Qimage News Archive (2002 Edition)

Qimage 2002 Version 2.4 News
Print quality: making the best even better!

Qimage 2002, v2.4 (08/16/02):

New Features:

• Print quality improvement: v2.4 produces the sharpest, most detailed prints to date via an improved interpolation algorithm and new "smart sharpening" feature.

• Improved interpolation: All six of Qimage's high quality interpolation methods have been improved using more precise calculations and the addition of an adaptive anti-aliasing filter. The improved interpolation will reduce "jaggies" in prints and will affect dye sub printers more than inkjets because they operate at lower PPI (typically around 300 PPI).

• Smart sharpening: A powerful sharpening algorithm called "smart sharpening" has been added to v2.4 and can be accessed via "Prints", "Print Interpolation" from the main window. Unlike the old "normal sharpening" method which simply applied an unsharp mask filter to the final (interpolated) image, "smart sharpening" adjusts the parameters of the sharpening algorithm to obtain the most consistent and visually stunning prints possible. Where the effect of the older "normal sharpening" method would vary between printers, the dynamic nature of "smart sharpening" will account for the amount of "stretch" needed (difference in resolution between the original image and the final print), the PPI of the print driver, and the final size of the print. The result is much greater consistency in image sharpness across different printers and among different print sizes. "Smart sharpening" will be on by default when you first install v2.4. Note that you can easily control the strength of the new "smart sharpening" algorithm using the same "Final Print Sharpening" level slider as before.

• Resampling improvement: Since the upgrade to the interpolation algorithms affect all interpolation within Qimage, v2.4 will produce much smoother results when downsampling large images for the web/email.

• Fuji S2 raw improvement: Improved the interpolation algorithms used for decoding Fuji S2 raw images so that resulting images are smoother with less moire,

• New sizing method: You can now click the "Quick Size" button and simply click (or double click) "Full Page" to select the largest size print possible given the current paper/page setup. This simple one/two click link is much easier than entering "1x" in both size blocks to select a full page, and is more intuitive as well.

Fixes:

• Batch filter fixes: Fixed some minor bugs in the batch filter including some crop placement bugs and a bug that caused the white balance dropper to not work correctly after an image was rotated.

Version 2.4 Revision History

Qimage 2002 Version 2.3 News
Full, direct support for Fuji S2 raw images

Qimage 2002, v2.3 (08/05/02):

New Features:

• Fuji S2 raw (RAF) support: v2.3 now offers full and direct support for viewing, converting, and printing Fuji S2 raw (RAF) images. Fuji S2 raw image support is now independent from the Fuji Raw File Converter and does not require that the Fuji software (EX or LE versions) be installed to utilize raw images from the S2 camera. Simply shoot in raw mode, download your RAF files, and use them directly in Qimage Pro*. Below are just a few advantages of using Qimage as your S2 raw file utility:

  • Incredible color accuracy through built-in custom S2 profile

  • Accurate and automatic control of tonal range

  • Reduced moire artifacts

  • Convert up to 1.5 times faster than Fuji RFC

  • View raw images quickly in draft mode (1/4 size) to assess quality

  • Slide shows - both draft mode and full size

  • Print contact sheets quickly using draft mode or full size images

  • View and print full 12 MP raw images at optimum quality

  • Batch convert directly to TIFF, JPEG, and other formats

  • and much more...

  * For those who also use the Fuji Raw File Converter software, we have retained the link to the Fuji RFC as an external application under "Settings", "Raw Format Options" so that raw images can easily be passed to the Fuji software as well.

Fixes:

• PhotoShop 7 TIFF images: Improved Qimage's TIFF support so that compressed TIFF images with layers (saved via PhotoShop 7) do not cause "Image Read Error" messages.

• Quick Size Dialog: Fixed a problem that caused the "Quick Size" dialog to appear corrupted (with controls overlayed on other controls) if using the standard/small main window size.

Version 2.3 Revision History

Qimage 2002 Version 2.2 News
Link to Fuji S2 raw converter

Check out Mike Chaney's Fuji S2 Initial Impressions Review Here

Qimage 2002, v2.2 (07/12/02):

New Features:

• Fuji S2 raw files: v2.2 now offers preliminary support for Fuji S2 raw files via a link to the Fuji Raw File Converter included with the S2 camera. While Qimage does not offer direct decoding of S2 raw (RAF) files, integration with Fuji's own decoder allows you to more effectively manage and batch convert your raw images by:

  • Detecting all unconverted RAF files and offering to decode them when you enter a folder with RAF files.

