Shooting in RAW?

[BillieBee]

Should I be doing this? What are the advantages of shooting in RAW (for a non-pro) as opposed to taking pics in FINE or NORM? I know the files are a lot bigger, but that's all I know. TIA for your replies

~ Billie

[lwarren]

I never shot in RAW until last week when I did my pageant headshots - I figured they would need some work & wanted all of my options open. I shot RAW + JPEG so I got one of each for each photo. Well the RAW are so much better - I wish I could use it all the time but it is just too much space.

[ptknox]

In my opinion the answer is a resounding YES! Billie. RAW allows you so much more latitude in correcting color, exposure, white balance, etc. It's also important to note that RAW images are not compressed at all and you'll capture greater detail.

When I'm just taking snapshots at school for our webpage or other projects I set my camera to shoot .jpeg most of the time because I want a "down and dirty" session without having to take the time to do any photo editing....but I ALWAYS change to RAW format for my personal photos.

Hope that helps a little! (And by the way...I think your photos are always fabulous so you must have a pretty good idea of what you're doing my friend!)

[bjwtville]

I just started shooting in RAW, as I am reading one of Scott Kelby's books and he has you do that to continue the lessons in his book. I am amazed at what you can do. Your pictures are very good(as Pattie Mentioned) so this will fun for you!

[beehive50]

OK... so, I have the new camera that allows me to shoot in RAW, but didn't I read somewhere that you have to have special SOFTWARE to post-process your RAW pics? Or am I having (another!) senior moment?

[HeidiKnight]

You can process your RAW images in CS3 (I see you have that in your signature). Or, I highly recommend Lightroom!

RAW allows more editing before saving as JPEG for printing - which means a higher quality final image. The RAW file is the uncompressed image. A JPEG is compressed (hence the fact that you can store fewer RAW images on your card than you can JPEG).

[hguenthe]

Both PSE and CS3 have ability to import RAW format. PSE's RAW import doesn't give you as much ability to adjust things as CS3 but it still gives you the main abilities to tweak the necessities.

[katrinak]

Since I bought Lightroom I now do everything in RAW

[BillieBee]

Thanks for all your responses. I didn't realize you have to import the photos differently (so, no iphoto, huh?). I might need more advice on importing to CS3, but I will take the plunge and try a few RAW photos tomorrow

[hguenthe]

I haven't been importing into iphoto lately (just putting my folders into the iphoto file structure (still on older iphoto)) so not sure about that part... I haven't used iphoto since Quick View.

I just open my raws from within CS3 (basic open file command) and it automatically brings up the import window to adjust everything.

[ptknox]

Originally Posted by katrinak

Since I bought Lightroom I now do everything in RAW

Giggling at you just a little Katrina!

[beehive50]

Originally Posted by hguenthe

Both PSE and CS3 have ability to import RAW format. PSE's RAW import doesn't give you as much ability to adjust things as CS3 but it still gives you the main abilities to tweak the necessities.

Thanks, Heather... I might just give it a go, then!

[BillieBee]

Hey Debi . . .
Did you get your puffer in the mail? What did you think? It helps a bit, doesn't it?

~Billie

[beehive50]

Originally Posted by BillieBee

Hey Debi . . .
Did you get your puffer in the mail? What did you think? It helps a bit, doesn't it? ~Billie

I did! I did! And, so far I like it... although, to be honest, I've only snapped two pics with it! I just had to try it that day! But, it totally made a difference! And, it takes up no space in my bag! So... so far, so good! Worth the $20! (Bear in mind I am sooooo not a good photog, so it'll serve my purposes just fine!)

Hi Ladies!
A blog I watch just talked about RAW vs jpeg. Here is the site: http://laurenclarkphoto.squarespace.....html#comments

[Laura Peterson]

Is it possible to shoot in raw and open is CS2? I am new at this and would liek to start shooting in Raw but have been afraid, and confused

[Cassie Jones (1gr8muggle)]

Yes, Laura . . . when you open a RAW file, it will automatically launch "Camera Raw" which lets you make adjustments to your image right in that window. Then, when you're satisfied, you click the "Open" button, and it will send the image to PS CS2.

[digigal]

Can you import "raw" into PSCS? Or is it just PSCS2 and above or Lightroom? Thanks.

[Cassie Jones (1gr8muggle)]

I believe the Camera Raw plug-in will work with CS.

[kb522]

The updated version of iPhoto does support RAW format.

This is something that I've been wanting to get better at. I have my camera set to capture RAW+Fine JPEG. I'm never sure what to do with the RAW file. For those of you experienced with it, what are the top 5 or so things you will look at first?

Thanks!

[katrinak]

Originally Posted by kb522

The updated version of iPhoto does support RAW format.

This is something that I've been wanting to get better at. I have my camera set to capture RAW+Fine JPEG. I'm never sure what to do with the RAW file. For those of you experienced with it, what are the top 5 or so things you will look at first?

Thanks!

I started shooting in RAW only about 4 months ago, so I don't have a lot of experience.

I use LightRoom and typically mess with
White Balance
Tone
Crop
Play with Presets
Undo
Play with Presets more
Undo
Play with Presets
Import into PSE
Run Noiseware
Unsharp Mask
Save

[Starlite9711]

Im LOL at your workflow Katrina!!! It sounds JUST like mine!! Though, I haven't switched to RAW yet. Have you noticed any issues with speed of snapping pictures of Ian, being two and quick on his feet? Im just worried that I will miss the shot with Tanner. I guess I could always try it out.

