Rangefinder Magazine
August 2005

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AFTER THE SHOCK announcement, discussed in last month’s column, about Apple switching the heart of its Mac computer to Intel CPU, the same ones used in Windows PCs, I’m sure more businesses are studying the possibility of using Macs. In particular, they should be looking at Tiger, the newest version of Apple’s Mac operating system.

While PC users are lucky to get a new version of the Windows operating system only once every 3 to 5 years, Mac users have been receiving an upgraded operating system once every 12 to 18 months. Although some users see this as an imposition as well as an additional cost, it’s really an advantage to users that Apple upgrades its Mac OS so regularly.

Just about every review, including those from die-hard PC reviewers, concludes that the current Mac OS is the most elegant operating system on the market. Some reviewers even go as far as to say the most exciting software developments are occurring on Macs largely because of the underlying operating system.

All this bodes well for Apple during the next few years as the new Macs will presumably be capable of running Windows in parallel with the Mac OS, allowing for direct comparisons in speed and ease of use. It will also presumably let a Mac user run Windows programs at the same speed as if they were working on a PC. Apple, of course, has publicly stated it will not be possible to run the Mac OS on any computer other than those made by Apple. However, within days of Apple’s surprising announcement, Dell, the largest computer maker, publicly said it would love to produce a computer that could run the Mac OS X. Who knows? By 2007, when all Macs will be using Intel CPUs, Steve Jobs may have relented and begun licensing the Mac OS to other computer manufacturers.

Whatever happens it surely means the Mac OS will be once again a more effective competitor against Microsoft’s Windows.

Dashboard widgets on Macs running Tiger might look like eye candy, but there are numerous ones available that can be used to improve one’s productivity as well as inform and entertain.

Apple Tiger
Tiger, also known as Mac OS X Version 10.4, has several new features that while not directly of importance to digital photography can certainly be helpful to photographers using a Mac.

Spotlight, for example, is a new search mechanism that can very quickly find files using any words, even if they are buried in the middle of a long document. It is amazingly fast at finding files, and they can be opened directly from the list displayed or their location is revealed when the cursor is placed over the file name. Generally speaking it can find references to the search words in any file, although there are some programs that use unique formats that preclude searching.

One of these is Microsoft’s Entourage mail program. I have been using this program for the past few years because I have found it better for my needs than the Mail program included with the Mac.

However, because Spotlight does not work with Entourage and I am often searching for specific emails, I decided to switch. As is the case when switching to any new program, there is a learning curve. Generally I am pleased with Mail 2.0, although I find the options for spell checking are not nearly as good as in Entourage, undoubtedly because it’s not utilizing the same spell checker as Microsoft Word.

However, Mail is well integrated with the Mac address book. If Apple ever introduces its own word processor, which it is rumored to be planning, Mail will probably prove to be much better all round than Entourage.

Apple says Spotlight is an important application that’s far more powerful than other search programs since it works at the operating-system level and can also find metadata information such as the date a file was created. Spotlight can also create so-called smart folders, which contain searched items for future reference. The same technology is also included in Mail, which allows one to automatically categorize messages into relevant smart folders rather than having to manually drag them in. Some people believe Spotlight’s technology will eventually allow computer users to dispense with hierarchal folders, which we have become accustomed to. A similarly sophisticated search system will appear in the next version of Windows OS so Apple Mac users are once again leading the way as they get used to this new method of navigating the thousands of files stored on drives.

Spotlight, the new search engine included with Tiger, is a preview of how we might expect to find and open files on computers in the future.	There are already several Automator actions for Photoshop available for downloading from Apple’s web site.

Dashboard is another new feature in Tiger. It may look like a gimmick to some, but I have found it quite useful. In effect, Dashboard is a second desktop normally hidden from view that appears at the touch of a function key. It contains small mini programs, called “widgets,” which include a clock, calculator, translator, maps, timetables and dictionaries. At the time of writing there were over 700 widgets available for download on Apple’s web site. Many of them require the computer to be connected to the Internet as they are updated in real time. What’s more, these widgets are very easy to create from scratch as they use simple Web programming. I suspect we’ll begin to see specialized widgets that can provide information for photographers. The only problem I have found so far with Dashboard is that it takes around 20 seconds to load open widgets after booting up. On my PowerBook, which I usually leave in a sleep mode, it’s no problem as they are always available since they do not have to be reloaded.

