Exposure blending, Focus stacking, Panoramas workflow?

[Stefanjan]

I am pondering the best way to manage multiple raw files with a single JPEG and single buddy file.

So normally I have a RAW as master with Affinity Photo .afphoto files as a buddy file and a JPEG as version.

But what about when I have three or more RAW files, a single .afphoto and a JPEG.  In this case is there an automatic way to stack these or do you just manually stack them.

I find I get confused about which files are part of an exposure blend etc. and sometime inadvertently delete component files.

I'd appreciate suggestions for a good simple fail safe workflow.

[Claude]

I stack them manually. The program cannot know which ones it will have to stack.

You can automatically stack based on an Time interval but it is not reliable. It can stack two files that are not relative because they only have been taken in the stack interval.

[Mario]

There is not really an automation for this.
If you produce a composite version from multiple source images in your image editor, IMatch has no way to tell.

Typical concepts like timestamps, bracketing sequences, XMP media management properties like document id no longer apply and cannot be used by the Auto Stacking.
Manually stacking files you consider to belong together is the best option. If you need stacking at all.

Why do you want to stack the files?
1. As a means to convey they belong together?
2. To see only the JPEG file in the File Window?
3. ?

1) Using a shared metadata value, e.g. a shared keyword or the XMP Job Identifier may be used.
This not only allows you to stack the files using Auto Stacking (by the corresponding variable) but also to automatically categorize files by projects (data-driven categories based on the JOB ID) and similar.
Stacks are an IMatch concept. If you base stacks on a metadata field, you also persist the relation and stack and make it accessible (sort of) for other applications.

2) Keep the source files and results in separate folders?

[sinus]

I would also say, check the automatic stacking.

I do not know, how you work.
But you can, like Mario wrote, choose stacking with metadata-fields.

And you can give the file, what you want have on top, give 5 stars, and if the others in the seleciton does not have 5, this with the 5 stars will be on top.

And maybe for not to delete the wrong files, you could work with category-colors, so that you know, red and yellow colored files I should not delete.

And so on, but I do not know your workflow, maybe I have also not undertood fully, what you want to achieve.

[Stefanjan]

Why do you want to stack the files?
1. As a means to convey they belong together?
2. To see only the JPEG file in the File Window?

Both of these

Manually stacking files you consider to belong together is the best option

Yes, I think that is probably the simplest way

1) Using a shared metadata value, e.g. a shared keyword or the XMP Job Identifier may be used.

Hmmm, where I have multiple exposure blending shots in the same shoot / folder that would require unique keywords for each set.  Manually stacking simpler but not visible outside IMatch

2) Keep the source files and results in separate folders?

Up to now I am using a simple file structure RAW, Buddy and Versions in the same folder. Sometimes I have just one or two shots, other times hundreds. Not sure I need separate folders and which files go where.

[Mario]

I always separate the source images and the result(s) into different folders.

After the work is done, I'm usually no longer interested in the source images and may even archive them off-line.
This is the case for both simple RAW => result and more complex composite images consisting of dozens of shots.

[Stefanjan]

I always separate the source images and the result(s) into different folders.

What does you folder structure look like? Like this?

2021
  2021-08-29 ¦ Sample Shoot
      RAW (and buddy files?)
       Final

[Mario]

Something along that line. This is mostly a matter of personal preference.
Some keep Final under RAW, other keep them on the same level. Some have sub-folders under Final, to separate different "versions" or deliverables.
Some maintain Final in a totally different folder hierarchy or even on another disk or NAS.
Whatever is needed. The KISS principle applies!

Most photographers are later only interested in the final images and not in the undeveloped RAW files, in my experience.
Keeping the final files separate and easy to find is a good idea. When you browse your collection, you only look at the Final folders.
Having a clean separation also helps with versioning in IMatch. And to define folder ACLs for IMatch Anywhere.

[Jingo]

Many years ago... I used to stack and version RAW, JPG's, PSD's, TIFF's, the works!  Then, I kept track of the number of times I a) looked at the numerous files  b) ever went back to re-edit a RAW image.

At the end of the day, it was a tiny tiny fraction of the time. So, using KISS, my workflow migrated to ONLY keep final JPG's in IMatch.. and it makes things that much easier for me.  My folder structures between RAW and Processed JPG's are identical.. so, if I want to find, view or edit a RAW file - I can simply locate the file and edit it in my RAW editor.

Everyone has different needs... but the KISS principal can often work the best.  Just because the functionality exists doesn't mean it needs to be used.

[sinus]

Many years ago... I used to stack and version RAW, JPG's, PSD's, TIFF's, the works!  Then, I kept track of the number of times I a) looked at the numerous files  b) ever went back to re-edit a RAW image.

...

I do it still you describes it above. 

And it works that good, that I see no reason to change it (though over 300´000 files).
I personally have all files in the same folder (raw, jpg, tifs...), monthly.

For me is the KISS-system not necessarily the best, although of course often very good.
The key for me is: do it ALLWAYS in the same way, consistent, specialy folder-structur and filenames, but also your personally collection- and category-system from IMatch.

Then you will have with IMatch no problem to change something.

[Stefanjan]

Thanks for the replies.

sinus & Jingo, I'm interested to know how you identify your final Jpegs so that you can easily find them.

If I continue to keep all the files in a single shoot folder then:

Using stacking to group files.

Label stack green when I have processed the stack and created a jpeg.

Red = culled, Yellow started but not finished processing, purple exposure stack.

I'm also wondering about an Affinity photo .afphoto file usually this is a buddy file but sometimes a master (if multiple RAW files). In Windows Explorer .afphoto displays with a processed thumbnail but not in IMatch.

[sinus]

Thanks for the replies.

sinus & Jingo, I'm interested to know how you identify your final Jpegs so that you can easily find them.
...

Hm, not that easy to describe, because I use several kinds to find them, depending a bit on my mood. 

If I am in a folder, I could simply do a quick search with the search bar.
I could search for ".jpg" or "_v" because alle my versions has a "_v" at the end (unique, not such string somewhere else).

In the category I have some cats created, where I can add a selection. Say the main-cat shows 1000 files, the subcat shows me say 350 versions. And another sub-cat shows me all versions, what I have really sent to a client (or family). Or all psds .... and so on.
Categories are very powerful.

Or I can see in the collection view the labels (all versions has one specific label) and if there are say 100´000 files, I could quickly find a specific client or a specific date, because I have such a filenaming-system.
Hence say "201807" would show me all files from July of 2018 or a search for "_kon" would find all files with this specific client. 

Hmm, I guess, there a much more kinds to find versions ....

And ahh, yes, of course, filtering, they are very powerful, but to be honest, I use it not, because well, I find my files without filtering.

[Mario]

I'm also wondering about an Affinity photo .afphoto file usually this is a buddy file but sometimes a master (if multiple RAW files). In Windows Explorer .afphoto displays with a processed thumbnail but not in IMatch.

No problems at all with displayed AFPHOTO files in IMatch. Or Designer Files. I use both applications.

Affinity usually installs a thumbnail handler in Windows which is automatically used by IMatch.
Maybe your setup is messed up or you have an option wrong in Affinity. I'm sure Affinity support can help you with that.

[Stefanjan]

No problems at all with displayed AFPHOTO files in IMatch.

My mistake, I found them at the end of the folder as of course the create date of the HDR is date created not captured