Friday, February 8, 2019

Back in the day I didn’t have a RAW processor

Nor did I know how to use it, I shot all my photos as high res JPGs. Now, everyone knows that now there are raw editors, and I alos know how to use them now, but what to do with the old JPGs? Are they to be relegated to the "Meh" category? Enter Topaz Labs to the rescue with Topaz JPEG to RAW AI. Now this doesn't just convert the image to a DNG, but carefully, with what AI they use, convert it into a RAW editable image.

I chose one image, applied the same edits, with the exception of lens corrections which is not available in JPG editing.

Here is the jpg, edited with camera raw.

IMG_3705JPG

 

Here’s the same one, but pre-processed with Topaz JPEG to RAW AI:

IMG_3705-edit

 

The difference in the full sized images are amazing.   Now, I have a lot more work to get done, going through older images, that I liked, but just could not get them edited the way they should be.

Thursday, February 7, 2019

Talk about overkill

Microsoft's answer to fixing to small, almost negligible problems, with Windows 10 is like killing a mosquito with a sledgehammer.

After an update, that 'succeeded', I noticed task manager wouldn't run.  Since I subscribe to "Assure", I hopped online, and told them this one itty bitty problem.

Well, the first tech tried to do an "in place upgrade" which had no good result. Got to 17%, the the computer rebooted, got the message "UNDOING CHANGES MADE TO YOUR COMPUTER".  Ok, Task Manager still not working, but I tend to use Process Explorer. 

Then I noticed my Bluetooth was no longer working. It had the day before, as my graphics tablet was is bluetooth, and I was editing photos with it.

I checked device manager: yup, Bluetooth device is there, but driver not loading? WTF?  Ok, off to Asus, and get the proper signed Windows 10 driver for it. Nope, still nothing.

Again, I head on over to MS Support, and not only do they NOT take the sfc/scannow and DISM logs, they're advice is just to nuke it from orbit. Only way to be sure.  Ahem, do a full HDD wipe and reinstall.  I really miss the way Windows XP did backups. If you had a corrupted file, you could load up your back up and MANUALLY copy the non-corrupted version right on over.   

So, now it's a matter of picking a date and time, email serials and license numbers, deactivate programs, and doing a full blown reinstall. Oh effing joy.

On an aside: The bluetooth and task manager work fine on Windows 7 drive.

Saturday, February 2, 2019

Yesterdays session with counselor:

Difficult to put into words. I discussed somethings, and as much as D agreed with my assertiveness, my choice of homilies could be different. Part of my problem is I don't have much control over much, but what I *do* have control over, I keep getting offers of help which I don't need, but when I *do* need help, it's nowhere to be found.

Conundrum, yes?

Also, things that have become habit. Have to find a way to break some of those. I do have a quick wit, and sometimes inappropriate repartee' . (Like after I was finished doing something I did need help with, that it was KNOWN I need help with, I had someone pop into the room. I said "Fashionably late again?". *sheepish shrug*)

Also, people asking me to do things, or be there for them. I'm having a hard enough time keeping my own socks pulled up, without pulling up theirs.

I made big mistake today, though. I watched the news. Stress causes the hemidystonia seizures. Hearing that the fucking moron in the oval office has reignited the nuclear arms race by backing out of the Non Proliferation Treaty Pres Reagan signed with Russia... my right leg and arm started twitching. I turned it off right away, but the information is still in my brain. Is that orange reject from a circus trying to get everyone killed?