  • Allowing the user to select RAF files via clicking on the "Fuji Raw" icons and right clicking "Send to photo editor/converter".

  • RAF files will be batch converted and displayed in the same folder as the original RAF files.

  Notes on the link between Qimage and the Fuji "Raw File Converter LE" and "Raw File Converter EX":

To confirm the link to the Fuji Raw File Converter (one time setup):

• Click "Settings", "Raw Format Options".

• Fuji raw file options are listed at the bottom. Raw settings above the "Fuji Raw (RAF)" group do not apply.

• If the label "Raw converter:" is displayed in red, it means that the Fuji Raw File Converter was not found in the default location. In this case, make sure that you have installed the Fuji Raw File Converter LE and/or Fuji Raw File Converter EX and browse your hard drive(s) and select the EXE file for the converter. The default is
  "C:\Program Files\FinePixViewer\EXTENSIONS\HELPERS\RAFCNVLE.EXE". If your "Program Files" folder is on your D: drive, you will only need to change the first letter in the edit box from a C to a D. Otherwise, simply browse and find the program manually.

• It is recommended that you leave the "Convert To:" set to the "TIFF" file type since only a one step conversion will be needed for TIFF files.

• If you leave "Prompt to convert raw files when browsing folders" checked, Qimage will always prompt you to convert RAF files if no file exists with the same name and a TIF or JPG extention in the same folder. If you prefer to manually convert your raw files, uncheck this box.

To convert Fuji raw (RAF) files:

• If you have the RAF format checked under "View", "File Types", RAF files will be shown in the file list and thumbnail view. Instead of the thumbnail image, a "Fuji Raw" icon will appear. This icon is simply a placeholder for the RAF file to allow you to manage (copy, move, rename, etc.) your RAF files. RAF files cannot be viewed directly in Qimage and must be converted first. If the RAF format is not checked under "View", "File Types", the RAF icons will not show at all.

• If "Prompt to convert raw files when browsing folders" is checked under "Settings", "Raw Format Options", Qimage will automatically prompt you to convert RAF files whenever you enter a folder that contains files with the .RAF extension. If all RAF files have a corresponding TIF or JPG counterpart (same filename with .JPG or .TIF extension in the same folder), Qimage will assume that those RAF's have already been converted and will not re-convert them or prompt you to convert those files.

• To manually select RAF files for conversion, the RAF format must be checked under "View", "File Types" (so that the "Fuji Raw" icons will appear). Simply select the "Fuji Raw" files that you wish to convert by selecting their icons in the thumbnail grid and then right click and select "Send to photo editor/converter".

• Whether activated automatically or manually, the Fuji Raw File Converter should open and within a few seconds, the "Convert" button should activate. Simply click "Convert" (if you are using the LE converter) or "Convert All" (if using the EX converter) and all selected files will be converted.

• When the conversion is complete and the "Convert" or "Convert All" button is grayed, you may close the converter and return to Qimage. Images should now appear for the newly created TIF or JPG files.

• NEF compatibility: v2.2 offers greater compatibility for Nikon D1, D1H, and D1X NEF files, fixing a problem where some NEF's appeared with a strong green cast if edited/saved by Nikon View.

• New "Refresh Thumbs": v2.2 now offers both a "Refresh Thumbs" and "Rebuild Thumbs" option under "View". "Refresh Thumbs" can be used to simply refresh the file list and build new thumbs if necessary: useful if the directory contents were changed outside of Qimage Pro. The "Rebuild Thumbs" option is a more thorough rebuild where all thumbs are actually rebuilt from scratch: a slower operation but useful if your images have gotten out of sync with the thumbs for some reason.

Version 2.2 Revision History

Qimage 2002 Version 2.1 News
Operational Enhancements and Fixes

Qimage 2002, v2.1 (06/12/02):

Fixes:

• Page Editor: Fixed a problem that caused an "invalid floating point operation" error under specific conditions when using "Page", "Edit Page".

• Folder History: Fixed a problem that was causing the 11th through 16th entry in the folder history list to not be remembered between sessions.

• Browse Folder: Fixed some operational problems with the "Browse Folder" window and with text entry into the history dropdown that caused the browse window to disappear at times and/or not go to the proper folder.

