RAW - help required!

Rob MacKillop

Rob MacKillop

Edinburgh Correspondent
For some stupid reason I've been scared of dealing in raw files. Today I decided to stop being stupid. I tried to download the DNG converter and Camera Raw from the Adobe site, but failed several times. Then I remembered the CDRom which came with my Fuji X-S1. I installed that...

It is really scary! So many controls, options, etc. I thought it would be a simple case of converting a raw file into a very high-quality jpeg for editing in Elements. After a while I realised that it can do just that, and all the other options can be ignored.

However, I'm wondering what you ladies and gents do to the raw file before convertion? What should be done at that stage before opening up in Photoshop or similar?

I have to confess I don't use Lightroom, despite having it - I just can't connect with it for some reason. I prefer Photoshop CS3 or Elements 8 and the Nik editing suite.
 
All my raw work is done in LR, Normally the only thing I will do to a normal photograph (posters,flyers,digital art aside) in PS is maybe a little curves, some content aware fill where necessary (litter, cigarette butts etc), and always a high pass filter instead of destructive sharpening...
I think the raw conversion is the most important stage.. If your pixels are shot, you're gonna to be processing shot pixels at a later stage..
So..
first, colour correction.. affects not only colour but tonal values also,
so this will give you the correct foundation to build upon..
Then all sliders are relevant.
I use tone curve ALOT rather than contrast/blacks/recovery/fill light as colours aren't affected.
Get control of my gamut of tonal range then FINE TUNE with the contrast/blacks/recovery/fill..

I normally do as much as I can in LR then export to PS as a 16bit tif.
I NEVER edit a jpg, all your wonderful pixels have been compressed for jpg.. Why manipulate them further at this stage? go back to RAW + TIFF to correct any oversights..

Of course there are many variants to this workflow, image dependant (how preferences are set also, I shoot Canon Faithful so the camera doesn't start processing for me either. The file comes in looking quite bland but I know the information is in there)
naturally the variation of workflow is endless..

But, Simplified, Pixels are God.. Think like a pixel !!!

RAW has ALL your fantastic pixels from the incredible technology in your hands.
Then 16bit Tiff - 8 Bit Tiff - JPG

Someone please batter me down if I've got it wrong..

RAW IS GOD..!

:)
 
You don't need to convert the raw if you just import them into LR ... You could then open then in PS from LR ... Think it's under the edit tab... Same goes for opening in silver efex
 
I suppose I should persist with LR. I don't know why I have a problem with it. I think it's the Library which I find too complicated, which might amuse you, seeing as it is so logical. Sadly my brain works differently. I'll give it another go.
 
that's right, Edit > Edit In > Ps5

You have me fuddled now though! What you are saying is Lr is in effect a raw converter..
But am I missing anything by 'bypassing' an actual Raw converter ?

ACR is the footprint program that LR is written on, I think, just more bells and whistles added in LR..
 
I'm no expert, but perhaps that might help you a bit more Rob. I don't do a lot in RAW. Having read about the importance of noise removal (and having nine sliders scares me to death), I took some settings from a book and made one preset for low ISO shots and one for high ISO, but I'm prepared to tweak those a bit manually. I remove sharpening as I do that first thing in CS5 with Photokit, so that is part of the preset too. I also set default clarity, leave contrast at medium and set the process to 2010 (current). I downloaded a profile for my lens too and that removes distortion, fringing and vignetting. Now that sounds like a lot, but I only read the book once and set up the preset according to the advice. I've forgotten most of it again. All the above is in the preset and I only have the one choice to make according to ISO.

Then all I do is tinker with the sliders on the first tab to correct white balance and to ensure nothing is blocked or blown. If I can get away with a tad more contrast and still keep the detail, then I do. Otherwise I save as a DNG file and open it up in CS5. The image may initially look a little flat, but as long as you preserve the detail, you can build it up in small stages :)
 
A friend requested a very basic illustrated tutorial starting with a RAW image and ending up with a fully processed JPEG ready for uploading. It was much easier to do it as a web-page than an e-mail. I chose an urban night-time scene that would present almost hopeless problems if shot as a JPEG. This is simply a place to start. Adobe Camera RAW can do much more, but once this is mastered, I will always be glad to expand upon it.

