How do you make black and white look more contrasy, without...?

[KmH]

If you select RAW then the picture profiles have no effect -- they are meaningless. Select anyone you want since it won't matter in any way.

The picture profiles won't effect the Raw file, but they will effect the JPEG basic that is embedded in the Raw file so that JPEG can be displayed on the rear LCD as a photo, or as the JPEG's histogram.

 

[harmonica]

Okay thanks, I understand now. What about for video, since my camera does not shoot RAW video, and only H.264. It can only record 8bit, but if you shoot flat then add later, you loose data, and 8-bit goes to 6 bit, if shooting flat. What then?

Video is a whole 'nother ball game. Get the light right or go home.

Joe

Okay thanks. But even if I get the light right, I still have to color grade in post, or set the color settings in camera. Any thoughts on how to get video right, with no RAW?

 

[hamlet]

There is a bit of a failure of communication here. Raw files simply retain all of the information so you can later in your computer edit it to whatever you want.

Raw files don't 'retain all the information'.

Before they are converted in a Raw conversion application Raw files contain no color, or gamma curve information. That original information has to be interpolated because the image sensor in a digital camera can only record scene luminosity (no color) in a linear manner. Our eyes are non-linear which is why a Raw converter has to edit the Raw file so it looks like what humans see.

Consequently if you use different Raw converters to convert the same Raw file each Raw converter will produce a somewhat different conversion because each Raw converter uses somewhat different interpolation algorithms.

That's why Adobe makes sure that Photoshop Camera Raw and LR Develop module both use the same Raw conversion application Adobe Camera Raw -ACR. So we can be sure when we move image files between Photoshop and LR they are speaking the same Raw conversion language.

I knew i should have put a caveat in there.

 

[timor]

Photography is about light. Not post processing. If your sensor doesn't catch the proper light you can fake in photoshop something to certain point only. Just few days ago Amazon patented specific way to set up the light so post processing could be eliminated. If you have trouble with b&w digitals, I can teach you how to shoot a real b&w film in such a way, post processing will be unnecessary.