Having trouble with RAW... help me out please!

axom · Jan 15, 2005

I just got my Digital Rebel yesterday and recently went outside to take some test shots. I have all my software installed and can successfully connect and download the images to Elements. I used the RAW format for my photos and when they show up on the computer they have the extension .CRW. I tried searching on here and also tried making sense of the WIA Support Readme file and still cant figure out how to change the properties of this so I can open them. Thanks for any help!

Ant · Jan 15, 2005

I'm not a Canon user but you should be able to open your raw files with the software supplied with the camera.

axom · Jan 15, 2005

I would believe that to be true also, but I cant figure it out. I did alittle more research and downloaded the program Breezepro and that allowed me to convert the RAW file and everything is fine but thats seperate of the programs I receieved with the camera and would have to pay for it. What do I use from my own programs to do this conversion?

Artemis · Jan 15, 2005

I think it was image ready or something, one sec, lemme check.

Go into the Cannon Viewer, or something along those lines, that will let you view them anywho.

I did see a Cannon RAW task or something, but it only allows you to uninstall....

andycarnall · Jan 15, 2005

Have a search through the forum at www.dpreview.com - there's a forum dedicated to dRebel issues.

I've got a 10D - Canon ZoomBrowser EX can show them, and the EOS viewer and File viewer utilities that come on the software CD can view RAW files.

If you go to the Canon US website and follow the links, there's a download area where you can download Digital Professional Pro, which is What I use to convert RAW to tiff or jpeg files.

Can't remember the link - if you're still struggling PM me and I'll try to find the exact link for you

Daniel · Jan 15, 2005

The camera comes with a software 'File Viewer Utility', which lets you convert the RAW files to JPEG or TIFF.

BLS · Jan 15, 2005

First download the files from the camera to your computer using the ZoomBrowser software that came with your Rebel.

Exit ZoomBrowser.

Open Fileviewer (also came with Rebel) and select the folder that ZoomBrowser put your files in. Then select a file you want to work on in PS Elements and click on the Transfer button in Fileviewer. The file will then be converted to a TIFF image, PS Elements will open, and your file will appear in Elements.

There's probably an easier way, but that's the only way I know. I have a new Rebel too, and I'm still trying to figure it out.

Digital Matt · Jan 15, 2005

You need to use the RAW editing software that came with the Rebel. It sucks though, so I highly recommend getting yourself a copy of C1 LE, which costs $99. If that's too much to spend, you can always download Canon's newest RAW software, Digital Photo Professional, which is indeed far better than the software bundled with the Rebel, but I feel is still far behind C1.

Just to clarify, you don't change the properties of the file. In C1 or DPP, you will edit the raw information in the file thorugh the software, allowing you to change the exposure, color balance, and sharpening. Then you can "export" a jpg, or tiff, to be edited further in other programs, or posted on the web or printed.

Here's a couple of links.

For Digital Photo Professional, go here, and then click the link for "Softare Applications and Updates" and follow through to get the update for Digital Photo Pro. You'll have to have the other software installed already for it to install.

Info on C1 LE, and a downloadable free trial version, can be found here.

BLS · Jan 16, 2005

Digital Matt -- I'm new to digital photography & I'm no computer whiz, so this might be a stupid question, but here goes.

Is there an advantage to editing the RAW file as opposed to editing a TIFF file in PS Elements? If so, what is it?

Rob A · Jan 16, 2005

if you get photoshop CS, can you upload RAW onto that? or do you still need all this other software?

Artemis · Jan 16, 2005

BLS said:
Digital Matt -- I'm new to digital photography & I'm no computer whiz, so this might be a stupid question, but here goes.

Is there an advantage to editing the RAW file as opposed to editing a TIFF file in PS Elements? If so, what is it?

If you noticed, Matt said you can edit exposer, white balance, e.g., thats the advantage, in TIFF you cant.

RAW is an unprocessed image, JPEG and TIFF are processed

Digital Matt · Jan 16, 2005

BLS said:
Digital Matt -- I'm new to digital photography & I'm no computer whiz, so this might be a stupid question, but here goes.

Is there an advantage to editing the RAW file as opposed to editing a TIFF file in PS Elements? If so, what is it?

As Artemis pointed out, there are advantages to RAW. You can edit exposure and color balance on a jpg or tiff in PS Elements, but not to the extent that you can in a raw file, and not without introducing noise and other artifacts to your image. RAW is the "digital negative", the complete unprocessed data from the camera. If you shoot in jpg mode, the camera is applying sharpening, contrast, and color saturation to your image. There are 2 or 3 parameters you can set this to. The camera will most likely do a good job. If you want to control all of this processing yourself, in the same way the camera does, you shoot raw, and you use software to manage it yourself, and get your image to look exactly how you want before you convert it to jpg, instead of making edits to a lossy, compressed jpg after you've shot it.

Make sense?

kfoster · Jan 16, 2005

axom,

I'm assuming that Canon is like Nikon and uses their own file format for RAW. Nikon uses .nef, so I would think that .crw is canons format. In order for me to use .nef files in PS elements I had to install elements first then Nikon's software. If done opposite then elements would not recognized the .nef files.

Maybe you should uninstall elements and all the other canon software. Then install elements first followed by the canon software.

Let us know.

K