RAW file format

[NateNLogansDad]

OK, I'm pretty excited. I had to re-download Elements which took a few minutes but for the last 1/2 hr I've been playing with it using my NEF files. It seems really easy (apparently even a 6yr old can do it ) and the stuff I want to do is right there in front of you. I've used Photoshop (not well) for years so a lot of the functions are exactly the same. I'm hoping to add filters tomorrow and buy it very soon!

 

[klmall]

OK, I'm pretty excited. I had to re-download Elements which took a few minutes but for the last 1/2 hr I've been playing with it using my NEF files. It seems really easy (apparently even a 6yr old can do it ) and the stuff I want to do is right there in front of you. I've used Photoshop (not well) for years so a lot of the functions are exactly the same. I'm hoping to add filters tomorrow and buy it very soon!

Sounds like a plan! Let us know how you are doing! (I hope you realized that the plug-ins I mentioned are ones I purchased separately )

I think I'm in the minority of photographers who actually enjoys post-processing my pictures!

 

[NateNLogansDad]

Sounds like a plan! Let us know how you are doing! (I hope you realized that the plug-ins I mentioned are ones I purchased separately )

I think I'm in the minority of photographers who actually enjoys post-processing my pictures!

I saw that but they at least have a trial period also. I think I'm going to like this a lot

 

[photo_chick]

OK, I'm pretty excited. I had to re-download Elements which took a few minutes but for the last 1/2 hr I've been playing with it using my NEF files. It seems really easy (apparently even a 6yr old can do it ) and the stuff I want to do is right there in front of you. I've used Photoshop (not well) for years so a lot of the functions are exactly the same. I'm hoping to add filters tomorrow and buy it very soon!

Hehe... should I have added that said six year old is nine and now uses Maya and programs games? She's a bit of a freak like that and to top it off she's a better photographer than I am.

But seriously... Elements is very straight forward, as you found out, and that's what I meant.

 

[Groucho]

I haven't tried it yet, but looking at the Lightroom 3 beta 2 "what's new" video, noise processing is much improved again in the new beta... it looks very nice and easier to use than the standard ones. I am looking forward to the final release! They also make claims that their output is much nicer in general, with new antimosiacing algorithms and such.

How do you go about getting camera profiles in LR2? I checked under camera calibration and I only have 2 options, ACR and Adobe Standard.

Not all cameras have a Camera Standard profile. Adobe has been doing the most popular cameras first - obviously that means that virtually all C/Ns are there, and some Pentax and Sonys. I'm suspecting that your E-510 isn't supported.

There is some older info here. I can't find a current list of what has a camera matching profile, but there is info there on creating your own. A little Googling may find some profiles that other E-510 users have created.

FWIW, my K-7 choices are Camera Standard & Adobe Standard, the K-x only has Adobe Standard, the K20D has ACR 4.4, Camera Standard, and Adobe Standard, the K100D has ACR 3.6, ACR 4.4, and Adobe Standard... so you certainly can see different choices on different cameras.

I am so frustratrated right now I could raise my voice! AAARGGHH!
I hate exporting out of Lightroom, I've tried exporting one photo for the last 20 minutes. It says it did it, I go back to find it and its not there! 10 times I've done this and 10 times I've been disappointed... After this I am tossing LR3 in the recycle bin...

In the Export dialog, scroll down to the bottom of the list of choices and in the Post-Processing section, for "After Export", select "Show in Explorer". When it's done, it will open an Explorer window and you can view them right from there.

I know that. Whatever happened to the save as function? You know how you would click save as, then it would let you choose where to save it and what name to give it. Simple. Easy. Never failed. I'm also not real keen on the import option. I have to import files rather than just picking and choosing off my HD or MC

You do need to be able to wrap your mind around the Lightroom way of thinking - your original files sit in one place, untouched and unmodified; all the tagging and editing is done non-destructively and stored in the Lightroom database (ie, catalog), and when you're done, you "export" - which just means that you're saving the modified photo. All your organizing, tweaking, etc, exists only in Lightroom.

