RAW file format

[Pea-n-Me]

For many photographers shooting RAW isn't about correcting what went wrong, but rather fine tuning the process and having more control.

I get that. I mean right for me.

 

[LPZ_Stitch!]

Encouraged by my earlier thread about shooting RAW, I decided to try shooting RAW-only for a little while and see how I like it.

I know this isn't a great picture, shot my new Canon T2i with the 75-300mm lens, but what do you think?

This one is processed with DPP using the "settings as shot" -- the same as if the JPEG came straight from the camera:

And this is one is one that I actually spent a few minutes working on, trying to improve the picture:

I think I'm starting to get the hang of it.

Any suggestions?

 

[dpmfloyd]

wow, the RAW shot really pops - those greens in the back really shine, compared to the jpg.

i have had the t1i for a few months now and i've yet to try it out. but i dont do photoshop or any other photo editing programs...maybe i should - and give my photos some real depth. well done!

 

[LPZ_Stitch!]

wow, the RAW shot really pops - those greens in the back really shine, compared to the jpg.

Thanks! Up until recently, I've not really been able to see any benefits to RAW ... I just thought it was "more work" ... but I think I'm starting to get it!

And, the best part, it only took about 5 minutes to get the better picture, this time!

i have had the t1i for a few months now and i've yet to try it out. but i dont do photoshop or any other photo editing programs...maybe i should - and give my photos some real depth. well done!

All I used for this was Digital Photo Professional (DPP), which comes free with our Canon cameras. I've read on several forums that, although it's not as convenient to use as some of the more-expensive commercial software, it actually does one of the best jobs of processing/converting Canon RAW ... big surprise, huh, considering it's Canon's software!

 

[zackiedawg]

Nice tuning - definitely the second one looks richer and more saturated. You might also try tuning up your jpeg settings in camera, just so they come out a bit more to your style...but keep enjoying playing around with the RAW files not only for general tweaking but for some big recoveries of flubbed shots!

Dpmfloyd - Don't forget you can adjust the jpeg settings in camera for more contrast, saturation, sharpness, and color tone, as well as white balance - all will improve your out-of-camera jpeg results more to your liking without requiring any editing afterwards. Now, editing can be fun, so I'm not discouraging you from doing it! But just didn't want you to think the only way you can get nice photos is by editing...get the shots right, and the settings right, in camera, and even your jpegs can come out much nicer looking. And jpegs can be tweaked in post-processing too - so all is still not lost.

RAW is for either those who want maximum headroom for tweaking and manipulating output, those who absolutely love to post process almost as much as they like taking photos, or those who might struggle to get the shot right in camera every time and need the extra recovery room in RAW to get their shots looking good. And processing jpegs is something some enjoy doing, others not so much. It's up to you which way you want to go!

 

[dpmfloyd]

Nice tuning - definitely the second one looks richer and more saturated. You might also try tuning up your jpeg settings in camera, just so they come out a bit more to your style...but keep enjoying playing around with the RAW files not only for general tweaking but for some big recoveries of flubbed shots!

Dpmfloyd - Don't forget you can adjust the jpeg settings in camera for more contrast, saturation, sharpness, and color tone, as well as white balance - all will improve your out-of-camera jpeg results more to your liking without requiring any editing afterwards. Now, editing can be fun, so I'm not discouraging you from doing it! But just didn't want you to think the only way you can get nice photos is by editing...get the shots right, and the settings right, in camera, and even your jpegs can come out much nicer looking. And jpegs can be tweaked in post-processing too - so all is still not lost.

RAW is for either those who want maximum headroom for tweaking and manipulating output, those who absolutely love to post process almost as much as they like taking photos, or those who might struggle to get the shot right in camera every time and need the extra recovery room in RAW to get their shots looking good. And processing jpegs is something some enjoy doing, others not so much. It's up to you which way you want to go!

thanks for the advice, i feel i've come a long way with the basic jpg settings on my camera so i think i'll start stretching out and dabbling in raw. free free to scan my shots - disney or otherwise www.flickr.com/dpmfloyd

 

[ukcatfan]

LPZ_Stitch!

