Working with RAW images - the basics

[vintagesnaps]

I guess the difference is my camera being DNG and I've never used a Raw converter. So maybe some of my post isn't relevant.

 

[PJcam]

I'm not familiar with the Raw Therapee you're using, but I make a copy and edit that, not the original Raw image.

My camera is DNG so it produces the Raw image and an automatically generated JPEG from that. I save the original Raw image as a PSD in Photoshop to have a comparable hi res image to edit as needed.

If you start cropping your original then don't like it, obviously there's no putting back what got whacked off.

Probably some cropping is a good start to learning. You might try too making copies of an image, and go in and experiment with some settings. (I did that learning; played with sliders til images were neon green! lol so I saw what did what and how extreme it gets pretty quickly!)

Hi, I started by saving in my camera as Raw +Jpg, but there is no need, so now I just save the Raw file on the camera.

From there I move the files off the memory card to a set folder on the computer, I then right click the files in that folder and run, Instant Jpg from Raw, a Free program, every file is saved as Jpg in a sub folder automatically.

Then I open the Raw files in RawTherapee, a Free program, I am still learning the program but, if I alter a file and Save it, it saves it as another file leaving the original as it was. If I crop the original file it saves the crop as another file.

The reason I don't save the Raw +Jpg files on the camera memory card, is naturally it takes up less space, although the Raw file is the larger file, but I don't use it for Social Media, so I don't need Jpg files on the camera. It is so easy and so fast to use, Instant Jpg from Raw, when I move the files onto the computer.

Cropping and resizing is easy in Photoshop but I am wanting to try keep everything with the Raw format as much as possible due to the massive amount of data the Raw files hold.

Thank you for your comments.

 

[KmH]

Do you have Photoshop?

 

[PJcam]

Do you have Photoshop?

Hi Keith, I do, but it is an old version ~ Adobe Photoshop 7

Very basic I would think to the latest versions, I have had it a long time.

 

[vintagesnaps]

I have Photoshop Elements 7. Anyway, it sounds like you knew to save the original. I mentioned it because I've seen people post about editing and whatever they did, they did it to their original image, so it was long gone. Sometimes beginners haven't always seemed to know to not do that then couldn't go back and start over if needed.

 

[PJcam]

I have Photoshop Elements 7. Anyway, it sounds like you knew to save the original. I mentioned it because I've seen people post about editing and whatever they did, they did it to their original image, so it was long gone. Sometimes beginners haven't always seemed to know to not do that then couldn't go back and start over if needed.

No problem Sharon, thank you.

I am new to photography but not new to computers, but it was a good point to raise, thank you.

Software is another thing though, every package is different, some more so than others, it is just a case of finding out how things work. Raw Therapee is great software, it just works in a totally different way, as Joe said about toggling, until you know it maybe doesn't make sense, then some toggling doesn't show it has been toggled so that is to find out but that said, it is excellent software, and FREE.

 

[KmH]

Adobe Photoshop 7 was released in March of 2002, and was the last pro grade of Photoshop named that way.
The next version was called Photoshop CS (Creative Suite) but was Photoshop 8.
The latest version, called Photoshop CC 2018, is Photoshop 19.

I think you mean the consumer grade Photoshop Elements 7 that was released in 2008.
The most recent Elements version, released this last October, is the $99 Adobe Photoshop Elements 2018, which is Elements 16.

While Elements has a version of Adobe Camera Raw, it is a defeatured version because Elements is a consumer grade app.

Today, we can have the full pro grade Photoshop AND Lightroom on a monthly subscription (Adobe's Photography program) that is only $9.99 a month.

 

[PJcam]

Adobe Photoshop 7 was released in March of 2002, and was the last pro grade of Photoshop named that way.
The next version was called Photoshop CS (Creative Suite) but was Photoshop 8.
The latest version, called Photoshop CC 2018, is Photoshop 19.

I think you mean the consumer grade Photoshop Elements 7 that was released in 2008.
The most recent Elements version, released this last October, is the $99 Adobe Photoshop Elements 2018, which is Elements 16.

While Elements has a version of Adobe Camera Raw, it is a defeatured version because Elements is a consumer grade app.

Today, we can have the full pro grade Photoshop AND Lightroom on a monthly subscription (Adobe's Photography program) that is only $9.99 a month.

