Ok, I'm shooting Raw

[rob91]

When I import my pictures I have a .CR2 and .jpg for each image, but the lighting/exposure is different between the .jpg and .CR2. I'm guessing this is normal, the .jpg is just the regular file I would get if I was shooting un-raw and the .CR2 is an image that needs to be edited?

Are there any free programs that edit Raw? I may at some point get CS3 but don't want to spend the money atm.

 

[azruial]

Are there any free programs that edit Raw? I may at some point get CS3 but don't want to spend the money atm.

It came with your camera. Are you using a windows computer?

The jpeg was automatically processed by the camera's image processor for things like white balance sharpness, color and exposure, it just attempts to automate the process of editing the images. The RAW can be edited using software distributed with your camera or by several other programs. On a Mac (OS X) 'Aperture' is an awesome awesome program for RAW image editing (although a bit pricey!). I don't know about windows.

I use a program called RawTherapee http://www.rawtherapee.com/?page=download It's not the best but it is free, and available for Windows

 

[Garbz]

The fact is the processing is different. The RAW you see is not "unedited" in fact looking at linear raw data is nothing short of ugly. It simply has the RAW processor's custom contrast curves and colour profiles applied. The exposure itself is still the same, and can be made to look identical if you play with the curves a bit.