catalog.

The ingestion of images into a PC is only half the story when it comes to managing your photo collection. In fact, it's only a quarter of the story: ingest, catalog, edit, and output. In part 1 I covered the ingestion and output stages. By its own admission, Photo Mechanic Plus isn't an image editor and there are plenty of sophisticated alternatives on that front. One area where it was lacking was related to stage 2 and the image catalog. This is perhaps a curious omission as Photo Mechanic is famed for its blazing fast speed and if there is one area that would benefit from a speed boost then it's the catalog

The Catalog is accessed via the Organizer panel; I tested this on Windows and this has been split out from the Navigator/Favorites panel (in case you look at any online tutorials) in the latest update. A default catalog is loaded at startup, but you can create and use as many as want via the Catalog->Manage Catalogs menu. So, you could put all your weddings in one catalog and portraits in another, or separate by client. It's up to you. And of course, you can also go back and re-scan folders to create new catalogs again from scratch. Talking about creating catalogs, there are a number of ways to do this. You can use the Catalog->Scan To Catalog option which brings up a dialog allowing you to select one, or multiple, folders to add with options to exclude folders and use folder search patterns. You can also specify file extensions to include or exclude. If a contact sheet is already open (see Part 1) then you can select the photos you want to include and then right-click to access the "Include in Catalog" option (or exclude to remove the selection). You can also automatically add photos to a catalog at Ingestion.

Finally, the Collections tab lets you create groups of photos inside a Catalog. Go to the tab and create a new collection, then search for the photos you are wanting to include; once they are visible on the preview panel, simply select them, then right-click on the Collection you want to add them to and select "Add selected items here." Collections can be filtered and you can add sub-collections.

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