Shooting in RAW

[iolair]

What is the difference? Is it better to shoot in RAW?

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but shooting in raw let's you edit millions of colors instead of 256

Almost. JPEG lets you edit 256 levels of each colour, making 16 million colours in all. That's as many as your eye/brain can distinguish.

Most RAW formats let you edit 4096 levels of each colour. What's the point, when your eye can't distinguish the difference? Well, if you over- or underexposed, those extra levels are there to give you a better chance of getting out a good image to view/print at the end of the process.

 

[mommy22]

Aaaaah got it. Thanks, and I may never go back to jpeg again lol...

 

[Bitter Jeweler]

Hehehe...:mrgreen:

:thumbup:

 

[Darkhunter139]

Thanks, I downloaded it and shot a few pics in RAW. I can see thre advantange already but can see where it might get a bit time consuming editing ALL the pics. Also, windows doesn't recogize the file format in it's photo gallery. Any ideas on that? Also, is there a way to PP a bunch of pics at the same time? I will sometimes have 3o images of the same shot and will usually go through them and weed out the good ones...

What version of windows are you running? For any 32bit version of Windows, the Nikon Codec that I linked to earlier should allow Windows Photo Gallery to open and display .NEF files.

Does it work on 64 bit, I don't understand why there would not be a 64 bit version. No big deal as I have lightroom but it would be nice to be able to view the photos outside of that.

 

[mommy22]

Okay, next question-once edited in RAW and dumped into PSE do I then need to convert them into a JPEG in order to email them to people etc? Is there a way to convert all of them into JPEG's at the same time or do I have to do one at a time?

 

[jeremycnwy]

Does it work on 64 bit, I don't understand why there would not be a 64 bit version. No big deal as I have lightroom but it would be nice to be able to view the photos outside of that.

apparently it does not. i three different programs that is supposed to be able to open and edit .nef files and all three give the same error message of invalid file type.

 

[Overread]

Once you open the images into photoshop elements you will have to save them as JPEGs (or another file format) yes. Since when you do the RAW editing you don't actually edit the RAW image file. Instead the computer stores the chances you make to the file in a separate file (which you should see appear in the same place as the RAWs are stored) and then each time you open the RAW the chances saved in that file will be applied to the content.
That way RAW files are never edited and thus are not only a great way to work with because of the additional editing advantages, but also because they rest as an untouched archive of each photo - great for going back to if you need to.

As for saving the images I tend to work by first saving the edited photoshop version as a PDS - a photoshop save format. I do this because it saves all of the layer data that I have done to an edited photo and thus is a good way to come back to if I want to just touch up or adjust a few edited settings without having to go back to the original RAW and work from the beginning again.
After saving a PSD I will then go on to save JPEG versions in the sizes that I need (for example most of my work is uploated to the net so one size I will change to is 1000 pixels on the longest side). Sadly I don't think Photoshop elements supports batch work in such a manner that you can easily work with a series of shots - I might be wrong on this - but I have always worked shot by shot. Takes a bit of time sadly

 

[Pugs]

Does it work on 64 bit, I don't understand why there would not be a 64 bit version. No big deal as I have lightroom but it would be nice to be able to view the photos outside of that.

There's no 64bit version because Nikon believes that the 64bit OS's are just a passing fad and won't catch on. :lmao:

Seriously, this is perhaps my biggest complaint with Nikon right now! How do they NOT have a 64bit codec available?!

For $20, this might be a good option: File extension NEF support - x64 CODEC for Windows Vista - Windows Imaging Component CODEC for Nikon RAW files

 

[spudgunr]

I'm not sure what I did then, I've been using 64 bit windows for a year or two and haven't paid $20 for NEF support. I really DON'T know what I did or I would tell you! I know I use IRFanview and it has raw support, but I've opened my NEF's in photoshop elements 7 too. I'm not sure if the IRFanview addons that supported raw are what allowed PSE7 to work too or not.

 

[Pugs]

I'm not sure what I did then, I've been using 64 bit windows for a year or two and haven't paid $20 for NEF support. I really DON'T know what I did or I would tell you! I know I use IRFanview and it has raw support, but I've opened my NEF's in photoshop elements 7 too. I'm not sure if the IRFanview addons that supported raw are what allowed PSE7 to work too or not.

You're fine with those programs. With PSE, it's likely that one of the Adobe Updates was the Camera RAW update that supports your camera. The Nikon codec or third-party (like the one I linked to above) codec allows Windows to interpret the NEF file properly so that thumbnails will display and the pic can be viewed in the Windows Photo Gallery software, etc...

 

[Inst!nct]

Always shoot in RAW, and i say get um lightroom, then it opens up all jpegs and raws without having to convert, and you can export the photos you like, its NBD that way ; )

 

[Darkhunter139]

Does it work on 64 bit, I don't understand why there would not be a 64 bit version. No big deal as I have lightroom but it would be nice to be able to view the photos outside of that.

There's no 64bit version because Nikon believes that the 64bit OS's are just a passing fad and won't catch on. :lmao:

Seriously, this is perhaps my biggest complaint with Nikon right now! How do they NOT have a 64bit codec available?!

For $20, this might be a good option: File extension NEF support - x64 CODEC for Windows Vista - Windows Imaging Component CODEC for Nikon RAW files

That's ridiculous Microsoft is pushing the 64 bit version of Windows 7 this time around. Its 32 bit OS's that are going to be phased out lol. I don't care anyways ill stick to lightroom.