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Converting Raw images
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Hi,
Ok, have decided to take the plunge and shoot RAW – so where to next??? I use Photoshop, have downloaded a trial version of Lightroom, have Canons Digital Photo Professional software too.
So what do I do now with my Raw images???
Would love some help on the issue..
(feeling a bit lost and stupid!)Is it best to convert them to TIFF and then to Jpeg if needs be?
Thanks
Few pointers:
* Take a look at the RAW tutorial on Peter Cox website http://www.petercox.ie/tutorials.php
* Get a copy of Scott Kelby’s 7-Point System for Adobe Photoshop CS3. You won’t regret it. If you’re in Dublin city centre anytime I can give you a lend of mine. I just got it back from loan last night. You’ll learn a lot about how to manipulate your RAW files.
* 16 Bit – TIFF is a good option as I was recently informed myself (I only use JPEG when re-sizing for web hosting)
J
John, just bought Scott Kelby’s 7-Point System at lunch time if its crap i’ll kill yea :wink:
Crikey Martin.. for a beginner it’s very good and that’s all I really am.. but for someone with your experience I thought you’d know a lot of this stuff.
Don’t blame me… I’ve only ever recommended it to beginners!!!
Thanks NFI-FAN
I should have mentioned that I am only working off Elements at the moment. Heading to the States in a few months and hope to get Photoshop CS3 over there for cheaper!
But watched the tuutorial anyway and it looks easy enough to follow!Any idea of another way to convert my RAW files? Had a look in Lightroom and Was sooo lost… The Canon software didnt seem too great but maybe I am not using it to its max..
Cheers
NNAP.. usually I’d process my RAW files using either Lightroom or the Adobe Camera RAW plugin for CS3. I don’t know anything about Elements to be honest.
Lightroom is effectively an enhanced version of Adobe Camera RAW with a lot more added functionality, so this might be your best bet for now.
Maybe post which version of Elements you are using and the Make/Model of your camera as these are factors.
J
Nap, Lightroom is a DAM (Digital Asset Management) program that allows enhancements. You import your raw files and you can see them in their catalogue and enhance them from there. If you want to convert them, right click and export as Jpeg, or Tiff which ever your preference is. But, you don’t need to convert all raw files if you don’t want to. As long as you have the raw in your catalogue you know they’re available to export, or convert for forther reasons.
I use it exclusively for cataloguing and adjustments before PS.thanks guys..
Will have a look at Lightroom again – and maybe the tutorials!!
I use Elements 4 for Mac
Canon 400D cameranfl-fan wrote:
Crikey Martin.. for a beginner it’s very good and that’s all I really am.. but for someone with your experience I thought you’d know a lot of this stuff.
Don’t blame me… I’ve only ever recommended it to beginners!!!
No worries, im no expert on PS. Had a look at the book before i bought it. Some of it i know already bet there are a few areas in it that i know nothing about. Haven’t bought a book in years
For someone just starting off it does look like an excellent book, wish i had it at the start…
M
Canons RAW software is very basic, I use CS3 to edit my files so I can’t help ya much :(
Just read here that you should convert to TIFF, only JPEG for resizes etc. I usually use just JPEG am I losing quality? :?eshortie wrote:
Canons RAW software is very basic…
Only if you don’t know how to use it to it’s full potential :wink: I use it all the time and it gives me better results than anything I’ve used from Adobe.
How do ya mean Thorsten? :?
I find it handy for removing noise sometimes and for sorting the RAW images I’ll use (windows doesn’t give a preview for me).
My one is DPP, same as yours??eshortie wrote:
How do ya mean Thorsten? :?
I find it handy for removing noise sometimes and for sorting the RAW images I’ll use (windows doesn’t give a preview for me).
My one is DPP, same as yours??I think it’s the same! I’m using Digital Photo Professional, Version 3.2.0.4 as downloaded from Canon’s site. It’s really worth watching the DPP Tutorial videos available at the Canon Digital Learning Centre site.
I used to use Phase One’s Capture One as my RAW converter of choice because DPP wasn’t that great, but in recent years, DPP has come on a lot and I’ve now abandoned C1. I tried Adobe Camera Raw, but could never get the same quality of image from it that I can with DPP and from my searching on the WWW, it seems I’m not alone in that respect. I haven’t tried Lightroom, although I have the trial version, but I can’t see the point, if it’s based on the same conversion engine as Camera Raw. Canon may not exactly make very fancy looking software, but I believe that they understand their own raw format better than anyone else, so they have a significant advantage when it comes to getting the most out of their raw files.
Here are two examples of the discussions to be found on the WWW re. DPP:
– From the Adobe forums – Lightroom and Canon RAW Files. THIS NEEDS TO GET RESOLVED!!!
– Something on a personal blog by a photographer with an ARPS distinction with a comparison of the same image, processed through Lightroom and DPP.I think for a product that is totally free, and really easy to use, DPP produces great results and is hard to beat. In terms of flexibility, I’ve recently started playing around with Canon’s Picture Style Editor and once I get to grips with it, I’m going to produce my own picture styles which I would expect to enhance the output from DPP even further!
There is a consideration as to how many shts you need to process. If it’s the odd few, then the manufacturers software will do you. If you have a lot, it’s worth investing in setting up the adobe products. Many people get put off by the “Flatness” of the basic raw conversion from Adobe. (I’d call it neutral rather than flat). You can adjust it into the realms of absurdity if you want to and know what all the sliders do. Absolute final quality may be slightly different to the manufacturers software but will it be noticeable to the man in the street. I have Nikon software anf Adobe for my raw conversions and use Adobe, even though you can eek out a little more detail from the Nikon software. After calibrating the adobe software, the colours are “Accurate”, that doesn’t mean pleasing, just accurate :)
Si
eshortie wrote:
Canons RAW software is very basic, I use CS3 to edit my files so I can’t help ya much :(
Just read here that you should convert to TIFF, only JPEG for resizes etc. I usually use just JPEG am I losing quality? :?i second this statement, canon professional raw software is crap i use Photoshop CS3 extended and i think its the biz for converting,
you can even correct chromatic abberations ! class
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