DSLR Photography Forum

I'm glad you're not here to see me blush in embarrassement, but I have never viewed a RAW file on my computer, and I can't figure out how to do it!!!

It seems like I have seen people do it all the time in PS, bridge or other programs, but I think my camera Raw plug-in doesn't work, or at least that's what it looks like to me.
I use PS CSII, do I need a separate plug-in?

What other software do people use, and what is your experience with any of the Canon software?

I would really appreciate your help here, and feel free to laugh at me,

uli

Hi Uli
First of all you must set you camera to RAW and take some photographs, then plug in your camera to the computer so that it becomes a drive, go to Windows Explorer and copy the RAW files from your camera, paste them into Photoshop CS2 ( I have set up a Directory in PS where all my RAW files reside) then go to Bridge where you will see your RAW files. When you click on a RAW file in Bridge the RAW plugin will become active. Hope this helps.

Thanks Pat! However, it just doesn't happen.
I guess it doesn't work then, was just wondering if other Rebel XT users use Photoshop?? /bridge?

Uli - This is just a guess (Im not pretending to be an expert here!) but I think you need to download an Adobe RAW update. Different cameras use different Raw Software and adobe releases updates to recognise the newer ones. I think it should solve your problem. Its worth a shot to see how you can process RAW images much differently in relation to white balance etc. I hope this works for you, I apologise if I'm wrong...

try here

I find CSII much better for RAW processing than the software provided with my Pentax DS. I just right click on the RAW file and 'open with' - 'Adobe photoshop CS2'...
I only use RAW about 10% of the time though. It is a longer process, much more memory card/hard disk space and it annoys me that the RAW images cant have thumbnails in windows folders...

I'd be interested to know how many people here prefer RAW vs JPEG?

Hi Uli, I can't help you with CS2 as I am still on PS7, but you should have both zoombrowser EX and digital photo professional which came with your camera. Both of these programs can view and process Raw files.
I have now been using Raw shooter essentials to process and convert after I have downloaded my pics. This is a very easy to use program and cuts down on the time I spend in PS.
I have read that some people have had trouble adobe but I think that might be CS.........you may need a plugin.

good luck hope that helps

Thanks smarti, I'll have to look into this tomorrow, but I think you are right about my version of camera raw being obsolete.

Russt, Zoom Browser gives trouble to install on my German version of Windows 200. I can use Canons DPP program, but would prefer to have everything in one program.

Thanks guys!

Look into DNG format - the Adobe "standard: RAW format. You can convert all your old RAW files to something that will move forward. There is a big thread on the forum where Polly walks me through how to use it.

http://www.shuttertalk.com/forums/viewtopic.php?id=4845

That's what I use now - I have 3 camera that all have different RAW formats - no need for that....

http://www.irfanview.com is one of the best free image viewing software available. Raw shooter essentials is another. Go to the link I provided and download the software and all the plugins. If all I want to do is view my raw images I use this software and use it as my default software for viewing all my images. You might want to look into a program to download called downloader pro. Also in my opinion the best raw image downloading software available. For $30.00 U.S. it's well worth it. You might want to take a look at the Breezebrowser software too. Personally I don't use it but many many Canon users swear by it.

Download these programs and life will get much easier for you.

Toad Wrote:Look into DNG format - the Adobe "standard: RAW format. You can convert all your old RAW files to something that will move forward. There is a big thread on the forum where Polly walks me through how to use it.

http://www.shuttertalk.com/forums/viewtopic.php?id=4845

That's what I use now - I have 3 camera that all have different RAW formats - no need for that....

Hmmm. I'll have to take a look see at this.

Thanks for the link to the previous thread.
I had tried DNG before but I couldn't get the thumbnails to display so I stopped using the converter. This thread made me research it again and I finally got the thumbnails to work. I will be using this alot more now.

Hi Uli,

I only shoot RAW these days and to be honest I find the Canon RAW converter to be very easy to use and gives very good results (Digital Photo Professional). I will probably switch to the new programme from Adobe (Lightroom) when it is officially launched (have been playing with the beta) later this year.

I am so glad to know you guys!!

thank you very much everyone!

I tried to convert my RAW files into DNG with the respective PS plug-in, but I think I had the same problem there, it didn't support the 350D's RAW format. Will look at the thread, thanks Toad.

Peto, thanks a lot. I have Irfanview, didn't know it could convert RAW files! ?
I can view them without problems in Faststone.

Chris, I was looking for something like a tone curve to adjust in the DPP program, since I seemed to remember seeing that in Bridge when someone showed it to me. But all I have found so far was how to adjust brightness and whitebalance....

BTW, is the lightroom beta out for PC yet?


Uli

Yeah! the new plug-in solved it.

Sometimes I wish I was more computer savvy... On the other hand, I found at some point that it was enough time to spend on a computer just to know how to use it when (if) it works, leave alone knowing how to fix it all the time (which is probly necessary half the time I use it.....). :o


thanks again, uli

wulinka Wrote:Yeah! the new plug-in solved it.

