Saving Workspaces

[tomczak]

When a workspace is saved 'with images' they are saved as TIFFs, but I think uncompressed, even if I set it to ZIP or LZW compression in Preferences. Is that correct? If so, is there a way to compress them (when saving the workspace with images)?

If I save a workspace with 'Image names' and some auxiliary images were cut and pasted into PWP, they don't seem to get saved (and probably rightly so, as it saves the workspace 'without images'. But then I happened a few times that I reopened the workspace (with image names) and there was an image missing that I forgot to paste but forgot to save with the workspace. I'm not sure if maybe prompting for pasted images would be useful for forgetful people like me... It doesn't happen often, but it just did.

[jsachs]

There is currently no way to save images other than uncompressed TIFF -- Zip or LZW don't compress images much unless they have large areas of solid color. Saving as JPEG would mean the restored workspace would not be quite the same as the saved one due to JPEG artifacts. I could potentially add a script option to save images as JPEGs, presumably with the current default JPEG quality settings or it could be a Preferences setting which is simpler but runs the risk of forgetting you changed the setting and accidentally using the wrong one. Or, I could ask every time you save with images what format you want to save in which get annoying after a while. Maybe a preferences settings to ask for file save options or not.

If you save a workspace that includes a pasted image, the restored workspace will paste from the clipboard when it loads which is a potentially useful feature, so I don't consider this necessarily something to warn about.

[tomczak]

Thanks. So if there are a few pasted images, when the workspace is restored, each of them is replaced with the current image in the Clipboard?

Would having an option to save PNG work with a workspace, with its lossless compression, if metadata is not that crucial and if the image, as in my case, had a lot of flat space?

[tomczak]

Playing with TIFF compression (which for the certificate image with a lot of blank space was about a factor of 4) I discovered that if I use Save As, the TIFFs are created, but in the subfolders of the same name and, where there should be TIFFs, .tmp files remain - I imagine it has to do with ExifTool copying metadata.

[jsachs]

Yes, all pasted images will be the same as the one on the clipboard.

PNG lossless compression is no better than TIFF LZW or ZIP and the metadata is not saved, so there is no real advantage to including it as an option.

I am working right now on adding TIFF/JPEG options and adding a Preferences settings for Ask/TIFF uncompressed/TIFF LZW/TIFF ZIP/JPEG 95%/JPEG 90%...JPEG 75%.

[jsachs]

I can't seem to reproduce the problem with .tmp files being left behind when saving as compressed TIFF -- can you be more specific about how this happened?

[tomczak]

Yes.

1) Open a TIFF image from some folder
2) Save As this TIFF image to, say, Desktop without compression
3) Save As again the TIFF image on Desktop using a compression

Here, at least, step 3 produces:

1) a new folder On Desktop which contains the TIFF image - both having the same name
2) a .tmp file on Desktop, also having the same name.

[jsachs]

Still not seeing it here. Is it possible there is some problem with the file permissions that is preventing the previous file from being deleted or the tmp file being renamed? Try deleting the tif and tmp file from Windows Explorer and see if you get an error message. If that works, try saving to a different folder you know you have access to.