Shot in RAW... now what?

I luckily shot in RAW today when photographing a 3-year old. She was so fast and I didn't always remember to correctly adjust my exposure and shutter speed. Luckily I caught them all in RAW... now how do I access those files? I've googled but nothing is really making sense to me, so I thought I'd ask here.

I have PS Elements, shouldn't it open a RAW file? Because nothing on my computer will so far. And then, when I do get it open, how do I save it so I can edit it? I got some really cute pictures that were either way over or underexposed, and I know if I can figure out how to get the file open, I can make them really great!

Thanks in advance!

 

I use rawshooter essentials. It was a free download and seems to work well enough.

 

Elements 8 will open raw but I don't know about earlier versions. Your camera probably came with a software to open raw also. You may just not have installed it because you didn't think you would need it. If you have lost the disc you can usually go to the manufacturer's website and download the software for your camera for free.
I use Lightroom.

 

Haha, yep, spot on! I figured "I have PS Elements... I don't need this software!" Oops...:blushing:

 

I have PSE8 and I open them in Adobe Camera Raw. Open the PSE organizer, right click on the image, choose "Open with Photoshop Elements Editor, and then it opens in ACR. On the bottom right there is a button "Open Image" or something similar. It will open the image in the editor.

 

Looks like I have Elements 7.0 and I don't see the software anywhere. I really don't remember even seeing it, and I haven't thrown anything away. I'll see if I can find a phone number or something to call and see if they have any advice for me. Thank you again everyone!

 

What camera do you have? These are free:

Nikon:
http://nikondigital.com/Find-Your-Nikon/Product/Imaging-Software/NVNX/ViewNX.html

Canon:
http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/c...oadDetailTabAct&fcategoryid=314&modelid=19356

Other brands:
http://www.goodluck.com/ihavenoidea.html

 

Nikon D5000. Thank you! I'll try that link now...

These are two of the photos I feel like I can save and re-do:

 

I too am completely new to RAW. I have been using adobe lightroom 2 and (for me) it is very painless-- easy (and fun!) to learn in.

The tutorials on the following website have helped me a ton:

Camera Raw Profiles in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom | TheLightroomLab.com | Written by David Marx

Also, Scott Kelby has a great book out on Lightroom 2. At least, I think it's a great book .


good luck!

 

Oh dear your settings where way off on those 2 shots didn't you check your histogram while you were shooting, RAW is not a miracle cure

 

Well... yeah they were way off! I was chasing a 2-year old from shadows to lit up spots, lol. I am brand new to shooting in manual, so I didn't always remember to check the -/+ thing in my viewfinder, like I said in my OP. I think that the RAW photo, if it is what I thought it was, wouldn't be so severely under and over exposed for those photos. It wasn't that bright or dark outside by a long shot, but my settings were obviously way off.

Just sayin.... don't hate on the beginner when I flatout admit I don't know what I'm doing.