• Slide Show: Fixed a problem where the page up/down keys stopped working after clicking the "In queue" checkbox during a slide show.

Qimage 2002 Version 2.0 News
A Major Release with Enhanced Features that Increase Productivity

Qimage 2002, v2.0 (05/14/02):

Executive Summary of New Features:

• Ability to manage associative filters by selectively adding to/deleting from existing filters

• New WYSIWYG view of entire printed page including printable and non-printable areas

• Ability to center images on the physical page versus centering within the printable area

• Locate prints at exact locations on the page by nudging or direct entry of location

• Ability to duplicate scanned prints at their original (scanned) size via click/drag

• High quality sizing of images displayed via full screen and slide show reduces "jaggies"

• Support for full size (3072 x 2040) Kodak Photo CD images

Feature Details:

• Additive Filters: With v2.0, it is now possible to add associative filters in batch for a "cummulative" effect on overall appearance to images. Whether you want to create downsized copies of filtered images for the web by adding an additional resize filter on a one-shot conversion, or add a filter temporarily for a special print session (like printing black and white or creating a sepia color effect), v2.0 will let you truly manage your associative filters. You can even selectively delete filters on the fly, to one image or an entire batch, removing only the filters you want to remove. When converting images or creating copies of your images that have associative filters, you can also select whether you want to apply existing filters, add to them for the current conversion only, or completely ignore filters to give you copies of your originals! Options for adding to filters when converting images from the queue are available on the "Convert Images" dialog. When adding filters to existing associative filters, you will be prompted to "Replace" or "Add to" existing filters. Selective deletion of filters is accomplished by multi-selecting thumbnails and using "Add/Remove Associative Filter", and clicking "Delete Filters".

• WYSIWYG page views and editing: Version 2.0 shows the entire printed page and clearly delineates the difference between the physical paper and the printable area as defined by your printer. With v2.0, you can now see exactly what your entire page will look like before printing. The ability to view the entire page, including non-printable borders, is a big help when creating album pages or just trying to decide what driver options you need to cover the most paper!

• New physical centering option: Also handy for creating album pages, v2.0 now allows you to center images on the physical page rather than centering within the printable area defined by the printer. The new "physical" centering option works by compensating for your printer's off-center printable area by adjusting margins. The new option can be accessed with a single click under "Page", "Margins" by clicking on the "Center on Physical Page" button. Help is available under "Help", "Contents", "Listing of Major Functions", "Margins".

• Nudging and absolute placement via the page editor: Each print on the printed page can now be "nudged" left/right/up/down using the arrow keys. Simply open the page editor, select the print in question, and use the arrow keys to make small adjustments in the location of the print on the page. In addition to fine tuning the location via visual movement with the cursor keys, you can also simply enter the location of the print by typing the location in the "Location" boxes on the right side of the page editor window. Need your print to be exactly 2 inches from the right side of the page and 1.75 inches from the bottom? No problem, just type in the values and you're done! The location can be entered by specifying the distance from any of the four sides of the page!

• Duplicate your scanned prints at their original size: You can now create exact copies of scanned images by allowing Qimage to size the images based on the size/resolution stored in the image file (or by entering the PPI of the image manually). If you scanned several 4x6, 3.5 x 5, and 5x7 photos and just want to reproduce them at their original sizes, simply multi-select the images and drag them to the "Quick Size" dialog, dropping them on the "Size by PPI" option. The images will be added to the queue at the size scanned; the 4x6 prints will be 4x6, the 3.5 x 5 prints will be 3.5 x 5, etc.! More info is available on how to use this function in the help file under "Help", "Contents", "Learn by Example", example 3b.

• High quality full screen display: Version 2.0 uses a much higher quality algorithm to size images for display in the slide show and full screen image display windows, rendering full screen images with smooth contours and lack of "jaggies" that appear in most software. The result is a much higher quality on screen display.

• Support for full size PCD images: Version 2.0 supports full resolution (3072 x 2048) for PCD images.

Fixes:

• Processing conflicts: Eliminated conflicts caused by performing certain operations while Qimage is still spooling print data.

• White balance dropper fix: Corrected the inability to use the white balance dropper filter while the filter preview window is open.

• Blemish/redeye fix: Corrected a problem where blemish/redeye filters were not always being applied to the proper area in the photo if the photo was rotated previously.