Cool!

By the way, which plugin was it? The Adobe Camera RAW update?

Link if it's not in the thread already? (Might help readers in future..)

i always thought the rebel Xt would use the same raw format as the old rebel ~_~

smarti77 Wrote:try here

it was smarti's link to adobe downloads, I didn't know I could get the download for free. I had to upgrade both my camera RAW and my DNG converter.
Peter, there was a point when they upgraded the camera RAW plug-in to recognize the 350D, but it wasn't the latest update. The latest version can read RAW files even from the 30D.

uli

I'm a bit late (been working all week) but I love raw, and I have CS2 and rebel xt.

One problem i find with RAW is that my images seem so much noisier than jpeg, anybody got any suggestions??

Uli,

If you press the RGB adjustment tab I think you will see a curves option there.

No beta for the PC on Lightroom - I don't think there will be either. they will just go straight to the final version for PC.

Schellamo,

Could be the settings in the RAW converter - I usually find the opposite to what you are experiancing.

yeah ..since the JPEGs are merely compressed versions of the raw data ... there shouldnt be more noise in the RAW then the JPG ..

They promised !!!:o (adobe, I mean)

will I have to get a mac after all? I used to work on macs when I was in science, but never made the jump at home. partially because I didn't want to buy all new software.

uli

Schell, I think I know what you mean by noise. I tried my first few RAWs,and it is true that the converted files look very "grainy" in my other viewers (irfan, faststone). That must be some setting we are using and don't know about. I wonder what they're going to look like printed, have tried printing? Do you still see it then?

weird.

I am unbelievably slow processing those files, too, my poor little, quite obsolete, computer is already struggling with PS CS II, and no I am asking even more of it....

uli

wulinka Wrote:will I have to get a mac after all? I used to work on macs when I was in science, but never made the jump at home. partially because I didn't want to buy all new software.

"Bootcamp". It's Apple's way of convincing you.

The new Intel Macs can run Windows natively -- no emulation, no performance penalties. You just have to reboot the computer to switch.

(of course, I only reboot/shut down my mac laptop once or twice a month...)

"Noise"

here are two 100% crops, 1. of an original JPEG from my camera (350D), 2. of the same file recorded as RAW and converted in adobe bridge.

I think what I see here could be what Shellamo refered to as noise? And no doubt I like the smooth, original JPEG much better. I have no idea which setting could have caused this effect......
I also wonder, whether it would be visible in a print.

Any comments anyone?

crop from the original JPEG


crop from the converted RAW


uli

Matthew,

that sounds really great.

the other significant argument, especially as a non-professional, is budget.
if I had unlimited budget, I would buy a new intel based mac, and probably not even worry about have windows installed....

:-)

Hey Uli,

Sorry to jump in on this conversation so late. Glad you found the update to ACR to get your 350D RAW files into Photoshop.
Did you also know that there is a new version (v2.1) of Canon's Digital Photo Professional (DPP)? Well, there is! An update can be downloaded for free from Canon's website.
Like WeddingShooter, I use DPP as much as I can. While the workflow might not be the best out there, it simply produces the best looking images from my RAW files IMHO. The colours especially are much more consistent and simply better than I usually get out of ACR, particularly skin-tones. And to be honest, I really quite like the workflow (although others seem to hate it). The new updated version of DPP contains a few small but very handy new features, including better noise reduction and sharpness options, the inclusion of Canon's new "Picture Styles" (which you can apply to 350D RAW images after the event) and importantly a new "Open in Photoshop" function which simply does the RAW conversion for the selected file and then opens it as a 16-bit image in photoshop, thus allowing you to use DPP much the same way as you would ACR.

With regard to your noise issue and looking at those 100% crops you posted, I suspect the problems might lie in your Adobe Camera Raw noise-reduction settings.
The RAW shot clearly shows more luminance noise than the JPG (random changes of brightness - perhaps best described as "grain"), but just as clearly it shows significantly less colour noise than the JPG (random changes in colour hue - perhaps best described as "blotchiness").

Translated into ACR settings, in the "Detail" tab I suspect you have the "Sharpness" turned up moderate to high (which will actually make noise more exaggerated), then the "Luminance Smoothing" turned down low (which will mean very little luminance noise reduction is done to reduce grain), and finally the "Colour Noise Reduction" up fairly high (reducing the colour noise or "blotchiness" significantly).
Try changing all three settings to modest values of, say, 25 each. Then slowly tweak each until you get the look you're after. My guess is that you have been increasing the "Colour Noise Reduction" value and expecting it to reduce the grain in the image, which it won't do. It will just reduce the blotchy effect.

Schell, does this help you too?
There are a few other issues to take note of here (if using DPP, remember that noise-reduction isn't usually displayed in the preview, just the final output). Generally speaking I do as much of my noise reduction (and some sharpening) using the Noise Ninja photoshop plugin rather than a RAW converter.

Cheers
Adrian