Adobe Camera Raw 3
patch29
Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 2,928 Major grins
I finally have my first large batch of raw images to process. I decided to use Bridge and ACR 3 to tackle the job. So far I am very impressed. The controls are easy to use and processing times are far below Capture One, about 10 vs 100 seconds per 1DmkII raw file, on my Powerbook 1ghtz. I would think a G5 DP 2.7 would barely blink at the processing times. Two months ago I was certain I would have to buy a G5 DP soon, I could still use one, but I think I will continue to make due until Apple can make a Powerbook breakthrough, either with a G5 or dual processor G4 (or dual core :dunno). A powerbook with an external monitor works best for me.
I won't say that ACR 3 is perfect, there are a lot of corrections that could be implemented. I am fighting the auto feature in a few areas, either images with a lot of black or white, the auto exposure is going too far, but it is not difficult to correct, but I would like ACR to recognize blacks and whites, not sure how to do that, but that is why they write the software.
I do like working with Bridge, in filmstrip view I quickly edited my files and not correct smaller batches within ACR. I have been working with 40-50 at a time out of 550 total images. This is one area Caputre One was always slow for me. I would have to navigate all the thumbnails and it was just slow. If I wanted to work in smaller groups I would have to create multiple sessions/folders which was just slow. In ACR I select a group and open in ACR, it works quickly and I am happy with the upgrade. I can only hope ACR 4 will be even better. :thumb
I won't say that ACR 3 is perfect, there are a lot of corrections that could be implemented. I am fighting the auto feature in a few areas, either images with a lot of black or white, the auto exposure is going too far, but it is not difficult to correct, but I would like ACR to recognize blacks and whites, not sure how to do that, but that is why they write the software.
I do like working with Bridge, in filmstrip view I quickly edited my files and not correct smaller batches within ACR. I have been working with 40-50 at a time out of 550 total images. This is one area Caputre One was always slow for me. I would have to navigate all the thumbnails and it was just slow. If I wanted to work in smaller groups I would have to create multiple sessions/folders which was just slow. In ACR I select a group and open in ACR, it works quickly and I am happy with the upgrade. I can only hope ACR 4 will be even better. :thumb
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Catapultam habeo. Nisi pecuniam omnem mihi dabis, ad caput tuum saxum immane mittam
http://www.mcneel.com/users/jb/foghorn/ill_shut_up.au
No, I echo the first comment. When I started working with Camera Raw in Photoshop CS, I got the progressively sinking feeling I would have to set aside some money for a powerful desktop like a G5.
Using Photoshop CS2/Camera Raw/Bridge, I'm much happier now because I feel like this PowerBook G4 laptop can handle it and I am no longer feeling in need of a new desktop. I still want one, but I now think I can put it off indefinitely.
CS2 seems to be faster handling high-bit files, too.
Note that there is now a Bridge 1.01 update with some fixes and enhancements including performance. You can update it from the Adobe Updater inside Bridge.
It does not seem slower to me, but I also upgraded my OS to Tiger which feels a little snappier, two upgrades I am actually glad I purchased and see a performance difference.
I would always like to have it faster, but the price vs speed increase is not enough for me to jump at the moment, bottom line is I would rather not borrow the money at this time. I want what does not currently exist. If a smokin' G5 powerbook is announced I will buy one.
Glad I am not the only one thinking the same thing.
I did also update Bridge, not sure if it helped a lot or not?
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Do you know about turning off Auto/customizing the camera default?
(The following is from the Camera RAW FAQ at adobeforums.com)
Q: How do I turn off Auto Adjustments in Camera Raw 3.x?
A: Open Camera Raw. On the Mac press Cmd+U or on the PC Ctrl+U. This keystroke combination toggles Auto Adjustments On and Off. Alternatively, disable the Auto Adjustments setting from the fly-out menu adjacent to the Setting drop-down menu. If you want the default to be Off for Auto Adjustments simply choose "Save New Camera Raw Default" from the fly-out menu adjacent to the "Settings" drop-down menu then choose Done.
With CS2 and Bridge, I don't think I'll be using it anymore. I'm very impressed. Fast, easy, great.
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Catapultam habeo. Nisi pecuniam omnem mihi dabis, ad caput tuum saxum immane mittam
http://www.mcneel.com/users/jb/foghorn/ill_shut_up.au
TML Photography
tmlphoto.com
I would, and I'm a major disliker of pre-CS2 ACR. I hated it, and much preferred C1. Now I love CS2 ACR, which, by the way, you can access through Adobe Bridge, which allows you to work in PS while you're processing files. It's very fast, convenient, easy.
Dgrin FAQ | Me | Workshops
I haven't used C1 but my workflow with CS2 now is to select groups of similar images in Bridge and correct them together all at once, then attack any that need individual attention. In Bridge there is more than one way to apply one image's settings to any other images (copy/paste settings in Bridge, or synchronize them in Camera Raw, or save settings and apply to selected images...), just select and go. You can even transfer subsets of settings to other images, for instance, apply everything, or just white balance, or just sharpness without touching other settings. You can select multiple or all images in a folder in Bridge and run them through any of your Photoshop actions right from there.
TML Photography
tmlphoto.com
The batch renaming tool works well too. One problem I had in the past was renaming edited raw files in C1, I could rename the files as they process out, but not the originals or there C1 data/thumbnail files. ACR 3 will allow me to rename the raw files and xmp data, allowing me to edit the images and deliver a sequential set of numbered images to my clients. I first add the appropriate number of digits to the front of the raw file, process the jpgs or tifs, then rename those down to just the sequential digits, removing the original filename. It used to take jumping through a few hoops to make that happen. Now it is much easier.
Things I miss from C1.
I miss the symbol that shows if the images is in the cue to be or has been processed. ACR shows if it has been edited, but going along one at a time it is easy to not process one or two. I missed one out of 540 yesterday. I suppose I could correct them, then select all and process, but I would have to wait for them to process, where if they are done one by one I don't get too far ahead, a quick break to check in on the internet and it has caught me.
Preferences I wish I could set.
I wish I could set it to save to folder without holding option key once I have assigned it a filetype and destination folder.
My final test will be to run a set of images through both ACR and Capture One, then send them to be printed and see if I can tell a difference. I hope ACR can beat Capture One, if not final images to be printed larger I will go back and reprocess through Capture One. Hopefully I will be able to test this soon.