Oh RAW, how I loathe thee.

[cailinp]

So I have a problem. When I get into something I get a little crazy with it. My latest craze is figuring out this RAW thing. I do a lot of edits and have recently been getting asked to take photos for people. I am aware that RAW will give you a more "raw" =) photo to work with and therefore produce a better end result after pp. I will admit that I am quite happy shooting in a fine JPEG. I have been happy with the results and so have others. Maybe I should not worry about RAW if I am happy with my JPEG. Problem is I keep wondering if I will get an incredibly, noticeably better photo with RAW. Here is the problem, I have a D5000 and a Sony Vaio and am using Lightroom but I CANNOT get any of my RAW photos to open in up in anything but ViewNX. I am so confused and frustrated. I did download codec but it hasn't done a thing. Any advice? Penny for your thoughts.....

 

[inov8ter]

http://www.adobe.com/cfusion/search...el=Channel:n/a&siteSection=products:photoshop

 

[KmH]

Open Lightroom.

Click on "HELP" at the top of the page.

Scroll down and click on "CHECK FOR UPDATES".

 

[fokker]

Well, I can't answer you specific question but once you get used to working with RAW, lightroom does a great job of managing your RAW files as well as allowing you to do non-destructive edits (you can return to the original photo at any time).

 

[cailinp]

Okay so I did the dng converter and now I can at least open a photo in Lightroom to edit but I can't export it anywhere and view it. I'm so confused. Is Raw even worth all this trouble. This has been days and I have gotten nowhere.

 

[Hardrock]

I totally understand your frustration! If you have bridge you can open the entire file in bridege to view all of the raws 1 at a time or change the view to large pictures (which it still isn't very big). It is a lot easier with Jpeg images to view and you can sort through them faster to delete the crap ones. Im also trying to get used to this Raw thing but all my edits seem to be better with the Jpegs. So far the only benifit has been the larger file size so I can print larger. But Im going to stick with it until I figure it out. Sorry I wasnt much help!

 

[Darkhunter139]

Okay so I did the dng converter and now I can at least open a photo in Lightroom to edit but I can't export it anywhere and view it. I'm so confused. Is Raw even worth all this trouble. This has been days and I have gotten nowhere.

Right click the image then click export and just export it as a jpeg.

 

[Dallmeyer]

See how well your Viao's monitor can be calibrated:
LCD monitor test images

For editing my pictures (always shot in RAW) I use Faststone Image Viewer:
Download FastStone Image Viewer

As the name suggests it is very fast to load hundreds of RAW image previews and the editing controls are straightforward and logical. Croppping, resizing and batch operations also are possible. A well thought-out piece of software that is free to use. I recommend it.

 

[DerekSalem]

Photoshop still doesn't load my CR2s (from the 550D/T2i). I'm waiting for the update for it because the newest RAW data file from Adobe still won't open the files

 

[DerekSalem]

I stand corrected! They finally put out the new RAW profile (5.4 or 5.7 I think it is). Just checked last week and it wasn't up but checked after posting (doh!) and there it was. Raw files load perfectly now!

 

[Dallmeyer]

Is Raw even worth all this trouble.

Yes it absolutely is. Just a question of finding the right tool for the job.

 

[Felix 222]

Okay so I did the dng converter and now I can at least open a photo in Lightroom to edit but I can't export it anywhere and view it. I'm so confused. Is Raw even worth all this trouble. This has been days and I have gotten nowhere.

if you take advantage of raw editing, you will love it! raw editing allows you to edit colors to a far greater extent. spend some time going through the tools; you're bound to come across tools that suit you. :thumbup:

 

[cailinp]

Darkhunter-- I exported as a jpeg and what do you know....it worked. I guess I thought that if I edited a file as dng/raw and then exported as a jpeg it would lose some of it's quality. I think I was wrong.

So, as for now I can only get files into Lightroom to edit if I convert to a DNG, I am understanding that this is virtually the same as RAW. Anyone have any thoughts on this?

 

[aldenthomas]

1. encore//numb ; jayz - linkin park
2. one more night; cascada
3. merry friken xmas; relient k
4. i like money; millionaires
5. youre gonna go far kid; offspring
6. down with the sickness; disturbed
7. one step closer; linkin park
8. dont trust me ; 3OH!3
9. ready set go; tokio hotel
10. hot n cold ; katy perry

ahah i hope i got number 3 rightt

i meann i think thats what it is

 

[Sw1tchFX]

Why convert to DNG?


You're adding unnecessary steps. RAW isn't hard, it's incredibly easy.


Open Lightroom (i'm assuming you're at least using a newer version)

In the library tab, click import in the bottom left

find the folder on your computer with the NEF's in it, NOT the DNG's

click import

all your images load up in lightroom.

Go to the Develop tab

edit the images in lightroom as needed

than select the ones you want to keep,

go to file, export

export wherever, named whatever, as whatever.

done!

I don't see what all the confusion is about, lightroom is some of the most intuitive raw software ever.