Affinity Photo Cr3

Introduced with the Canon EOS M50 was Canon's new .CR3 RAW file format, replacing the .CR2 format. Enabled with the .CR3 file format was the C-RAW (Compressed RAW) image file format that replaces the not-full-function M-RAW and S-RAW formats. Along with most other new camera features, I felt compelled to figure this one out. What started out as a brief look turned into a moderately-large project and I share some of what I learned below.

Faster, smoother and more powerful than ever, Affinity Photo continues to push the boundaries for professional photo editing software. With a huge toolset specifically engineered for creative and photography professionals, it has everything you need to edit and retouch images, create full-blown, multi-layered compositions or beautiful raster paintings, and so much more. PSD Smart Object import. A smart object within a PSD file converted to an embedded document. Affinity Photo 1.9 Update: This Affinity Photo update focuses on new features and performance improvements. Furthermore, to encourage the users to register their apps, Affinity offers free content that can be downloaded directly from the app. Affinity Photo 1.9 New features. Affinity Photo’s SerifLabs RAW engine is now available for iPad too.

What are the file size differences between Canon RAW and C-RAW File Formats?

A compressed file is (usually) smaller than a non-compressed file and all welcome a smaller file size. More images fit on a memory card or hard drive and file transfers take less time. How big is the difference? Canon has indicated that we should expect 40% smaller files from C-RAW.

I created 6 comparisons using average scenes captured with a wide angle lens. Here are the results.

File sizes in these tests indicate size reductions ranging from 27% up to 54% with the average being roughly 42%, in line with the expectation Canon set. C-RAW files are about the same size as Digital Photo Professional-created 10-quality JPG files and that is impressive.

Canon C-RAW uses a lossy compression algorithm.

A compressed file is smaller than a non-compressed file (as just mentioned); however, non-compressed Canon RAW files are already considerably smaller in size than an equivalent uncompressed bitmapped TIFF file (even an 8-bit file), indicating that some level of compression is already being included in normal RAW files. But, there is obviously a big difference in the RAW and C-RAW compression algorithms.

It would have been great to hear that Canon created a breakthrough compression technology (and perhaps they did), but there is another primary reason for the smaller C-RAW size. Canon has advised us that the new C-RAW format uses a lossy-compression algorithm, meaning that some of the image information is discarded to save space, while RAW file compression is not lossy (or minimally, we don't know that it is). While none of us welcome our image data being thrown out, what really matters is whether or not we can notice what was discarded. Similarly, if you can't hear a 30kHz sound, it doesn't matter if your speaker can produce it (unless perhaps your dog cares).

I have asked Canon for advice on when the C-RAW format should or should not be used, but still await that reply. My guess is that most of the Canon USA technical representatives are not yet up to speed on this new feature. I really wanted to know and, what started as a simple evaluation of this feature turned into a project. I spent an afternoon (OK, more than a day), hunting for differences between RAW and C-RAW, looking at highly-magnified, identically captured and processed images with and without this compression used.

What are the image quality differences between Canon RAW and C-RAW File Formats?

You are going to be challenged to find them. Note that if you can't see the differences at 100% resolution, it is unlikely that you will ever notice them.

Let's start with a 100% resolution comparison example. These images were identically processed in Canon's Digital Photo Professional using the Standard Picture Style with sharpness adjusted to '2' (on a 0-10 scale).

The berries were photographed under daylight-balanced studio lights and the low light shop scene was under bare tungsten bulbs. Likely the only difference you can ascertain are the details shifting a fraction of a pixel. I don't think the camera moved as I commonly saw the same difference in comparisons (and the little M50 was very solidly mounted on a Really Right Stuff TVC-34 Carbon Fiber Tripod and BH-55 Ball Head).

My next question was, could I tell the difference if I increased or decreased exposure during post processing? To test for that answer, I photographed the sliced fruit plate using a variety of exposures and the adjusted them as necessary in DPP.