For example, I've got folders full of thousands of raw files just in numbered photos. Those are the "negatives" - I tag and process them, and out the other end spit my nicely named, resized, tweaked, ready-to-share jpgs. Most of stuff I tend to export at 1024x768, for web use. If I want bigger (like 1920x1080 for storing on my PS3), I just export again and resize differently.

It is a very different way of working that, say, Photoshop; where you load a single picture, edit it, and then save it when you're done. Once you can get a handle on it though, it starts to make a lot of sense and becomes quite intuitive. You may want to try look at a training video; I'm sure there are some free ones online.

 

[Daisy14'sDH]

okay I'll give it another try... only because you said so though... :0

 

[shafke]

On average, how long do you spend processing RAW images? I know it will vary depending on lighting conditions.

I would assume that outdoors in good light you would most likely need minimal corrections. Maybe adjust levels, saturation, and exposure a touch.

From my minimal experience with RAW files indoors with a flash is tough or any time you have uneven lighting conditions.

I want to start using the RAW format more but I don't have a lot of free time to edit the images afterwards.

 

[crainbow]

I have been shooting RAW most of my digital life. I don't spend all that much time on post processing. You get it right in the camera and you don't have to spend all that much time.

I check for dust, crop if needed, and do some basic tweaks. If you need to do more than that, and are not a professional selling your works, I go to a photo that I like better.

Chuck

 

[DizzyV6P]

It depends on what raw program you use. I use Bibble Lite and I tend to do a batch first by selecting all, clicking Perfectly Clear, setting Vibrant 20, Sharpness 150, Noise 6. That usually gets me to a decent range. Then I look at each one for WB and adjust as needed. If you do a big batch job, clicking F to convert will take a few minutes. If you go through each picture, I can usually do 10 seconds per picture to adjust WB if needed.

Here's one example where I cranked up saturation to 10 instead of leaving it at 0.

Bibble has the new Bibble 5 out now that's even faster. But I miss the Perfectly Clear module so I'm still using Bibble 4 until they next 5 updated that will include Perfectly Clear.

Canon's raw convertor is pretty good, but I stopped using it the moment I started to use Bibble.

The Beauty and the Beast show at Hollywood Studios is an example of weird lighting, even thought its outside.
I had to adjust WB here a bit to get this:

If I didn't reduce the reds and fix the WB, it would look like this. Granted, I left a lot of them with original lighting because it does set the mood, but on some shots, it was simply too much.

I might redo this one and tweak the WB and remove some reds as well.

If you shoot raw, expect to spend some time tweaking. Otherwise, just shoot jpg and forget about post-processing. Raw photos by its very nature almost always needs a bit more sharpness, saturation, vibrancy and even some noise control tweaks. If you just want to take pictures and post them on the web, then stick with JPG.

 

[photo_chick]

I don't process every image, only the ones I want to share online or send out for prints. I really don't spend much more time than I would with jpegs on average.

I do work with each file individually. But like I said, I only process the images I'm going to use so it's really not a daunting task. I also don't worry about doing too much if I'm just sharing online either... everyone's monitor is different and you can spend a lot of time obsessing over settings only to have it look really bad on someone elses monitor because you've tailored a shot for your display. I really only spend a lot of time if I'm making a print... then I can get obsessive and spend hours on an image, sometimes days if I'm doing more than just basic adjustments.

 

[MICKEY88]

I shoot only raw.

I have a slightly different workflow, when I get home from an event I upload my cards to my PC, then I run the Sony software and do a batch process to jpeg, which gives me basically what I would have gotten if I shot jpeg, I then view the jpegs, and any I don't like, I open the raw file and process manually, and save it in place of the other jpeg..

 

[DizzyV6P]

Mickey88: Do you change any settings before you run the batch? I might try your method instead to speed things up...LOL.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I have a slightly different workflow, when I get home from an event I upload my cards to my PC, then I run the Sony software and do a batch process to jpeg, which gives me basically what I would have gotten if I shot jpeg, I then view the jpegs, and any I don't like, I open the raw file and process manually, and save it in place of the other jpeg..