A sample RAW image workflow.
 
Thanks, Larry. I'll try to follow that. I think I'm a bit overawed by all the possibilities I now have at my disposal, some of which are duplicated in different software packages. When to do what. The Nik suite is truly amazing - Dfine noise reduction, Viveza for light and colour correction, HDR, Colour, Silver Efex, and finally Sharpner, which comes in two parts: Pre-editing Raw, and post-editing depending on output type (screen, print, etc). Lightroom has a lot of options too, then I have CS3 and Elements. Enough already ;-)

So, when it comes to raw files, I'm wondering at which point to do what. By opening a raw file in LR, I can edit it in Elements, using the Nik Collection, then head back to LR to save it for a choice output? If that is the case, then it is becoming more clear to me as I write this. Just trying to find a path through it all, but it does seem like I should spend more time getting familiar with LR4.
 
Neither Lightroom nor Elements are part of my workflow, so can not advise. ACDSee Pro is used for cataloging. However, all processing is done in Photoshop as seen in the tutorial. Once done, the image is saved for whatever purpose it was chosen.

Of course, the better you understand your tools, the easier the job becomes. Concentrate on Lightroom if you plan to keep it core to your workflow, and do a lot of playing in ACR within LR. Once fluent with it, then explore the other stuff.
 
Rob MacKillop said:
So, is LR a raw converter?

- - - Updated - - -

PS Thanks Lesley...
Click to expand...

Why confuse matters with wanting to "convert" files?
This is why I often recomend people get one peice of software and master it first before introducing too many others
there is nothing I have seen in any of your pictures that couldn't be done in Lightroom (bar maybe the frames you sometimes use)
I import all my files as raw into Lightroom, process them (non destructively - as is the nature of the software) then export them in Jpeg in various sizes and colour spaces depending on if I want something printed or just for web or whatever ...
i only ever have the original raw files (all photos taken) and exported jpegs of the ones I liked/edited

At no point am I worrying about converting a file unless for some highly unusual reason it needs to go into photoshop or I am playing with nik software etc in which case it starts of as part of the Lightroom workflow ...

I suppose I come at this from the pov of often having many hundred of photos so a simple work flow is key ... But it really makes sense to me to do things this way
Especially as I say there is very little that can't be done in Lightroom with a bit of patience with it!
 
Larry Bolch said:
Adobe Camera RAW can do much more, but once this is mastered, I will always be glad to expand upon it.

A sample RAW image workflow.
Click to expand...

Thanks Larry for a great tutorial. I only discovered ACR a few weeks ago following the purchase of a book - Digital Darkroom by Harold Davies. Now I use ACR all the time. I would love to see a tutorial on using the Tools within ACR.
One point of feedback concerning your tutorial is that I did not understand why you used the filter. It would be nice to insert a simple explanation within the text.

Cheers,
Austin
 
Austin O'Hara said:
Now I use ACR all the time. I would love to see a tutorial on using the Tools within ACR.
Click to expand...

I still am using CS5. Once I upgrade to CS6, I will try to find time to do this.

One point of feedback concerning your tutorial is that I did not understand why you used the filter. It would be nice to insert a simple explanation within the text.
Click to expand...

About the high-pass filter:
"Pretty much every digital image whether scan or digital camera exposure needs some sharpening. Photoshop provides a wide variety of options. In this case I wanted rather subtle sharpening, but sufficient that when the image is reduced to web-resolution little or none will be required."

I might add that there is also sharpening in ACR, similar to the high-pass filter, and I tested it extensively. While it worked and the difference was not great, in the end I went back to the filter in Photoshop. Easy, and it produces exactly the results that please me. There are many ways to sharpen within Photoshop, and so it is a matter of taste.
 
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