RAW??????

[Jediboy]

Hi,

I have been shooting JPEG ever since I went to digital.On several occasions I have considered moving over to RAW but have always stuck with JPEG because of ease of photoshopping. I've also heard some say that todays JPEGS are really good so you don't need to shoot RAW.
Either way, I have decided to have a go. I understand that I need Adobe Camera RAW, or is there any other software. I am using PSE 9 at present.

Any help or advice on processing RAWs much appreciated.

Thanks

Chris

[Hinfrance]

If you have PSE 9 then you already have a version of Camera RAW. It might not recognise you camera's RAW files if the camera was released after PSE 9. If your camera allows you to shoot RAW in Adobe's DNG format this won't be an issue (Pentax DSLRs have this option, not sure about the other manufacturers). Failing that then there is RAW Therapee, which I think is free (GNU Licence the last time I looked) which should understand your camera unless it is really recent.

RAW files are just exactly what the sensor captures, whereas jpgs are processed in camera for sharpness, colour balance, noise reduction in some cases - things like that. The RAW interface in the editor allows you reinterpret the image using the higher colour depth information in the RAW file. A jpg has a colour depth of 8 bits - that's 16.7 million shades (approx). A 14 bit RAW image can have 4.4 trillion shades, for example.

Just had dinner time called - back later . .

[Hinfrance]

The main advantages that using RAW gives are access to the full amount of information in the image file. Because there are so many more shades available in a RAW file it can be more resilient to harder editing, and will definitely give you smoother gradients. You will also find that you have more shadow detail to play with and highlights that appear blown or thin may be recoverable.

There are lots of tutorials out there in Youtube land and on the Adobe site to help you along. Like most things in photography the joy is is mucking about with it and seeing what you get.

Don't forget though that as you said to begin with, current jpgs are generally very good and more than often more than good enough. Personally, I always shoot in RAW or RAW+jpg. In the latter case you get to choose. 

[donoreo]

I was going to make a very long post, then I got lazy and used some Google-Fu. 

http://www.slrlounge.com/school/raw-vs-jpeg-jpg-the-ultimate-visual-guide

That is a good and not too geeky comparison of Raw vs Jpeg. 

Here is another:

http://digital-photography-school.com/raw-vs-jpeg

I shoot Raw and I do not find it much more work to process.   

Completely different from shooting in the raw

[Jediboy]

Cheers guys. I'll try a RAW on my PSE9 and see how it goes. Thanks for the links too Don, very helpful.
Appreciate the help and I'll come back in a few days and let you know how I get on.

[DigiDiva]

I converted to raw a year ago. Never looked back. I had to download a DNG conversion programme to convert on my ancient MAC but it works great.

[Jediboy]

Do you find it easy Chris, or do you spend more time editing now?
Cheers.

[DigiDiva]

Its easier for me, and means you can always revert back to your raw image so long as you keep it, as once changes saved to a jpeg, the original image is lost for ever (if that makes sense).

[kerbside]

Tried RAW and did not get on with it but think it is a "Marmite" thing.
Shot JPEG as a standard now but I always keep the original Chris so that is never lost and then do a back up which I will manipulate.
Horses for courses and I think it is always what you are comfortable with, think there are pros and cons off both.

[Reinardina]

I have always used jpegs, as my previous Sony bridge did not 'do' RAW. I have been happy with the results, but my 'personal tutor' has been nagging me to convert to RAW, ever since I bought a four thirds Panasonic, that can do RAW.
I recently shot my first RAW/jpegs. Got quite confused when I accidently edited a RAW file in E11 and it only showed up in my Editor, and left a 'blank space' in my catalogue. Haven't touched the RAW files since; am now waiting to be taken through the whole editing process. Finding a window for this, is a bit of a problem, as life is a bit hectic at the moment.

If we get on, I may change to RAW altogether, if not, I'll risk a set to with Mr. Tutor, and stick to jpegs.

I remember reading an interview once, I think in DGM, with a preofessional photographer, who always shot in jpeg, and managed to make a living, so it can't be that bad.

Like Jeff, I always keep my original shot, as E11, and most other editing programmes I would think,  save the original when you save the edited version as 'save as.'

The idea of saving original RAW files worries me a bit, as they are so huge. I hope I will have the discipline to delete them, when I am happy with the end result. Or results, as I have a habit of making several 'versions' mof shots I like.

[ABERS]

A look at this may help

http://digital-photography-school.com/raw-vs-jpeg

I was a little flabergasted to read that some 'professional'  photographers can't handle RAW.

When I returned to the strange new world of digital photography I was advised to only shoot in RAW, since I might want to do other things with my images but with JPEG each time you do any manipulation of the image you lose some information.

As I've blundered on experimenting with L/room and CS I realise I can go back to the RAW image and apply what I've learned starting from scratch each time retaining the original image.

[SimonW]

Jediboy, As Hinfrance says, if your camera is newer than your Elements 9 and does not have the ability to produce Raw files in DNG format (like my Pentax can), then you need to first convert your Raw files to DNG. Adobe supplies a free converter for this purpose (Adobe DNG Converter) for Windows here:

http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/detail.jsp?ftpID=5694     (There is of course a Mac version somewhere in the same download area.)

I had to use this for my newer compact Canon's CR2 raw files. I upload them to the PC, open the DNG converter software, open all the files at once in it, and watch it produce DNG format copies. It takes only seconds, and then double-clicking a DNG file will open it in Elements, with the camera raw window on top.

Simon

[Jediboy]

Thanks for all the comments. Some good pointers here.
I have a Nikon D300 thats older than my PSE9 so should be OK there.

I need some time, hopefully this weekend to have a 'play' and see how it goes.

Appreciate the help. 

[SimonW]

Set your camera to save raw files, take a few shots and copy the files to your hard disk. Double-clicking one* should open Elements with the image in the raw window. Adjust each slider in turn from the top (brightness, contrast etc) and if you wish, use the crop, red eye etc tools. If you click "Done" it'll close the raw editor and remember the settings for that file for later (in a "sidecar" file). If instead you click "Open" it'll close the raw editor window and display your image in the usual Elements way, ready for saving as a jpg or whatever. If you do the raw adjustments nicely you might never need to use the Elements editor. Have Fun.

(*You can try selecting several at once when you're more practiced. Camera Raw can be set to apply the same adjustments to several files at once.)

Simon

[donoreo]

Shooting in Raw was what led me to Lightroom.  I wanted to have more control and the version of ACR in Elements did not have as much as in CS.  However Lightroom did and was much less (even more so now!) so I bought it.  Now I hardly leave LR for most editing.