Note that all of the JPG examples shared above and below were created from the similar base RAW image. Natural subjects often have the finest details and, in this case, those details taste great. I ate the fruit before I thought about the JPG capture being a good idea.

Also note that these examples are meant to be compared only within each row, not row vs. row.

In the first row, images were reduced by 2 stops during post processing and the second set were increased by 3 stops. Again, it is very difficult to see the difference in the too-bright captures. Differences are rather obvious in the too-dark captures, but ... which do you like better? Noise is random, so different in this case is not necessarily the file format's fault. These two images are mostly equivalents with the C-RAW missing a tiny bit of detail at places. Still, it takes a very strong 3-stop boost in brightness to show even this tiny difference.

DPP does not easily adjust brightness for JPG images, so Photoshop was used for these adjustments, making the JPG comparisons not exactly 'apples-to-apples' (though one of the yellow subjects is a cut apple). Still, it is easy to see the JPG images falling apart in these comparisons.

At this point, I was quite impressed with the C-RAW format but decided to push the comparison to the next level, looking at highly-magnified images – and 400% seemed like a nice big number.

Here again, I can see only minute differences in all except the strongly-underexposed comparison. And in the latter case, picking a winner is harder than noticing a difference. The detail in the underexposed C-RAW sample is not quite as finely rendered as in the RAW file, but it is still going to be hard to notice a difference in real life image output. Shoot the same comparison again and the random noise will look similar in quantity, but still different. And, if I need to increase image brightness by 3 stops, I probably didn't do my job properly.

Processing speed

While a compressed file format can be faster to read from disk, it may need to be de-compressed for processing. I was interested in determining if there was any penalty paid in this regard and ran 13 pairs of images through the DPP RAW processing engine, creating 16-bit TIFF files. The total time required to process each batch varied by less than 4% and some of that difference could possibly be attributed to background tasks my computer decided to run. So, there does not appear to be a penalty in terms of processing speed.

Summary

What was presented here is just a small window into the overall comparisons I looked at, but the differences illustrated here were the most-pronounced I encountered. The bottom line is that Canon has done an excellent job with the C-RAW format implementation. Being ever-skeptical, I'm still looking for a good reason to not use it.

Dear Canon, Can I Please Have a .CR2 RAW to .CR3 C-RAW Converter?

The new C-RAW file format looks like a winner and I would like to recover 40% of my current RAW storage hard drive space for, minimally, select folders. Please create a process to migrate selected .CR2 images to the .CR3 C-RAW format, saving the current recipes. A new DPP .CR3 C-RAW batch processing output option should suffice nicely.

Thanks!

Affinity Photo is a competitive photo editing app that raises questions whether it can challenge Photoshop’s dominance. How does Affinity Photo work? Continue reading to find out.

Editor’s Note

Affinity Photo is one of the aspiring photo editing apps, offering plenty of features to accommodate both entry level and professional users. The program is smooth, yet it costs less than Adobe’s photo editing program. With users presented with an opportunity to tune their images using simplified processes to accomplish tasks that require advanced editing technique like HDR, the software surely deserves your time with its free trial.

Affinity Photo ranks high among the small brands that put a strong game to give the giant Adobe Photoshop a run for its money. The software has the potential of giving Adobe sleepless nights, thanks to its latest update Affinity Photo 1.8.

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There is no doubt that Affinity Photo ranks high in our books. The app is unique in appearance and allows the processing of raw image files before editing, merging, as well as manipulating them to your liking. What makes the program more intriguing is the list of features planted in it. The functions attached to the program are essential and sufficient for professional-level editing tasks. Moreover, the software is packed with amazing features such as Live Filters that let the user utilize filters non-destructively.

One thing you will notice that distinguishes the program from its dominating competitor Photoshop, is its low, fixed price for a perpetual license. Affinity Photo requires users to make a one-off payment and enjoy the software for many years without incurring more costs. This approach is more than welcome, especially to professional photographers who are not fond of Adobe’s subscription model. The app is compatible with the Windows platform, Mac, and iPad. For Android device users, check out these best photo editing apps.

