Info Panel values inconsistency

[FKCapitalism2]

Inside Info Panel when using

{EXIF:Contrast} sows: Soft (1)
{ExifTool:Contrast} shows: Low

Is there way to simply show number -3 as in my camera EXIF it shows as [MakerNotes:Camera] Contrast: -3

[jkm]

Values vary by camera, and interpretation varies by software. The EXIF tab is XnViewMP's interpretation, and the Exiftool tab shows what Exiftool (a different program) reports.

Exactly what camera are you using, and what other software are you using that you're comparing to XnViewMP? (the software that's displaying it that way) Your camera itself certainly doesn't show "[MakerNotes:Camera] Contrast: -3"

How does your camera display the value? I mean what does it display on the screen to tell you how you have the contrast set?

[FKCapitalism2]

Exactly what camera are you using, and what other software are you using that you're comparing to XnViewMP? (the software that's displaying it that way) Your camera itself certainly doesn't show "[MakerNotes:Camera] Contrast: -3"

Sony A7 III

You can try on this file https://www.upload.ee/files/18963986/DSC01429.zip.html

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ExifTool.exe -G:0:2 -w! txt d:\photo.arw

creates text file with all exif data in image then can read all values exiftool extracts and amongst them it lists [MakerNotes:Camera] Contrast: -3

How does your camera display the value? I mean what does it display on the screen to tell you how you have the contrast set?

Contrast is set to -3 in camera menu.

[jkm]

Thanks for the file! That makes things much more clear.

Is there way to simply show number -3 as in my camera EXIF it shows as [MakerNotes:Camera] Contrast: -3

Sure. The short answer is just to look at the Makernotes:Contrast value on the Exiftool tab. But there is absolutely no bug here in XnViewMP.

It's an easy situation to get confused about. There is some complexity as to why this situation occurs, so some clarification is required, both to help you and others who might be reading. It's a bit long, but I think it will benefit you if you read it. Always relying on the short answer tends to lead to not learning, and learning is good. So hopefully someone will find it helpful.

First let me explain what you're seeing...

To start with, your options on Exiftool are not really optimal, as unnecessary information is being reported, and that's counterproductive when communicating with others. By specifying the 2 modifier for group display, you're showing the "Category" which is not helpful or germane. All that is necessary is G0 (0 is the default). So the easiest way is:

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exiftool -G -a "Sony A7 III DSC01429.dng" | grep -i contrast
[EXIF]          Contrast                        : Low
[MakerNotes]    Contrast                        : -3

This reveals two tags named Contrast. One is the EXIF tag, the other is a proprietary tag in MakerNotes. "EXIF:Contrast" and "MakerNotes:Contast" are the best way to specify or communicate these fields.

It's important to understand that your camera is writing two different Contrast tags, and it is putting different values in them. This is not uncommon. The camera manufacturer chose to use two different values, and that cannot be reconciled or corrected, only accepted. The value that your camera displays on its screen is likewise at the whim of the manufacturer.

So looking at the fields you reported in your initial post:

{EXIF:Contrast} sows: Soft (1)
{ExifTool:Contrast} shows: Low

The first is EXIF:Contrast on the EXIF tab (processed internally by XnViewMP), the second is EXIF:Contrast on the Exiftool tab (which is the value reported by the Exiftool application).

Both of these entries are reporting the same tag, namely EXIF:Contrast, which actually has a numerical value of 1.

You can see the numeric value by telling Exiftool to suppress print conversion (which is a default processing it does to make numerical output more understandable/readable; this is the -n option)

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exiftool -n -G -a "Sony A7 III DSC01429.dng" | grep -i contrast
[EXIF]          Contrast                        : 1
[MakerNotes]    Contrast                        : -3

So obviously 1 is not -3. The EXIF:Contrast tag cannot be reported as "-3" as you would prefer, since that is simply wrong.

The reason why Sony uses two different values for these tags is probably rooted in the fact that the EXIF specification holds that the EXIF:Contrast tag is an integer with only 3 allowable values: 0, 1 and 2. Sony wanted to provide more finely-grained contrast control, and so they used a scale with more steps than could be contained in the EXIF:Contrast tag. But they can store whatever values they want in MakerNotes tags.

This numerical value in the EXIF:Contrast tag is commonly interpreted; the exact wording varies across different software.
Exiftool reports the values for this tag as follows:

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Contrast    0 = Normal
            1 = Low
            2 = High

Instead of "Low" XnViewMP uses the word "Soft". If Pierre were to change his wording, he would change it to agree with Exiftool, not to omit the word entirely. And if you object to Exiftool using the word "Low" you will need to go to the Exiftool forum and complain to Phil.

