Which program to process RAW?

[TheHobbyist]

I finally took the step and shot a few photo's from my last vacation in RAW, the problem is that I can't import them. So now I suppose it is time to purchase lightroom of PS Elements so I can actually import them. Which would be better suited to my needs as an amateur?

 

[KenC]

Your camera came with a disk loaded with software that will do this (or you can download it). Canon provides Digital Photo Professional (DPP) with every camera that shoots RAW (or maybe with every camera). DPP is a perfectly good RAW converter. Some people prefer to use ACR, the RAW converter in PS or LR, but DPP will do a conversion into tiff or jpg.

 

[fjrabon]

are you using a mac or PC?

 

[TheHobbyist]

are you using a mac or PC?

mac

 

[TheHobbyist]

Your camera came with a disk loaded with software that will do this (or you can download it). Canon provides Digital Photo Professional (DPP) with every camera that shoots RAW (or maybe with every camera). DPP is a perfectly good RAW converter. Some people prefer to use ACR, the RAW converter in PS or LR, but DPP will do a conversion into tiff or jpg.

You mean I was actually supposed to do something with that disk

 

[fjrabon]

are you using a mac or PC?

mac

I really like Aperture, a lot. I have both PS Elements and Lightroom, but I've pretty much abandoned them for most everything except a few really heavy fixes in Elements (like perspective distortion correction).

It will import your photos from RAW, and then has a really intuitive interface to fine tune them. And it's great because it always keeps your original as is, and you can always undo any edits without having to worry about how you save it. I think it's also more intuitive for mac users in its interface. Layers can be a bit of a PITA to learn how to effectively use, and Aperture more or less does away with them in favor of a more intuitive approach, especially for beginners/intermediates (though I know some top level pros who actually prefer Aperture as well).

 

[TheHobbyist]

Awesome. I'll check that out.

 

[WhiskeyTango]

The camera should have come with an import tool, but its capability as an editor will be pretty limited. If you're wanting strong editing abilities, and have neither PS or LR yet, I'd definitely recommend LR 1st. It's very rare that I venture outside of Lightroom. Almost everything I need to do can be done there.

 

[fjrabon]

Awesome. I'll check that out.

also, remember there really isn't any reason to shoot in RAW unless you're going to be doing editing anyway, so you might as well do it all in one shot and get a good converter and editor in one to make your work flow as streamlined as possible.

 

[Hobbytog]

Aperture is the way to go for Mac.

Paul

 

[TCampbell]

Aperture will read RAW images unless the camera was *just* released (it usually takes a few weeks to a few months before a new RAW update comes out after a new camera model is released.)

Apple's Camera RAW updates work for both iPhoto and Aperture (although if you're shooting in RAW you really want to use Aperture.) Aperture is $79 from the "App Store" (downloads and installs itself over the internet.)

 

[TheHobbyist]

Thanks for all the info. It looks like I need to update my OS, as I'm running a 4 year old macbook pro.

 

[table1349]

Aperture is the way to go for Mac.

Paul

Why??? I'm a Mac and I much prefer Lightroom4 over Aperture.