DxO ViewPoint compatibilty

[JoeB]

I got to thinking about this issue and wanted to add a bit more of my thoughts on it. As I said, the script that works for me is for v.2.5 of Viewpoint. If v.3 has a different Save routine then that could also cause your issue. The script works by saving and copying files to and from your Documents folder. If Viewpoint v.3 is forcing the Saves to be in a different folder than the script is only returning the same copy of the image that was open in PSP when it first saved into the Documents folder.

I ran into this issue with Perfectly Clear Complete v.3.5.5, which has a different Save routine than v.2. To fix it in v.3.5.5 I had to go to the Save As dialogue of Perfectly Clear and select my Documents folder as the default save location for the processed file, and that script now works perfectly. I don't know if you can choose a default Save folder with Viewpoint 3, but you can first run Viewpoint 3 standalone and do a Save As and select your Documents folder for the save folder and, if v.3 then always defaults to that folder first then you might find the script works.

It may be that the reason the script stops working after the first run for you is that your have done something else that changes the default Save folder of v.3, but that's just speculation on my part. However, if the script doesn't run at all after the first successful run then I don't have a clue I'm afraid.

That said, if you try it and it still doesn't work then get back to me if you at least get some different results than you have been getting.

[MikeFromMesa]

I am using the script that was translated into English by AK, which should otherwise be the same script. I'm attaching a zip file of my script. Just change the line 26 to reflect the path to your Viewpoint 3 executable. The layer being returned to PSP will be named DXO Viewpoint. Remember, it will be cropped by Viewpoint after the perspective correction so will be a smaller visible image layer.

Thank you for the link.

I had the same problem with ViewPoint, although I am using ViewPoint2, and this script, when updated properly, worked perfectly.

[JoeB]

Glad you found it useful Mike.

[Jan Shim]

JoeB Somehow I got the script to work in both X9 and 2018. I can't explain what I did but glad it's now working properly although not the way like it does in Photoshop where it's fully supported. Thanks to MikeFromMesa's comment I noticed something you said that I had missed.

The layer being returned to PSP will be named DXO Viewpoint. Remember, it will be cropped by Viewpoint after the perspective correction so will be a smaller visible image layer.

This was happening to all my images and I thought something else had gone wrong. Glad to know it's normal. Thanks for helping out!

[JoeB]

You're very welcome, Jan, and I'm glad that - for whatever reason - the script is now working for you! And yes, I had made that comment about the cropped image being returned because the first time I did it I was a little surprised also. But then I remembered that, even using PSP's Perspective Correction, you can't really do it without a crop happening and of course Viewpoint crops also. My limited experience with Viewpoint, however, is that you have a bit more control over the crop area and can sometimes have a somewhat less drastic crop than you get with PSP's tool.

Given that you're getting a cropped (and therefore smaller) version of the image as a layer you might wonder why have the layer in the first place instead of just as a new image retuned into PSP. The script could likely be easily modified to do that instead but I just didn't bother. You can always drag that cropped layer from the Layers palette onto an empty area of the workspace if you want it as a separate image.

[JoeB]

Just a short general comment about this thread to Ken Berry. I realize it's about a script and may seem like it belongs in the Scripts sub-forum. If a mod thinks it belongs there then perhaps it should just be a copy of this thread. I didn't post the script or my comments in that forum because first, the subject title didn't seem script related, and second, it was such a specialized purpose script (i.e., Jan Shim needed to achieve something with an external piece of software that most people don't have to worry about or even have Viewpoint) that I wasn't originally sure if the thread should stay here or be moved. Normally I'm quite OCD about keeping things in their proper forums/sub-forums!

[Jan Shim]

Given that you're getting a cropped (and therefore smaller) version of the image as a layer you might wonder why have the layer in the first place instead of just as a new image retuned into PSP. The script could likely be easily modified to do that instead but I just didn't bother. You can always drag that cropped layer from the Layers palette onto an empty area of the workspace if you want it as a separate image.

Would love a script that returns a cropped new image

[JoeB]

Given that you're getting a cropped (and therefore smaller) version of the image as a layer you might wonder why have the layer in the first place instead of just as a new image retuned into PSP. The script could likely be easily modified to do that instead but I just didn't bother. You can always drag that cropped layer from the Layers palette onto an empty area of the workspace if you want it as a separate image.

Would love a script that returns a cropped new image

Real life stuff to be done, but stay tuned and perhaps in a couple of days or so. If someone wants to do it earlier that's fine with me.

[MikeFromMesa]

Would love a script that returns a cropped new image

Exactly what do you mean?

Plugins work on layers and return layers. The returned layer from ViewPoint is smaller than the original layer, and hence you can see the lower images around the border of the returned layer. All I do is make the lower layers invisible, flatten the image and crop out any blank border around the image.

Do you mean that you would like a completely new image instead of returning a new layer? The script actually does create a new image (a temporary image stored in a temp folder) and I suppose it could have PSP load that temporary layer instead of returning the modified layer. *

Question: Should this thread be continued in the scripting area?