• Browse window: Improved the operation of the "Browse Folder" window so that keystrokes (like using the space bar to try to open an image) would not cause inadvertent drive changes.

• Crop problem: Fixed an access voilation that occurred in the batch filter when removing a crop and then reinstating it by unchecking/checking "Crop".

• Slide show: Fixed a problem where the "Ctrl-F" key sequence caused an error message when using the slide show.

• Page editor: Corrected an issue where some controls on the right side of the window were being activated if the mouse was dragged past the edge of the page when sizing/moving prints.

Version 2.0 Revision History

Qimage 2002 Version 1.5 News
Support for Olympus E-20 ORF Images

Qimage 2002, v1.5 (03/04/02):

New Features:

• Olympus E-20 raw (ORF) support: Qimage v1.5 now offers full support for raw (ORF) images from the Olympus E-20 camera. Get the most from your E-20 images by viewing, printing, or converting your E-20 images directly from Qimage. The built in color profile ensures accurate color while the ability to view and print draft ORF images in rapid succession means that you won't have long decoding times to hamper you in your workflow. To ensure maximum quality when preparing images for other photo editors, you can also convert to 16 bit/channel (48 bit TIFF) images to ensure maximum clarity and range.

With v1.5, Qimage is now compatible with raw CCD images from these cameras:

• Nikon D1

• Nikon D1H (uncompressed raw)

• Nikon D1X (uncompressed raw)

• Olympus E-10

• Olympus E-20

Qimage 2002 Version 1.4 News
One touch sizing/resizing and a new "Crop Wizard"

Qimage 2002, v1.4 (01/11/02):

New Features:

• One touch sizing/resizing: Qimage now offers the ability to select a print size with one click/drag of the mouse when adding images to your document or changing the size of existing prints on the page. Using the new pop-up "Quick Size" dialog, multiple prints can be dragged either from the thumbnail area (when adding new prints) or the preview page (when resizing existing prints) by simply dragging the prints over the "Quick Size" button and dropping them on a size. In addition, the "Image Fitting" option (whether or not to crop to an exact print size) can also be changed by setting the crop on/off using the "Image Fitting" button (scissors icon above the thumbnail area) and then simply dragging prints off the preview page and dropping them on the "Image Fitting" button to take on the current state of that button. For examples on how to use these features, see example 3 (the "Notes" section at the bottom), example 15, and example 16 in the Qimage help under "Help", "Contents", "Learn by Example".

• Crop Wizard: Use the new "Crop Wizard" to create a single crop that can be used for prints of multiple sizes. When printing multiple sizes of the same image (5x7, 4x6, 3.5x5 for example) with crop on (scissors icon down), the image will be cropped differently depending on the proportions of the print. A different crop is needed for 5x7 when compared to 4x6 for example. To ensure that important areas of your images (like your subject's head for example) are not "chopped off" in prints, the Crop Wizard creates a single crop that will work with all of your prints. This crop is then associated with the image itself so that all future printing of the image results in accurate crops. Since a single crop is used and it is associated with the original image, there is no need to fiddle with your prints on a one-by-one basis, sliding the image around to find the best crop like some other printing software requires. Simply crop once and forget about it! For a detailed example, see example 3a in the Qimage help under "Help", "Contents", "Learn by Example".

• TIFF, PSD, and JPEG compatibility: v1.4 offers the best error detection/correction to date and ensures better compatibility with TIFF, PSD, and JPEG type images from different platforms. It has come to our attention that some software and scanner driver manufacturers are producing software that create images (mainly TIFF images) with corrupted tags in the header part of the images. We found numerous examples of TIFF files that contained bad tags that pointed to information well beyond the end of the file for example. These bad tags were causing file system and other errors to appear in Qimage. v1.4 now uses "safe" code that tests for errors before trying to retrieve image tags/properties and will ignore the bad tags. The result is greater overall stability when dealing with TIFF, PSD, and JPEG images.

Version 1.4 Revision History

Qimage 2002 Version 1.3 News
Faster image loading and better white balance and exposure control

Qimage 2002, v1.3 (12/31/01):

New Features:

• Speed increase: v1.3 offers an increase in speed for both the initial loading of images into batch filter, and the amount of time needed to display filters for images as well.