[hguenthe]

Bailey, with switching to RAW and thus, the files being bigger, you will probably notice a slight bit of a difference in its ability to take photos one after another as there is so much more information to save. If you tend to snap 1 photo and then have a second or two before taking the next shot, doubtful you will notice any difference at all. If taking a series of shots, depending on your camera's abilities, you may or may not notice a slight difference.

When making the switch to RAW if its ability to write fast so you can take shots back to back without noticing a difference.. part of it is your camera's ability to do it but also consider the speed of your memory card. This is where you will notice the advantage of those "Ultra III", "Professional", "Extreme III" names of the memory cards. The fastest atm appear to be 133X speed aka 20MB/sec, the step down from that are the 100X speed aka 15MB/sec and then the "normal" ones I believe are 10MB/sec write speed.

So when you see "cheap" memory cards, take a closer look and you will probably notice that you are giving up write speed for the cheaper price. If taking shots back to back isn't a consideration for you, then go for the cheaper one but if speed is a consideration, pay the bit more to get the faster cards and you will be much happier. I notice a big difference between the 10MB/sec and 20MB/sec but little difference usually between the 15MB/sec and 20MB/sec cards... probably as most of my photos end up being about that 16MB size in raw so talking split second difference vs almost an additional second.

Oiy Voiy.. WTB lessons on concise writing! In desperate need!

[katrinak]

Originally Posted by Starlite9711

Im LOL at your workflow Katrina!!! It sounds JUST like mine!! Though, I haven't switched to RAW yet. Have you noticed any issues with speed of snapping pictures of Ian, being two and quick on his feet? Im just worried that I will miss the shot with Tanner. I guess I could always try it out.

I haven't noticed a problem at all. I use a 1gig card and only have it set to Raw, not Raw+Jpeg.

When I take running photos of my brother I do switch off of Raw though. (just in case...and following Scott Kelby's advice!)

ETA I'm using a SanDisk Ultra II 1.0 GB card

[B-Jo]

My workflow sounds similar to Katrina's too!

I wish I had thought to switch to Raw the other day. It was definitely a lesson learned. All of the photos I took at the American Girl Store either have a yellow cast from the lights or a pink cast from all the pink! And it is hard to correct that with a jpeg!

From now on I will shoot in Raw in challenging circumstances!

[bluelemur01]

hi Billie,
If I'm shooting in "good light", meaning that it's not mixed light sources and it's a kind of light I've shot in before, then I go with .jpg fine. If I'm shooting "tricky" lighting, or something more professional like a wedding or portrait session, I use RAW files.

The RAW files are much larger b/c they include more data on color. The downside is that you HAVE to edit them using PHotoshop or a similar software and then must convert them to a .jpg or similar for publishing or for most printing. Well, I guess you don't HAVE to edit them, but most people do. Usually you shoot in RAW because you have more editing options and can fine-tune the colors of your picture more easily than with a .jpg file.

The reason I like to shoot "difficult" light (like indoor incandescent, wedding where the overhead lights in the reception are yellow-ish) is that with RAW you can easily tweak the white balance in photoshop and make the facial colors look more natural even with "weird' lighting situations. You can make your whites look naturally white without any strange color casts.

You can sort of do this using levels or curves on a .jpg, but it looks better and smoother in RAW.

However, that being said, raw is kind of a pain in the butt sometimes, esp. if I shoot 200 pics a day of my daughter and pick out the best ones to keep/scrap! So I still get some great shots shooting .jpg fine. I've done portrait shoots using.jpg fine and they turned out great, but again, I was very comfortable with the light for those shots.

I'd say...give raw a try and see if you like the results!
good luck!
Jennifer

[kb522]

It's nice to read all the responses. I think I'll try the RAW + jpeg and that way if I am lazy and don't have time to make changes I can use the jpegs while i am getting comfortable with the whole process. Thanks!

[bluelemur01]

This is totally off topic, but how was the American Girl store, Brenda? My sister just got her daughter an AG doll and apparently in addition to be a)expensive, those dolls are also b)extremely popular with her friends and c)the best dolls in the world! So I got a few outfits online and had them sent to her for her Bday, since there is no AG store here where I live. I still like dolls...I admit! I can't wait til my daughter is old enough for fun dolls!

Jennifer

[B-Jo]

Jennifer, we LOVED the AG Store. It was Kristen's dream come true. We ate at the restaurant for lunch and were surprised how good the food was. It was really a nice day and we made a lot of good memories.

The dolls are very well made and DD hasn't let Elizabeth out of her sight since she got her. She got a few outfits for her doll and a dress to match one of her doll's dresses.

Do you know which doll your niece chose? My DD brought a friend (her 2nd cousin) along and my MIL ended up letting her pick a doll too. It was the sweetest thing to see both of the girls walking the store picking which one they wanted. MY DD picked one of the fanciest dolls there and her friend picked Julie (1974), the complete opposite of my DD's choice. I like how there are so many to choose from and every little girl can get the one that matches their personalities the best.

[bluelemur01]

hi Brenda,
it sounds like such fun! my sis sent a picture with her daughter Ally, and the doll in question has pretty black hair. I'm not sure which doll it is, though. I guess my sis splurged and got Ally a dress that matched the doll, which is completely adorable, and she got to wear it to her school for show and tell!

She said the same thing: The doll has not left her side. I think it's only a matter of time before MY dd (currently 17 mo.) starts liking dolls, esp. since I like them and will certainly encourage the doll-liking phase!
Jennifer