This is a good way of doing it.

 

[dmccarty]

I use Nikon's NX2.

If I have a situation that has consistent lighting like a gym I will batch some adjustments. Saturday I photographed a football game which started with some sunlight hidden behind heavy clouds then the lights were turned on followed by no sun and just darkness. With lights there were dark spots on the filed. So all light adjustments got done manually.

I then crop for the best image after straightening if required. Maybe just maybe I will do a few other adjustments. Maybe.

To do all of the above take 60-120 seconds. Of which a good 15-20 seconds is the file opening and being saved.

The difference between an adjusted RAW file and the camera generated JPG is huge. Once one KNOWS how to adjust it is easy and quick.

The hard part is the knowing how which takes time to learn. I fumbled my way through NX 2 before reading a couple of books and watching some viewlets which really made a difference in the quality of the images.

Later,
Dan

 

[MICKEY88]

Mickey88: Do you change any settings before you run the batch? I might try your method instead to speed things up...LOL.

generally no, I run it with the defaus, to see what the camera would have given me had I shot jpeg...

in difficult lighting situations such as a sweet 16 party that I shot, which was in a large black room, the only lighting being colored spotlights,I know they would all need the same corrections..so I manually did one picture saved the settings and then batch processed to jpeg...

sometimes based on my time limits, I just do the batch to jpeg to get them onto my website quickly,

like tomorrow I am doing an all day photo shoot with a model, I will possibly have 1000 or more photos, there is no way I'm going to manually process everything, I'll batch process, upload, then when she picks her favorites, I'll manually process those for her

 

[MICKEY88]

The difference between an adjusted RAW file and the camera generated JPG is huge. Once one KNOWS how to adjust it is easy and quick.

Later,
Dan

that would depend on how much adjustment is done to the raw, and how particular you are, the average person would be happy with the jpeg conversion of shots that don't have odd or difficult lighting..

 

[GrillMouster]

I've created a few presets that I'll apply to pictures on import in Lightroom, so it takes no time at all to get a general "look" that I like in most of my pictures. If I've got something else to do, like household chores, I'll have LR generate standard previews on import, so the next stage will go quicker. When importing is done I quickly go through all the images fullscreen. I just use the right arrow key on the keyboard to move to the next picture, hit the letter "P" to pick my absolute favorites, and the letter "X" to select rejects (out of focus, exposure test shots, duplicates, etc.). After I've gone through the entire set I hit Ctr+Backspace to delete all the rejects from the catalog and the hard drive. The I go through just the "Picks" and tweak the ones I feel could use a little extra lovin'. I try to use my presets to speed this up. My ordinary RAW workflow is pretty quick, but with the adjustment brush in Lightroom, I spend just a little more time working on the RAW files in Lightroom, but I spend far less time in Photoshop.

 

[RBennett]

Ok, so I have a photo shoot tomorrow morning that the local martial arts school wants me to shoot and I am running into some serious problems with my RAW files!! I am trying to make sure that everything is cleared off so I have all of my cards to use, but when I try to open my shots in Photoshop Elements I get an error saying "Cannot open E:\DCIM.... because it is the wrong type of file." Here's the only things I can pinpoint: the only shots that can't open are my new ones from my K-x. WHAT THE???? They are the same PEF type of files that I shot with my K-100D but it's not letting me do this!! What could I possibly have done with my K-x that is keeping me from being able to open these in Elements?? I can still view the shots in my Pentax Photo Browser, so it's only the Elements that this is affecting. Any ideas??????

 

[MarkBarbieri]

When new cameras come out, they have their own unique file format. The extension stays the same, but there are internal differences in the file. You may need to get the latest patch for Elements so that it can read the K-X files.

I'm not sure if that is the issue, but it often happens to me when I get a new camera. I have to update Lightroom and Camera Raw.

 

[Daisy14'sDH]

I had an issue as well, I changed the RAW format to DNG, its worked fine since then