• White balance and exposure control: The white balance filter has been moved so that it is always the first filter applied to an image. Moving the white balance filter up front will ensure the proper balance between red, green, and blue color channels so that operations like levels, curves, and the exposure filter can be applied to the image after white balance has already been corrected. As a result, the histograms used in the "Levels" filter will now update based on the white balance setting for the image. Note that if you used the white balance dropper to associate a white balance filter in a previous version and you also used levels, curves, or the exposure filter, v1.3 may produce different results than prior versions due to the new filter order.
  The order in which filters are applied to images in v1.3 is: Dark Current, White balance, Levels, Curves, Mirror, Blemish/Red Eye, Exposure Auto Correct, Rotation (if rotated before crop), Crop, Fringing, D1 High ISO, Plugin, Shadow Noise, Dark Current Fix, High ISO, Gamma, Brightness, Contrast, Saturation, Interpolation, Sharpen, Unsharp Mask, Info Stamp, Rotation (if cropped before rotated)

Version 1.3 Revision History

Qimage 2002 Version 1.2 News
High speed operation!

Qimage 2002, v1.2 (12/23/01):

New Features:

• Speed increase: v1.2 offers much faster image loading when dealing with TIFF and PSD images as well as an overall speed increase when dealing with any image format in the batch filter while "Monitor ICC" is enabled. Thumbnail building and many other operations are also faster as well.

Minor Fixes:

• Neutral filter message: Corrected a problem that caused the message "Note: neutral filter selected..." at times when in fact, a non-neutral filter was in effect, or vice versa.

• Add/Preview function: Fixed the "Add/Preview" function from the thumbnails area so that using the shortcut Ctrl-Ins does not cause the first image to be added to the queue automatically.

• Metric fix: Fixed a problem when running in metric units where inappropriate sizes appeared in the print size box(es) after answering "No" to span multiple pages when selecting a print size larger than the current page size.

Version 1.2 Revision History

Qimage 2002 Version 1.1 News
Enter 2002 with some of the most powerful image filtering tools yet!

Qimage 2002, v1.1 (12/17/01):

New Features:

• Levels and curves: Two of the most powerful image editing tools available arrive in the debut of Qimage 2002. Adjust levels and curves for the luminance (brightness) channel, or separate RGB channels and apply these settings as an associative filter or create new images. Although you can create separate copies of filtered images as always, the amazing speed of the new filters will encourage you to simply apply your changes as an associative filter, eliminating the need to store anything other than your originals and allowing you to open the filter parameters and change them at any time. Sliders that operate via mouse or arrow keys and curves that can be drawn with up to 17 points are just some of the features that help in developing professional quality filters for your images. The following are snaps of the new filters:
  

• Batch filter auto-preview: Since levels and curves are primarily visual components, a fast and efficient method was developed for viewing, accepting, and canceling filter changes. This new option called "Auto Preview" can be turned on/off via the batch filter "View" menu option. When turned on (default), a small real time preview window automatically opens when any filter parameter is changed. When finished previewing the changes to one or more filter parameters, the changes can be accepted with "OK" or thrown out using "Cancel".

• Preview filtered/unfiltered images using a splitter: The real time preview window also boasts a new slider that allows you to drag your filter mask over only part of the preview if you like. An incredibly useful feature, this allows you to preview both the original and filtered image in real time using the same window! Take a look at the (downsized) example below. The splitter has been dragged to the center of the face, showing the unfiltered side on the left and the filtered side on the right where levels were used to correct the exposure of the image.
  

• Numerous batch filter speed enhancements: Many aspects of batch filter operation have been optimized to provide you with faster previews, faster filters, and more efficient use of memory. While these speed improvements apply to all image types, filtering of raw (NEF/ORF) images has improved by a factor of 10 or more for most filters! The new version evaluates the type of filters being used and can detect when a reload of the raw image is necessary, such as when changing white balance, unsharp mask, and exposure correction. All other filters will operate many times faster than before with respect to raw images.

• Cosmetic and operational improvements: Numerous cosmetic and operational improvements have been made to this latest version as well, including better window sizing for the batch filter window, ability to instantly filter any thumbnail by highlighting the thumbnail(s) and pressing Ctrl-F, etc.

A Special Thank You and Happy Holidays to Qimage Users!

We just wanted to say thanks and extend our wishes for a safe and happy holiday season to all members of the Qimage group who voted for levels/curves in this version and all who help us daily in our quest to make Qimage one of the most powerful and easy to use imaging tools on the planet!

Version 1.1 Revision History