Help with RAW

Javan Rhino

Javan Rhino

Well-Known Member
15+ year member
Just got a new memory card, and thus I can start to freely experiment with starting to use RAW for animal photography (which I hope to do tomorrow).

However, I've taken a couple of simple pics around the house in RAW and have found I don't know how to use it to save my life :rolleyes:. Every website I've looked on just explains what it is, and gives a highly technical explanation that may as well be written in outer Mongolian. I know what they are, but don't know how to work them to the best quality.

When I plug my camera in and click 'open folder to view all files,' I copy and paste the files and can view them straight away, just as if they were JPEGs. I thought I had to do loads of work to make them appear on my computer? Also, I have read about altering things like white balance/exposure to fix any little problems. How do you do this, because when I open it up in Picasa it just gives the same options that it does for a JPEG?

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance :)
 
You must use a program for to "open/develop" the RAW format; and transform in jpeg, joint with your camera probably you got a specific one. Install it in your PC and try.
 
Depending on your camera type, you should have got a software disc with it which will allow you to download the raw images from your camera to your computer (I connect mine via USB and download rather than taking the card out and reading it) then you can adjust the images as desired either using the provided package or even photoshop and elements will allow you to work with RAW too.
If you have a canon I can be more specific as that's what I have - message me and we'll chat?
:cool:
 
Canon (which is what Javan Rhino has) always supply a disc with all sorts of software tools. The program you're looking for is called Digital Photo Professional. Karoocheetah is right in saying that's a good place to start, one reason being that the software is free, although don't forget to download the latest patch from the Canon website: Canon Europe - Digital Photo Professional (DPP)

Sometimes your camera will shoot RAW+JPEG or even RAW with an embedded JPEG, in which case the files can be quickly viewed by lots of different programs.

What would you normally use to organise and manipulate your photos? Elements, Lightroom, PhotoShop, iPhoto? We could give you specific pointers.

Don't get carried away with the idea that RAW is difficult to work with. Ten years ago, maybe, but not today. In Lightroom for example, working with a RAW file is just as easy as it is with a JPEG.
 
The RAW file is simply the camera's record of the light that reaches the sensor during the exposure. If you wish, the camera can change it into a jpeg file, then it will throw away the unused information, and leave you with a small file, which you can't change very much further.
However if you keep the RAW file, you can keep control of the processing of the image, adjusting the tones of the highlights and shadows to reveal details that would be lost in the jpeg, adjusting the colour balance and controlling the sharpening of the image. But you do need the software that can do these tricks. I use Nikon Capture NX2 and the latest version of Photoshop, (but I'm sad case, a victim of photography expenditure syndrome, although as a teacher I qualified for a nice discount on Photoshop). Other software is available and some of it is free.
A reasonably simple explanation with illustrations is at Tutorials - The RAW File Format
Hope this helps

Alan
 
Thanks for the info. One major problem is that I got the camera second hand, hence no additional software or anything (just the usb cables). Is there anything I can download or anything?

Regards :)
 
Javan Rhino said:
Thanks for the info. One major problem is that I got the camera second hand, hence no additional software or anything (just the usb cables). Is there anything I can download or anything?

Regards :)
Click to expand...

Try the manufacturer's website, they normally have the latest versions of software and firmware there for download - but check that you find the right version(s) for your camera.
Alternatively (or additionally) there are other raw converters out there, I think there are links from the page I recommended or you can put Google on the case.
Happy hunting!

Alan
 
gentle lemur said:
Try the manufacturer's website, they normally have the latest versions of software and firmware there for download - but check that you find the right version(s) for your camera.
Alternatively (or additionally) there are other raw converters out there, I think there are links from the page I recommended or you can put Google on the case.
Happy hunting!

Alan
Click to expand...

Managed to get hold of a copy, and after about an hour at Chester I decided to make the switch. No going back! (apart from trivial things that aren't worth the space). I got home and tried a couple on the computer, played around and here is one result (original [JPEG copy] and after tweaking RAW).
 
I am impressed with the freedom it actually gives, and from now on I'll shoot in RAW (apart from if I'm taking pics of enclosures/signs etc for gallery). But any animals shall now be RAW.

Thanks for all the advice everybody has given. Photography as I knew it dissolved around me and a sign appeared that said 'Level Two' :D
 
Hi everyone, just stumbled across this old thread and wondered if anybody could help me. I now have a Nikon D5000 and was thinking of starting to shoot in RAW format. Is it just simply a case of changing the setting on the camera?

I have a copy of lightroom 3.3 which i am having a play around with also trying to work out just how to use it.

Any help on either would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
 
Nikon calls its RAW files NEF format - look that up in your instruction book (download the pdf version from the Nikon website if you don't have one).
I can't help with Lightroom as I've never used it.

Alan
 
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