If you, like me, are addicted to checking news and information on numerous web sites during the day, you’ll love the new RSS feed that’s integrated into the newest version of the Safari web browser included with Tiger. RSS news feeds supply a brief headline and summary of articles from selected sources that can be quickly glanced at without having to go to the actual web site. It makes it easy to do a quick scan before deciding whether it’s worthwhile going to the web site. Again, it’s a new and more efficient way of making your computer and the Internet work for you in your daily work.

Another new feature in Tiger is Automator, which is an easier way of creating scripts to automate routine tasks. While there have been many ways of doing this previously, Automate promise to be simpler to master. There are several Automator scripts already available free of charge on Apple’s web site specifically for use with Photoshop and other programs of interest to photographers.

Microsoft is not being left behind when it comes to catering to photographers. It has even started a web site dedicated to providing information and help for professional photographers.

Microsoft Supports RAW Formats
The next version of Windows, codenamed Longhorn, is not due out until later next year. At present it looks as though it will include several features already offered in the Mac OS X, including an advanced search feature like Spotlight and an RSS feed built into Internet Explorer.

Professional photography is one area in which Microsoft says it is going to compete in more fully, which is, of course, great news for photographers.

A couple of months ago I briefly discussed the ongoing debate about RAW formats and the growing demand by professionals that there either be a standard among manufacturers or at least open disclosure of file structures by camera manufacturers.

While many photographers avoid using RAW formats, there are many who find the flexibility offered by RAW formats compelling, as long as the workflow and ease of use is not too overwhelming. If you have sufficient storage space the problem is not as bad as long as you have a camera that can save a RAW and a JPEG file simultaneously.

The lack of a standard RAW file format means many programs cannot preview a RAW file. For example, if one double clicks on a Nikon NEF file on a Mac, it cannot be viewed by Apple’s Preview program. Meanwhile, it will immediately display a JPEG or even a Canon CR2 RAW file.

In an attempt to ease the problem of viewing RAW files, Microsoft has introduced a plug-in viewer called Powertoy so RAW files can be viewed on the desktop without needing a separate program or browser.
Powertoy has been introduced by a team at Microsoft that’s dedicated to improving the Windows experience for pro photographers. They have even created a special web site (www.microsoft.com/prophoto) with information for pro photographers.

It’s good to see Microsoft stepping up to the plate in recognizing the importance of photography among computer users. Competition such as this should make Apple double its efforts to continue providing tools that will make the life of photographers more productive.

RAW Developer is a sleek program that can quickly open several RAW files at a time before processing them. If time is of concern, this program is a good alternative to other RAW file browsers and editors.

Quick Software Review: RAW Developer
As mentioned above, opening RAW files can be a frustrating business, as it takes most programs so long to open and process the images. Taking a quick look at a thumbnail image is okay in some circumstances, but normally one wants to study an image in detail even before any changes are made.

I timed some programs and found it took often took over half a minute to open a Nikon NEF image in Photoshop and even longer in Nikon’s own PictureProject or Capture programs. If you’ve got a lot of images to look at it, makes sense to batch-process files, but then they all end up with the same processing parameters. This might be fine in some circumstances; otherwise, one might just as well have started with JPEG files in the first place.

At least one program available for a Mac does not take too long to open NEF files: RAW Developer is a program specially written to open and process RAW files on a Mac. It took only a few seconds to open a NEF file on my PowerBook and less than 30 seconds to export it as a TIFF file. Perhaps more importantly, it allows the simultaneous opening of several files, even from different cameras, so they can be processed and exported in a batch.

A full working copy of RAW Developer can be downloaded for trial (www.iridientdigital.com/products) before purchasing. It leaves a watermark on the image unless the price of $ 69.95 is paid for an unlock code.

John Rettie is a photojournalist who resides in Santa Barbara, CA. He has been using a camera as a professional for 35 years, a computer for 25 years, and has combined his knowledge of both for the past 12 years. Readers can contact him by e-mail at john@johnrettie.com or by snail-mail c/o Rangefinder.