Topaz Labs plugins can be run from ASP

[OldRadioGuy]

In Windows 7 all of the filters produced by Topaz Labs except ReMask can by run directly from AfterShot Pro by using the free utility Topaz Fusion as the editor -- http://www.topazlabs.com/fusion/

For anyone want to test, in Windows, the Fusion EXE file is installed the Common Files folder of Programs.

I assume these plugins will work the same way on the Mac OS, but have no way to test that.

Bob

[bobm185]

Bob - I have Topaz plugins installed with PSP X4, and I just downloaded Fusion and put the file in the Topaz folder under Programs x86 - Common Files. Do I then select the topazfusionexpress.exe file as my external editor (as I think you were saying)? I currently have PSP X4 as my external editor - and it appears I can only have one editor at a time - not both Topaz and PSP X4.

Any help would be appreciated!

Bob

[bananahead]

I think that you are better off having PSP X4 as your external editor and running any plugins as needed from there.

[OldRadioGuy]

Do I then select the topazfusionexpress.exe file as my external editor (as I think you were saying)? I currently have PSP X4 as my external editor - and it appears I can only have one editor at a time - not both Topaz and PSP X4.

Bob

In my opinion, this is one of the changes needed in ASP -- ability to assign more than one editor which can then be accessed with shortcut keys. In the meantime, one alternative would be to keep PSPX4 as your external editor, and then select TopazFusionExpress as the open with editor in the batch file that comes up when you do a save Ctrl+S. The assignment sees to be sticky there, thus all you have to do is check or uncheck when a Topaz filter is the only external adjustment needed.

Bob

[RickHeath]

You know that you can assign an external program to open an image in an output batch & assign a hotkey.

You can have a different program for each batch too. So you could set up several batches (right click in output panel and choose new or duplicate as desired), doing as much or as little processing as you like, and send images to whatever programs you want (using "open with" setting at bottom right of settings window) with whatever you assign as a hotkey (right click on batch and choose "Set shortcut").

Regards

Rick.

[OldRadioGuy]

You know that you can assign an external program to open an image in an output batch & assign a hotkey.

You can have a different program for each batch too. So you could set up several batches (right click in output panel and choose new or duplicate as desired), doing as much or as little processing as you like, and send images to whatever programs you want (using "open with" setting at bottom right of settings window) with whatever you assign as a hotkey (right click on batch and choose "Set shortcut").

Rick, thanks for this information. Earlier I did a search of the documentation for ASP for assignment of shortcut keys to the batch operation. I either searched incorrectly or the documentation omits that data. Either way, I did not find anything on that topic. I really appreciate your tip.

Bob

[ashmoore]

it sounds like they are being called as an external application rather than actually being a plugin.
I can't visualize how that workflow would work with raws.
It seems like it would only work on jpegs, at which point ASP is out of the workflow.

[OldRadioGuy]

it sounds like they are being called as an external application rather than actually being a plugin.
I can't visualize how that workflow would work with raws.
It seems like it would only work on jpegs, at which point ASP is out of the workflow.

Ashmoore, it also sounds like we're engaged in a bit of semantics here.

Who cares if they are internal plugins or external plugins as long as they work? And they perform nondestructive editing on RAW, TIF or JPG files when called within ASP.

Bob

[bananahead]

they perform nondestructive editing on RAW

This they don't do. They need the image in a converted format.

[afx]

Who cares if they are internal plugins or external plugins as long as they work? And they perform nondestructive editing on RAW, TIF or JPG files when called within ASP.

Well, they are significantly different an have a huge impact on the workflow.
Only a true plugin in the AS pipeline can be part of the non destructive image adjustment chain.
Everything that needs an intermediate file will be destructive relative to that file.
That file will also not pick up any changes made in the pipeline after the file was created. It would actually reqiure a complete redoing of all the steps performed in the external program if something was changed on the source file within AS.
So in the end, this is an external edit resulting in an extra file that sits after the AS adjustment, not an an adjustment within the non destructive edit chain of AS.

So please stop mixing that up. It is utterly confusing and gives unwary readers the wrong impression.
The semantics are very important here.

cheers
afx

[ashmoore]

thanks afx
these are not plugins at all then.
They are an external application that destructively edits output from ASP

There are many reasons why this is bad :-
1 - you cannot save settings in a preset or defaults
2 - you cannot apply the settings in a layer
3 - any file that is output from Topaz that shows up in ASP will be reprocessed by ASP defaults

Basically calling this method a "plugin" is highly confusing.
Calling external programs is not a plugin, its an external application. Otherwise PSP, Photoshop, Pixelmator or GIMP could all be called plugins.
Clearly they are not.

Real plugins show up on http://www.aftershotpro.com/plugins

[B4b5]

So please stop mixing that up. It is utterly confusing and gives unwary readers the wrong impression.
The semantics are very important here.

cheers
afx

It's not just semantics - it's completely incorrect.

Considering the fact that Corel has other products such as PaintShop that are good tools but place no particular importance on non destructive editing;

we need to hope that in this new environment Non Destructive remains paramount to ASP.

[afx]

Considering the fact that Corel has other products such as PaintShop that are good tools but place no particular importance on non destructive editing;

we need to hope that in this new environment Non Destructive remains paramount to ASP.

It will, it is just some users who did not grasp the concept yet that get this mixed up....

cheers
afx

[claudermilk]

[quote="B4b5]we need to hope that in this new environment Non Destructive remains paramount to ASP.[/quote]
Isn't that the entire reason for ASP/Bibble? Without that you may as well be using PSP/PSCSn.

[MikeFromMesa]

[quote="B4b5]we need to hope that in this new environment Non Destructive remains paramount to ASP.[/quote]
Isn't that the entire reason for ASP/Bibble? Without that you may as well be using PSP/PSCSn.[/quote][/quote]

I do not disagree with your statement, but for those of us processing RAW files all editors are non-destructive. We have our original RAW image, which remains unchanged, and the generated sidecars that describe the changes. I generally find that I never made sufficient changes to run out of "undo" calls so as long as I have not closed the editor I can always expect to undo whatever I need to undo and that is true with pretty much all of my editors (PSP X4, CS5, Dxo OP, ASP, etc).

And, if worse comes to worse I can always start over again with my original RAW image.