* I modified the script to return the ViewPoint image as a new image, and that works properly, but since it is a temporary file it has one of those long involved temporary names and its path is to the temporary folder. To save it you would have to change the path and name to something usable. A simple Save command would only save it back to the temporary folder.

[JoeB]

Here's the DXO Viewpoint script that returns the image to PSP as a new image rather than as a layer on the original image. The new image title bar will show that it is named ImageX (X representing whatever number is appropriate for the number of images already open - just as if you copied an image and pasted it as a new image) and it will be a single raster layer named DXO Viewpoint.

EDIT: Remember that I did the script for v.2.5 so with this one make sure to again go to line 26 and make sure the path is set to your DXO version's executable, including the name of the .exe file which should be changed to 3 from 2 if you're using v.3.

Yes Mike, of course you have to use Save As to save it because it opens from the Documents folder after processing in DXO so PSP would want to Save back into that folder. But you would naturally want to do that anyway as you would with any copied/pasted image whose image name was ImageX. But it doesn't have a long or complicated name. And, if you want it named similar to the existing image you started with, you just use Save As, browse to the folder your original image came from, click on the name of the existing image in that folder and add _DXO or something to the end of that name where it appears in the File Name box before saving.

It's important to remember that this script does NOT work with the DXO plugin. It works by opening the standalone version of DXO so that it operates like a plugin would when invoked from PSP. The biggest advantage to this - and other scripts that open other programs - is that if the actual plugin is only a 64bit plugin (like Perfectly Clear 3.5.5) you can't use it with PSP 32bit. But you can use a script to use the standalone version of Perfectly Clear as a plugin from both 32bit and 64bit versions of PSP, which is useful for those who prefer 32bit versions because of the number of 32bit legacy plugins they have and want to have easy access to.

The other advantage, of course, is that if a plugin will only work in Photoshop and not PSP (which Jan Shim said is the case here with his version of DXO) but if there is a standalone version of it, then the script will allow you to use that standalone version within PSP - both 32bit and 64bit. - as if it was a plugin.

[JoeB]

A reminder, just in case. I presume those of you who might be using the script are aware that you can bind it to an icon and add it to your Effects menu or to one of the category flyouts in the menu, such as Geometric Effects.

[MikeFromMesa]

A reminder, just in case. I presume those of you who might be using the script are aware that you can bind it to an icon and add it to your Effects menu or to one of the category flyouts in the menu, such as Geometric Effects.

That would be useful. How do you do that? Where is the process documented?

[Jan Shim]

That would be useful. How do you do that? Where is the process documented?

The ability to bind scripts to a button and place anywhere you want is what sets PSP apart from other image editors especially Photoshop. It's so tedious launching 3rd party plugins in PS unless it comes with a floating panel like Nik. I have all my frequently used script bound and places on the menu bar where it's visible all the time.

To do this, place mouse anywhere on the top section, right-click, select Customize, Scripts, select a script from the menu, choose an icon to bind script to and that's all there is to it. You can now drag and drop bound scripts (Buttons) to anywhere you wish be it in a sub-menu or like mine, on the menu bar. Once you've done that, you can also right click on the placed script and change Button Appearance (here you can rename your script or remove the icon entirely like mine to save space) eg VP = Viewpoint to keep things short and meaningful.

[JoeB]

Are you aware of how to customize the PSP workspace? It is almost infinitely customizable, and you can add toolbars, add, remove or just rearrange tools on toolbars, and you can do the same to menu items. You can look for Customize in the help files if you're not aware of how to do all that.

But for now here's the procedure for binding a script to an icon so it acts like a button that you can place where you want.

1) Have your DXO script showing as the selected script in the Script toolbar window of PSP.
2) Right click somewhere in the workspace and select Customize from the context menu. That will open a Customize dialogue.
3) Click the Scripts tab, and that script name should be showing in the box next to the Bind button.
4) Scroll through the icons and click on one you wish to use to identify that script. I chose one of the cubes, because it's the closest I could see that would remind me of Perspective correction.
5) Then click the Bind button, which will attach the icon to the script name. That script name should now appear in the Bound Scripts window at the bottom.
6) Click on that script name. Then click again and drag it up to the Effects menu item in PSP. That will open that menu. Drag the script to the position you want place it. If you want it in the Geometric Effect flyout then drag it to the Geometric Effects item which will open its flyout. Drag the script into the flyout and place it where you want it (I put it above the other 2 perspective items). Then release the mouse button.
7) Close the Customize window and you'll find the script is now a clickable item in the menu and will run just like any other filter or effect you click on.

[Jan Shim]

Here's the DXO Viewpoint script that returns the image to PSP as a new image rather than as a layer on the original image. The new image title bar will show that it is named ImageX (X representing whatever number is appropriate for the number of images already open - just as if you copied an image and pasted it as a new image) and it will be a single raster layer named DXO Viewpoint.

Thank you so much. Script works beautifully!