Affinity Photo Essential Features

With Affinity Photo only half a decade old, its updates bring a fresh breath to the forever improving platform, speeding up processes, as well as providing new functionality accompanied by fixes. Ever since its launch, the software has gone on to become a house brand delivering enhanced tools and features to make life easier for professional photographers. The platform also plays well with other foreign kids by managing to integrate smoothly with third-party file types, as well as plug-ins.

As a photographer who values time, you will be pleased to learn about the easy layout of tools that promote productivity. In addition, it has excellent features, such as end-to-end Metal compute, that allow users to get the most out of their Mac’s discreet GPU. This feature promotes accelerated processes, and Windows platform fanatics should expect this upgrade in the near future. The latest update of the software is more concerned with the compatibility, as well as enhanced functionality. Thus, users that have been with this software can attest on how fluent and flexible the platform has become. The major upgrade that enabled the program to support HDR / EDR monitor worked as a game-changer.

Libraw Cr3

Key Features

• Digital lens corrections
• A cost-effective perpetual license
• Edit Smart Objects
• Enhanced manual control
• Compatibility with many file types

Affinity Photo is a software that continues to address what professionals require. With its latest update, users can now manually apply lens corrections; a move implemented by the brand to enhance quality results. The metadata section also offers a much-improved interface with all thanks pointed towards Affinity Photo’s latest update. This improvement allows users to add copyright data, tags, as well as descriptions. The program also supports the latest Canon CR3 raw files which displace CR2 raw file formats.

Affinity Photo also supports editing of PSDs containing Smart Objects Layers, which comes as a great feature to those willing to import various file types. The program does not support the use of Smart Objects, but that’s due to its capability of lossless Layer resizing. However, an introduction of Smart Objects will be a welcome move, especially to those working parallel with Photoshop.

The new document dialogue, which breathes out a fresh look packed with a great number of pre-sets, is also amazing. The dialogue is complemented by thumbnail previews, as well as the ability to make your own. However, the major issue in this area is that the dialogue fails to offer a clipboard document option to drop into when the user makes a screen grab.

Affinity Photo Handling and Interface

Affinity Photo interface is unique and provides various features that have proven useful. The interface is split into Personas; work spaces created to enable the user to execute certain tasks. These work spaces are self-explanatory, featuring titles such as Photo Persona, Liquify Persona, Develop Persona, Tone Mapping Persona, as well as the Export Persona. Personas are automatically selected in most cases, based on the type of file you opened.

The interface is excellently set up with all necessary tools placed where you expect them to be. If you’re an experienced photo editor, then it will take you less than 10 minutes to get fully acquainted with the layout. The Develop Persona works as a default workspace, featuring all editing tools to process a raw image. Multiple raw files are launched in various tabs, making it easy to switch between files.

How is the Quality of Results?

Photos that are processed raw tend to have milder results, making it necessary to sharpen utilizing the Unsharp Mask. While other programs such as ACR and Lightroom automatically apply the sharpening, Affinity Photo offers this process manually. This is ideal to photo editors who prefer putting their imagination to practice.

With everything put into consideration, the image quality that can be achieved using Affinity Photo is impressive. You can achieve even high-quality results by applying either basic or advanced editing skills.

Pros and Cons of Affinity Photo

Pros

• Cost-effective pricing format
• Less-intrusive Live Filters
• Feature-rich software similar to Photoshop

Cons

• Quirks when saving or exporting files
• Image catalogue is not available

Affinity Photo Review

Does Affinity Photo Support Cr3 Files

Affinity Photo software is a strong competitor to Adobe’s Photoshop despite lagging behind in terms of clientele base size. Even though Photoshop takes the cake in providing better overall performance, Affinity Photo’s low-cost price provides great value for money. Most of the features presented in this platform are quite similar to Photoshop, making it a better alternative instead of Adobe’s dominating software.