In fact, the CIPA specification for EXIF indicates the wording that should be used for interpretation:

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4.6.6.7.42. Contrast
This tag indicates the direction of contrast processing applied by the camera when the image was shot.
   Tag = 41992 (A408.H)
   Type = SHORT
   Count = 1
   Default = 0
      0 = Normal
      1 = Soft
      2 = Hard

So in this case, XnViewMP is actually technically correct in using the word "Soft", and it's Exiftool that is not following the specification.

But in neither case are you going to get the EXIF:Contrast tag to display in the app simply as "-3" to match your camera.


Which brings us back to the MakerNotes:Contrast tag...

This is the tag where Sony writes the value that actually corresponds to what it displays on the camera screen. Sony wrote a different value to the standard Exif tag, for reasons I have explained. That was intentional, and it's not a bug, defect or inconsistency. In fact, the only real issue in the entire scenario is that Exiftool is not following the specification with its interpretive wording. XnViewMP accurately reports the output from Exiftool on the Exiftool tab.

So you could right-click on the MakerNotes:Contrast field, and add it to your Favorites tab. That would be an easy way for you to display the value that corresponds to what you see on your camera screen.

I hope this helps you better understand what's going on and what you're seeing.

Cheers...

[FKCapitalism2]

I hope this helps you better understand what's going on and what you're seeing.

Cheers...

Sorry, i did not read your post as its so long, but i noticed in v1.10.2 now XnViewMP shows numbers without text when using

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<b>Contrast:</b> {ExifTool:Contrast}	<b>Saturation:</b> {ExifTool:Saturation}	<b>Sharpness:</b> {ExifTool:Sharpness}

in Settings > View > Info, just what i needed.

Guess author addressed this issue already.



However i noticed a problem in v1.10.3 after converting ARW to DNG using Adobe DNG Converter and editing DNG in Photoshop now XnViewMP starts to show Sharpness, Saturation and Color Temperature values that are set in Adobe Camera RAW settings instead of ones from the camera.

DNG unedited

1.png

DNG edited

2.png

Sample files attached here: https://www.upload.ee/files/19130621/Bug_Tags.zip.html

[jkm]

However i noticed a problem in v1.10.3 ...

Not a problem in XnViewMP. Call Adobe.

[FKCapitalism2]

However i noticed a problem in v1.10.3 ...

Not a problem in XnViewMP. Call Adobe.

That never happened in version prior to v1.10.2 where it showed text+value.

My assumption author updated something to address this problem after seeing this thread, but it is not working all the way yet.

Also Photohop does not change camera tags [MakerNotes:Camera] Sharpness: -3 is still in the DNG after updating the DNG, its XnViewMP started to read the wrong tags after DNG update.

Perhaps {ExifTool:Sharpness} selects adobe specific sharpness tag in editing DNG over the [MakerNotes:Camera] Sharpness: -3, guess possible fix is to target exactly camera sharpness tag from ExifTool e.g. {ExifTool:MakerNotes_Camera_Sharpness} any suggestions for actual syntax to do it?

[xnview]

That never happened in version prior to v1.10.2 where it showed text+value.

In previous version, i see Low/Soft and now -1/-3, it's the problem right?

[jkm]

That never happened in version prior to v1.10.2 where it showed text+value.

In previous version, i see Low/Soft and now -1/-3, it's the problem right?

Precedence should be Exif>Makernotes>XMP>IPTC. Without a group modifier it should report the value in EXIF.

Best to allow optionally specify group: {Exiftool:GROUP:tag}

[xnview]

Best to allow optionally specify group: {Exiftool:GROUP:tag}

you can use group

[jkm]

Best to allow optionally specify group: {Exiftool:GROUP:tag}

you can use group

Group should not be case sensitive. Currently requires lower case.

[FKCapitalism2]

That never happened in version prior to v1.10.2 where it showed text+value.

In previous version, i see Low/Soft and now -1/-3, it's the problem right?

problem was Low/Soft etc

i wanted the numbers -1/-3 just like in ExifTool.

[jkm]

That never happened in version prior to v1.10.2 where it showed text+value.

In previous version, i see Low/Soft and now -1/-3, it's the problem right?

problem was Low/Soft etc

i wanted the numbers -1/-3 just like in ExifTool.

Then use the group.

[FKCapitalism2]

In previous version, i see Low/Soft and now -1/-3, it's the problem right?

problem was Low/Soft etc

i wanted the numbers -1/-3 just like in ExifTool.

Then use the group.

Best to allow optionally specify group: {Exiftool:GROUP:tag}

{ExifTool:MakerNotes:Sharpness} or {ExifTool:MakerNotes:Camera:Sharpness} does not work

[jkm]

Read.