One of the best things to do is to set up a standard workflow. There is not right or wrong way to do it, so you will have to experiment to see what works the best and fastest for you. I personally go in this order:

Keep or Delete?
Quick treatment (snapshot) or pay attention to the details (a good shot)
Crop and Straighten if needed
Exposure
Contrast
WB, Saturation, and other "color" related steps
Noise reduction
Sharpening
Keywording
Export to JPG

This is a little simplified version of what I do, but you get the idea

 

[Bstanley]

A question for the Canon-ites out there. I was reading the section in the manual for my Rebel XS that describes 'Picture Style' settings and it never really said whether the adjustments under 'Picture Style' had any effect on RAW files.

I'm guessing that they don't (I shoot RAW + JPG), but I was wondering in particular about the Sharpness setting.

 

[LPZ_Stitch!]

I personally go in this order:

Keep or Delete?
Quick treatment (snapshot) or pay attention to the details (a good shot)
Crop and Straighten if needed
Exposure
Contrast
WB, Saturation, and other "color" related steps
Noise reduction
Sharpening
Keywording
Export to JPG

Thanks! I've read a bit about "workflow" but I didn't have a good picture of what it entails until reading your list. It seems like it would just be more efficient if you follow the same pattern of steps each time instead of reinventing the process or just "playing around"....

 

[VVFF]

A question for the Canon-ites out there. I was reading the section in the manual for my Rebel XS that describes 'Picture Style' settings and it never really said whether the adjustments under 'Picture Style' had any effect on RAW files.

I'm guessing that they don't (I shoot RAW + JPG), but I was wondering in particular about the Sharpness setting.

They don't have any permanent impact. However, the choice matters a bit. The picture style affects the JPG preview shown on your camera when shooting RAW or RAW/JPG. It also affects the histogram on the back so shooting in things other than neutral/faithful can lead to an inaccurate representation of the histogram on the back. There will be a slight difference in file size by changing the sharpness setting, especially in faithful/neutral.

When loaded into digital photo professional, your settings will also generally serve as the defaults. If you use a different program, they will be ignored.

 

[bentos]

as the above posts says it will be nothing permanent. This is because any kind of editing in RAW files are most of the time non-destructive.

 

[PixieDust32]

Hi,
OK, I took some pictures on RAW format (my first time using my D90 Raw format) I transferred the images to my computer, I have Photoshop CS but I have no idea how to edit or change them to JPEG

THANKS

 

[Docarino]

To start, you will need to install software to process the RAW images. There is usually proprietary software that comes with your camera. Some other possibilities are Adobe Camera RAW, which you can download for free, or you could use something like Lightroom, which you would have to purchase. There are many different options for workflow- what I do is sort through images in Bridge, open and adjust images in Adobe Camera RAW and then, if need be, open images for further editing in photoshop.

 

[PixieDust32]

Oh OK! I haven't done that, dah the cd came with the camera, ok, im going to do that. Thanks

 

[ukcatfan]

You should also have software that came with the camera. Nikon's basic software is not know as being very full featured though. There is also Google Picasa that does some basic processing. I use Bibble Pro, but it is around $200.

 

[PixieDust32]

Thank you!

 

[PixieDust32]

OK, I installed the software, what do I do now? I opened the ViewNX program and I selected 1 image and clicked convert ? but still cannot open it with PS.

 

[ukcatfan]

I am not familiar with the software, but when you convert it should create a JPG file that you could then edit in PS. The original RAW file will never change.

 

[AlbertZeroK]

I can't say enough how much I love lightroom, not only for handling raw images, but also for orginizing my photos!

What version of Photoshop do you have?

I have never used Nikon's software, even when I had a D90. But it should be pretty simple, import the image, adjust your levels, then export the image. Not sure if nikon's software has a batch mode or if it has to be done one image at a time. Nikon sells Capture Nx, again, never really used it, but is less than half the price of light room.

If you have the money for some software, both Adobe Lightroom and Nikon's Capture Nx are avaiable for a 30 day trial. Also, you might consider Lightroom 2 instead of 3, version 3 just came out so version 2 is cheaper - but 3 just added video capability, so if you do video, go with 3 and download the 3.2 beta.

 

[mouselovenfamily]

I also have the D90 and I used PS Elements 7. I had to download a plug-in. It was free and did the trick.