New to RAW format

GraphyFotoz

Can you guys explain RAW to me? :scratch

How much bigger than JPG is it?
Can it be PP and converted to JPG without "killing" it?

I understand it bypasses your camera's compensations?

I noticed with my 828 it's painfully slow recording to Sandisk Ultra II card!!

Sorry guys I basically need just a primer to understand what it's all about.
I guess my knowledge of RAW IS a bit raw! :rofl

Andy

start here

the search engine is your friend. found this one, by using the word "tutorial" we have loads of tutes here on dgrin, please, look at them and use 'em

Andy

How much bigger than JPG is it?
huge


Can it be PP and converted to JPG without "killing" it?
yes

I understand it bypasses your camera's compensations?
yes

I noticed with my 828 it's painfully slow recording to Sandisk Ultra II card!!
yes

GraphyFotoz

Funny you should mention that!

andy wrote:

start here

the search engine is your friend. found this one, by using the word "tutorial" we have loads of tutes here on dgrin, please, look at them and use 'em

Thanx Andy.
I did a search for RAW and came up with nothing. Never thought of tutorial!

I'm gonna go grab another cup of coffee!

Andy

searching
dgrin site search tool is ok - but you need to be diligent

also, try google!

RAW site:dgrin.com input into google leads you to the tute i linked you, and it's the first hit

colourbox

Here's a quickie explanation of RAW. You're right, it does bypass your camera. RAW is like undeveloped film. You have far more control over it than you do over developed film, because you get to move one stage back in the process. That's good, because you can more easily fix problems without degrading the image. But it's also bad if you're inexperienced, because if you haven't mastered RAW controls, you can very easily produce worse results than your camera can. So until you get good at RAW, it may seem like a huge waste of time and disk space. But it's worth it to get good at it. A lot of people who switch from JPEG to RAW never go back. If you get serious about it, read this book:
Real World Camera Raw CS2

Mike Lane

andy wrote:

RAW site:dgrin.com input into google leads you to the tute i linked you, and it's the first hit

It's the law of the unintended smiley I think. Try RAW site:www.dgrin.com as a search in google.

AndreC

Newby here. My first post.

I'm also new to RAW and I'm trying to find the advantages. But mostly, what do I use to post process the image. There seems to be so many different software available and at different prices. Some very expensive. I guess you get what you paid for. I have Photoshop CS not CS2. Is that sufficent? I noticed when I open a RAW file with it, there's a window with a few controls for the RAW file but is that it or do I just use the regular PS controls like levels, saturation, etc? I don't get the window that is shown in the tutorial.

thanks.

Andre

Sam

AndreC wrote:

Newby here. My first post.

I'm also new to RAW and I'm trying to find the advantages. But mostly, what do I use to post process the image. There seems to be so many different software available and at different prices. Some very expensive. I guess you get what you paid for. I have Photoshop CS not CS2. Is that sufficent? I noticed when I open a RAW file with it, there's a window with a few controls for the RAW file but is that it or do I just use the regular PS controls like levels, saturation, etc? I don't get the window that is shown in the tutorial.

thanks.

Andre

Rather than me writting a vauge inarticulate paragraph, about RAW, I recomend (as colorbox did) you buy "Real World Camer RAW CS2".

It's a great explanation, and very easy to follow.

Oh, and YES!!! it is worth the effort to learn RAW.

Sam

colourbox

AndreC wrote:

have Photoshop CS not CS2. Is that sufficent? I noticed when I open a RAW file with it, there's a window with a few controls for the RAW file but is that it or do I just use the regular PS controls like levels, saturation, etc? I don't get the window that is shown in the tutorial.

Yes, Photoshop CS is fine if your camera is already supported by it.

This article might help you because it is CS-based. Basically, do try and get the settings right in the raw converter before you make adjustments in Photoshop. This is where you have the opportunity to provide Photoshop with a better original. The raw converter is the earliest step in the workflow. You are deciding the quality of the information to provide to Photoshop. In an ideal case, if you were to get the controls right in the raw converter, you would not have to adjust it further in Photoshop, but in practice, some Photoshop tweaking is still necessary. The point is that if you do well in the Raw converter, you can apply a lesser amount of destructive editing in Photoshop than you would have if you started from a JPEG original processed using the camera's decisions.

Andy

AndreC wrote:

Newby here. My first post.

I'm also new to RAW and I'm trying to find the advantages. But mostly, what do I use to post process the image. There seems to be so many different software available and at different prices. Some very expensive. I guess you get what you paid for. I have Photoshop CS not CS2. Is that sufficent? I noticed when I open a RAW file with it, there's a window with a few controls for the RAW file but is that it or do I just use the regular PS controls like levels, saturation, etc? I don't get the window that is shown in the tutorial.

thanks.

Andre

andre, you can use adobe camera raw that comes with your version of photoshop cs. no add'l software required. follow the tutorial i linked above, it's a good beginning...