Import RGB triplets

Before you start

Organize the file order and keep the originals. Start with one complete group of three. The current regular interface imports RGB and has no option to create an RGB/NIR project.

Steps

1. Choose the film type and New Trichrome Project

   On the welcome screen: 1 — choose Color Negative or Reversal under Film Type; 2 — click New Trichrome Project below, not New Roll Project above it. The Trichrome Import dialog should open next. Film Type describes the film; select the camera’s sensor type in the next dialog.

   

2. Choose the sensor type

   The Trichrome Import dialog should now look like the image below. Choose Bayer or Monochrome under Sensor for the actual camera before selecting files. The screenshot has Bayer selected; the rgb_7/8/9 sample supplied for this guide comes from a monochrome camera, so select Monochrome for that sample.

   

   1. 1
      Sensor: choose the hardware, not the preview color

      Choose Bayer for a color-filter-array camera and Monochrome for a true monochrome sensor. A monochrome picture style on a color camera still uses Bayer. This does not change color-negative film into a B&W project.

   2. 2
      Choose a folder or images to import: open the file picker

      After choosing Sensor, click this orange button. It opens the system file picker; it does not compose images yet. Select the prepared R, G, B files in the next step.

   3. 3
      ⓘ: optional import help

      The information icon opens Trichrome Import Guide. Use it to check ordering requirements if needed; it does not start the import.

3. Choose the organized source set

   Click Choose a folder or images to import and choose the prepared folder or files. For this guide’s Monochrome example, select only rgb_7.tiff, rgb_8.tiff, and rgb_9.tiff. Ordinary import groups files by filename order, regardless of the order you click them in the picker. Keep charts, tests, and duplicates separate.

4. Wait for composition and check the frame count

   Every three valid source files form one logical frame: 12 sources should produce four frames, not twelve. Valid, skipped, and incomplete describe grouping; composition failure is a separate state. Accepted groups do not prove every preview was generated. Wait through Composing Trichrome… and check the final frame count and complete messages.

5. Zoom in to check alignment and orientation

   Open a composite in the Viewer and double-click a detail to zoom in. Drag to pan; double-click again to fit the image. A mouse wheel or Ctrl/Cmd-scroll can also zoom, depending on the device. For alignment checks, open Light Table → Single Photo, choose 100%, and wait for full-resolution data. Inspect text or building edges, then the center and corners. Overlapping different scenes suggest incorrect grouping; colored fringes call for checking registration and channel order. Import does not automatically align the records or compensate for shutter speed or ISO differences.

6. Choose a CCM and continue processing

   Select or create a compatible Trichrome CCM. Color negatives continue with Calibration Area and roll conversion; reversal uses positive exposure, white balance, and viewing. An unprofiled Monochrome composite is still device/filter RGB. Seeing a colored image does not establish calibrated standard-space color.

7. Save the project and export a test image

   Save the .softloaf project with Save Project and retain all three original sources. Do not manually remove or substitute composite data inside the project. Export one finished image first and inspect orientation, crop, detail, and color. A reduced working preview does not cap final output dimensions; a first operation requiring full-resolution data may take longer.