how do you process your RAW shots?

[amartin1]

I am hoping for some help as I am spending all my time tryingto figure this out and consequently my paying job(work from home as building designer) is suffering immensely.
I have a Lumix FZX28 and am shooting in RAW as this year my resolution is to save up and buy a D90, take a better pciture and process RAW as have sat back and done Jpeg for years as cannot find the time to figure RAW out.
I have ACDSEE, CS4, Elements 5.0 and also downloaded a trial of Lightroom 2.0 so plenty to choose from
I want to know how others import, process, tweak their shots. I have some great photoshop actions but read that pros do it all in Lightroom. Do they import it into CS4 as a PSD run the action then take it back to Lightroom? For some incredibly frustrating reason I cannot get the RW2 file that my camera shoots at to import to CS4, it talks about the Camera Raw dialogue box in CS4 but I cannot find anyway to switch it on despite reading and reading and reading. I am spending way too much tome on this and have finally given up trying to figure it out and asking for help!
Hope some one can!
Cheers
Alison Australia

[katrinak]

I load all of my photos onto my computer through lightroom.

I then tag in the LR Library and Develop in LR.

I typically adjust White balance, exposure, blacks, Clarity and Vibrance to get a look I like. Add a preset if needed or in the mood

I then either Export to a JPG file or choose Edit In CS4.

If I edit in CS4 then I typically run Noiseware, sharpen, and save as a JPG

I really have tried to simplify my workflow to more easily handle the number of photos I take.

[sweetpeony]

Hi, Katrina - the folks in my photo club said to export to TIFF due to the lossy nature of jpeg. Since I have everything back up to my EHD, seems like doing it in jpeg would reduce the photo quality. Is it a matter of preference, do you think, or an actual issue? I have just enough technical knowledge to be dangerous and cause unnecessary work!

[katrinak]

As long as I save the RAW file, I'm not too concerned about the lossy nature of my jpgs.

[anke]

how do you save to jpeg from LR? I always edit in CS4, partially because I don't know how to export otherwise. LR is still a mystery in some ways

[DesignerDigitals]

Originally Posted by anke

how do you save to jpeg from LR? I always edit in CS4, partially because I don't know how to export otherwise. LR is still a mystery in some ways

File -> Export

[DesignerDigitals]

I always import into LR with the Nikon Standard or Vivid mode as a pre-set then adjust from there. I always convert to DNG and keep a backup of my RAW NEF file on another external HD.

[anxela]

Randy: Any particular reason why you keep the RAW files in addition to the DNGs? Just curious.

Alison: About raw files not opening in CS4 - try updating photoshop. It might be that your camera is too new for Camera Raw to recognize your raw files. Help->Updates (that's on a mac - it might be different on a pc)
If you have all updates, raw files should open automatically. You can import your jpegs and tiffs into Camera Raw in CS4 by going to Preferences-Camera Raw and tick the JPG and TIFF boxes. Hope that helps!

I do pretty much what Katrina does. Just not that advanced. But I'm learning! I usually add an action or tweak manually in Photoshop if I'm converting to BW. But I'm longing for the new Totally Rad Lightroom presets! Has anyone tried them?

Also, I almost never save a jpeg. If I'm doing a layout, I don't bother saving the jpeg in Photoshop after I've dragged it onto my layout. I pretty much think that I can redo everything I did at a later time if I want to print it out. It saves a lot of space that way. That's another amazing thing about Lightroom. You can tweak all you want, but the RAW/DNG will remain the same quality, and you can undo at any time. (Or so I have understood it?)

If I want to be sure I can quickly find a photo I've scrapped, I add a scrapped keyword to it in lightroom to easily find it later. I also have a to scrap keyword for photos I really want to scrap.

[anke]

Oh what a brilliant idea to add those keywords to your photo!!!
Thanks Randy, I guess it doesn't come easier than that

[DesignerDigitals]

Originally Posted by anxela

Randy: Any particular reason why you keep the RAW files in addition to the DNGs? Just curious.

On import I have the NEF (Nikon RAW files) copied to an external drive. I view these as the actual negative and have them there just in case. I just can't part with them even though they might never be used.

[anxela]

Originally Posted by Randy Pertiet

On import I have the NEF (Nikon RAW files) copied to an external drive. I view these as the actual negative and have them there just in case. I just can't part with them even though they might never be used.

Ok, thanks. I have my dng's on two separate EHD's, but maybe I should do what you do...

[audrey77]

I don't even go into photoshop or noiseware anymore. The sharpening in LR 3 (Beta) is great.

[cheska99]

I finally decided that since I don't take that many photos, I was going to give up learning about lightroom (although I have it and love it) and just concentrate on Photoshop. I'm most likely to adjust exposure, white balance, clarity, vibrance, recovery, fill, and blacks in PS CS4 camera raw. But sometimes I just run Oh Snap, Boutwell's Magic Glasses, Derelicte, all in very low opacity. These are some of my favorite of the Totally Rad Actions.

[katrinak]

How much do you love the upload to flickr from LR3 as well?! It is one of my favorite features...and the upload is SO much better than LR2!

[amartin1]

Anxela, your advice about checking for RAW updates was spot on. I have CS2 and am unsing the trial of CS4. The update for my camera will not run on CS2 so looks like i will need to go to CS4 permanently. I also wonder about the Lightroom actions at Totally Rad. I have their first set.
Katrina thank you for the list of how you process. Also took the plunge and ordered Scott Kelbys book on Lightroom 2.0 from the UK, heaps cheaper than here in Oz sadly! I know there is the 3.0 version on Beta currently but I think I should get the hang of 2.0 first. It was good to read good feedback on it. Later I think I will put out a thread on what you all think of it when I want to buy it.
There is SOOO much to learn. My friends always say how they love the shots I take and yet all I think is how I could do it all so much better! This is the step in the right direction I guess. Thank You all heaps and heaps, it has cleared the fog and let me get back to drawing houses, what I need to do to pay for my photography interest!
Cheers

[anxela]

I'm so glad it worked for you!