No the version I have is the old one, Adobe Photoshop 7. I only needed it for business, for creating images for the internet and for creating magazine advertisements. I only started with photography when my camera was delivered 29 December, so the old Photoshop was fine. I am sure in time I will be looking at the newer versions but not yet, her indoors is breathing down my neck in an unusual way, I think with the amount spent in the last 4 weeks. A Tamron 150-600mm lens is also on it's way to me as I write.

Thanks for the information about the newer Photoshop versions.

 

[KmH]

Well. Cool. Ps 7.0.1 was the first Ps to have Camera Raw.

 

[PJcam]

Well. Cool. Ps 7.0.1 was the first Ps to have Camera Raw.

Although I knew Raw was another file format, until I got my camera last month I didn't know what Raw format was, I only ever really using the most common file formats, psd, jpg, gif, tiff and png.

 

[OldCam]

I would recommend installing Darktable. It does a better job than RT in my opinion. I have tested them and while opening a file in RT i noticed it adds noise to a picture. Next to that i couldn't cope with the way it crops. And sometimes the sliders react in reverse. It wont give you a result of the area to crop. Although i am not affiliated in any way with these programs, i decided to use Darktable and the results are way better. After exporting the pictures i sometimes open them in Gimp to tune a little with unsharp mask (which is very well explained on the cambridgeincolor site). Darktable also has a lot of things that are like the things you see in Adobe products, like rightklick on a slider and set it in another way or scrolling the mouse-wheel over an arrow adjusts also the setting finer in steps. It takes a little learning just like RT, and eventually you'll notice the difference in a positive way, i hope.

 

[Ysarex]

I would recommend installing Darktable. It does a better job than RT in my opinion. I have tested them and while opening a file in RT i noticed it adds noise to a picture. Next to that i couldn't cope with the way it crops. And sometimes the sliders react in reverse. It wont give you a result of the area to crop. Although i am not affiliated in any way with these programs, i decided to use Darktable and the results are way better. After exporting the pictures i sometimes open them in Gimp to tune a little with unsharp mask (which is very well explained on the cambridgeincolor site). Darktable also has a lot of things that are like the things you see in Adobe products, like rightklick on a slider and set it in another way or scrolling the mouse-wheel over an arrow adjusts also the setting finer in steps. It takes a little learning just like RT, and eventually you'll notice the difference in a positive way, i hope.

I like DarkTable also, but your characterization of RT is incorrect and there are concerns with DarkTable. The OP may (likely) be using a Windows system. DarkTable only a few months ago became available for Windows systems and it's fair to say they're (he) is still attending to some rough edges getting it fully functional. Overall it is a more capable raw converter than RT, but it is also more complex.

RT does not add noise to a photo and the sliders do not sometimes react in reverse. And it's crop function works just fine. As for you're experience getting better results from DarkTable, I doubt that's because of real differences in the performance of the two programs.

Joe

 

[OldCam]

On Ubuntu it's doing that in my case, nevertheless thank you Joe for your answer. I'm glad people like you have their own opinion. I'm not using windows so i cannot say how the software behaves on it, i've read they started to fork to windows in alpha versions lately.

I tried to help according to my own findings, searches en tests which not make the characterization incorrect, maybe a bit one-(linux)-sided.

 

[Ysarex]

On Ubuntu it's doing that in my case, nevertheless thank you Joe for your answer. I'm glad people like you have their own opinion. I'm not using windows so i cannot say how the software behaves on it, i've read they started to fork to windows in alpha versions lately.

I tried to help according to my own findings, searches en tests which not make the characterization incorrect, maybe a bit one-(linux)-sided.

I use Linux as well. In fact I've maintained a Linux distribution for years for the primary purpose of having access to DarkTable. I keep RT up to date on that same Linux distro and it does not add noise nor do the sliders sometimes react in reverse and the crop function works fine.

DarkTable is good software. But the OP is completely new to raw file processing and decided to start out using RT. RT is an excellent choice and since the OP is new to this it's probably best to allow him to settle in and become comfortable with the software he started with before sending him off chasing after something else especially based on an inaccurate assessment of the software he selected.

Joe

 

[OldCam]

Ok Joe, i'll rest my case. You are right! I used it a while ago, now i installed it again and it is a lot better. As you see in this picture. So much better that i get to like it more than DT. Thank you!