This is now driving me mad.
...
Is there any kind of output sharpening set up in A3? If you export the image as a smaller filesize and export it with some kind of export sharpening, it will apply that at the end and the exported TIFF will look sharper. Otherwise this softening of the image is likely from interpolation. I guess it is a matter of design philosophy, if DPP is applying some kind of sharpening to the images when viewed at less than 100% zoom, they are trying to show as much detail in the reduced filesize version. However, A3 is trying to be as neutral to the image view as possible, and thus the image will look a little soft at zoom settings less than 100% because it is not trying to accentuate detail that may or may not be there with preview sharpening. The sharpening in A3 is applied to the 100% sized image, not the reduced size preview view in the working window.
I have noticed a similar but different issue with Aperture 3... Bright lights of varying color have a tendency to get harshly delineated after Camera Raw has processed the RAW photo.
I wonder if that't the same problem as my friend had with this photo...
These color problems look like color profile/RAW conversion issues. Canon DPP software has the canon-proprietary color profile in it which would (should) match the JPEG results on the camera screen. They keep this information proprietary and thus 3rd party converters need to either guess at what Canon's looks like or make their own. DPP is applying the canon-specific profile and will treat the blues/purples in one way. The default A3 or LR3 profile will treat it another way. PP decisions can affect this too- the two photos of the bridge likely have different PP applied and this can explain the difference in the color of the bridge lights.
The banding you see on the donkey may also be a result of overexposure in a particular channel, in this case red or blue. This is similar to overexposing the highlights in a photo, where the blown out areas are losing information. If you overexpose a color channel in one part of the image the color response there may not be accurate/smooth with the surrounding areas. It is possible to blow out a color channel without overexposing the image when you have vibrant or highly saturated areas of color in your photo.
Deep blues/purples are notoriously hard to capture accurately on DSLRs and it is no surprise that you are having trouble with this. The best or most rigorous solution is to create color-accurate profiles using a colorchecker chart, preferentially specific to the exact lighting the photo was taken under (accomplished by photographing a colorchecker chart on the scene of the photo).
Note when I say "canon proprietary" or I mean the color profile that Canon has chosen for their cameras/files. It does not mean that it is necessarily more realistic or more accurate than a different profile- indeed often times the camera manufacturer profile is not totally accurate to real life and instead has a specific "look". There is, for example, a characteristic "Nikon green" look The only way to get it "accurate" as in true to real life is to create your own profile using a colorchecker chart. It should be pointed out, however, that color profile is a very subjective thing and if a more accurate profile is used, it may not necessarily mean a "better looking" end result- only more accurate.
Among other reasons, this is one of them why I ditched A3. Then LR3 seems to have the same problem of applying it's 'magic sauce' onto RAW files that end up robbing my pics of sharpness and color. Funny how it's the free Canon DPP that came with the camera is the most adept at leaving your pictures alone.
Robbing your pics of sharpness and contrast compared to what? What you see in DPP? What you see on the camera LCD? The difference is that the Canon DPP software is likely applying the in-camera settings you have to the RAW files. So if you have in your camera set up some sharpening or increased contrast/saturation (which is usually the case by default), those settings will get applied to the RAW file in DPP as well. This information is encoded into the EXIF metadata of the RAW file.
Indeed, strictly speaking, 3rd party converters like A3 and LR3 are the best in providing you with an image that is untainted or unadulterated as possible, the most true representation of the raw readout of the sensor. From here you have maximum control and freedom to make your own creative choices to produce the result you desire. If a strict replication of what the in-camera processing engine does is what you are after, then the DPP software is the best and only choice for this, given that it is the only software that uses Canon's proprietary algorithms and processing.
But, as this encoded metadata is proprietary and only Canon knows how to access/use it, LR and Aperture and other 3rd party RAW converters cannot read it and thus when you open the files in LR3 or Aperture, there is no enhanced contrast or sharpening applied, you have to apply it yourself. An analogous alternative would be to set up an import preset that boosted sharpness/contrast in the RAW files when you imported them, as it's essentially what DPP is doing.
Ruahrc
I shoot in RAW. Their don't seem to be many setting in Ap 3 for the previews. The ones in preferences are set to "Don't Limit" and to the highest possible quality.
