Elare Sidekick App + Lightroom Plugin

- Demo Coming Soon...

Question: Is it an application or a non-modal plugin?
Answer: Both.

History: This distributed app/plugin design was born to circumvent some of the existing limitations of stand-alone plugins, and open the door to full app support functionality in Lightroom. For example:

1. Stand-alone plugins are modal (Lightroom proper is off-limits while plugin is active, and vice versa). Solved via distributed design: plugin provides access to Lightroom via background process, but leaves most of the UI to an always-on app.

2. Stand-alone plugins can not display Lightroom images. Solved by having app read image data from the Lightroom preview files.

3. Full-on apps have more robust UI components to work with.

4. Full-on apps can integrate with other 3rd-party code libraries, ... - sky is the limit...

 

Demo Software Features (existing now - to grow over time):

• Advanced UI design - includes docking/tear-away resizable panes.
• Folder pane - Accessible in develop module, and also displays other files that are in with your photos, so you can launch AVCHD videos, or open pngs, or edit text or project files... - better than Finder/Explorer because it mirrors your photo selections in Lightroom in real time.
• Photo display - same as in Lightroom library view, except may include focus points, overlays...
• Thumbnail display - Single folder only (no photos from subfolders), and may show thumbnails for items that are not in the Lightroom catalog as well.
• Photo info display (user configurable) - Include all your favorite photo metadata - always-on, without cluttering photo display in Lightroom.
• Context Menus - which is something else not supported by stand-alone plugins.

 

Initial Features (planned for initial release, or soon thereafter):

• Auto and/or manual save of jpegs - to current folder or external tree or flat folder - like exporting / publishing, except without exporting or publishing...
• FTP sync. Presently, FTP'ing from a plugin causes Lightroom to crash. I dunno if that's everybody, but its not just me - anyway, I want ftp'ing that does not interfere with Lightroom - and is guaranteed 100% reliable (0% failure rate).

Pipe Dreams (ideas for future):

• Sharpness profiling - sharpness topography overlay display, plus ranking.
• Focus point(s) display - to support Nikon D300 out-of-the-box, user configurable for other cameras.
• XMP for All - implementation of xmp sidecar support for all file types, and virtual photos.
• Text & Graphics overlay - ability to add text box and graphics to images, and save result as jpeg.
• RGB Curve support - ability to apply individual channel curve to images and save result.
• 2-Photo HDR support: blending lighter tones from exposure optimized for lighter tones, with darker tones from exposure optimized for darker tones.
• Other editing features as inspired...
• Port existing plugins to the new distributed architecture, starting with the ones that suffer most from being modal, especially:
  • DevAdjust - so relative adjustments are always at hand.
  • Keyword Consolidator - faster initialization and ability to select different photos without closing the keyword entry form. Also, more capable UI elements for consolidation interface.
  • Note: If I ever port all my plugins to sidekick format, then it will also serve as an integrator - everything available in one console.
• Non-destructive integration with external image editing libraries and/or comand-line image apps.

 

Limitations:

• The app only gets one whack at the Lightroom database upon startup, which is required to associate a photo with its preview. Which means the app/Lightroom pair must be restarted after importing in order to display previews of newly imported photos.
• All post-startup database maintenance must come from the plugin through the SDK, since Lightroom database is locked once Lightroom is running.

 

System Requirements for Demo:

• Lightroom 3+
• Windows (not yet tested on Mac - sorry).

 

*** See the readme file after downloading for installation instructions and other notes.

 

ScreenShot #1 - Sidekick App, default perspective.

 

 

Plugin Manager Configurator

 

ElareSidekick General Settings

• Metadata to be included in photo-info display.

 

Please visit the ElareSidekick forum:

• To offer feedback to me and other users.
• User-to-user support and discussions.
• Download link.
• Getting started info.
• (I also hang out there to help when I can...)

 

Click here to proceed to the ElareSidekick Forum for (not yet) downloading...