Best book to learn more about RAW fast

Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS

04/22/2005 06:33:02 AM · #1

I'm interested in learning more about RAW, in detail and FAST.

I've been recommended this book:

Real World Camera Raw with Adobe Photoshop
by Bruce Fraser

and am about to buy it from Amazon.

Does anyone have any other books to recommend or any comments on the usefulness of this one?

THANKS

tolovemoon

Canon EOS Rebel SL1

04/22/2005 06:59:31 AM · #2

Yeah thats the book I have been told is a good one.. . Looks like its pretty good..

dacrazyrn

Nikon D300

Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR II

04/22/2005 09:00:52 AM · #3

That book by Bruce Fraser is probably the definitive guide for ya. I love it and have integrated the RAW processing throughout the book into Actions (speeds it all up). EXCELLENT BOOK!! A must have.

Nikon AF-S DX Zoom Nikkor 17-55mm f/2.8G IF-ED

04/22/2005 11:12:41 AM · #4

Thanks, am ordering it now.
Kavey

cghubbell

Nikon D300

04/22/2005 11:15:09 AM · #5

Definitely one of the better choices, but I found very little in it that I hadn't already picked up by combing Digital Outback Photo, Luminous Landscape, and Vivid Light.

Of course, reading one book is faster than combing tons of articles across three web sites :) I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

04/22/2005 11:35:20 AM · #6

I often look through those websites too but... you've hit the nail on the head - I think I'll find it easier to have the information in one, easy to find resource.

Thanks folks!

Mr_Pants

SiPix Blink

04/22/2005 01:42:25 PM · #7

Going off at a tangent: what RAW processing software are you using or going to be using? Rawshooter Essentials as recommended by e301 is very good. I particularly like the contrast adjustment tools and especially the price. If you've already got it, then just ignore me and I'll go back to my little corner.

Tamron AF 28-300mm f/3.5-6.3 XR Di LD Aspherical IF for Canon

04/22/2005 01:53:29 PM · #8

At the moment I have a choice between Digital Photo Professional, which I'm not really liking at all, and the integrated processing offered by Photoshop CS, which is OK but...

I want to learn more about the process itself before I worry about whether or not I would prefer to use an alternative software tool.

Thanks for the tip though... I may come back to it in the future.

Can you tell me what it is about Rawshooter Essential that you like and how it differs from other available tools? THANKS

moodville

Nikon D100

04/22/2005 02:10:44 PM · #9

Originally posted by Kavey:

Can you tell me what it is about Rawshooter Essential that you like and how it differs from other available tools? THANKS

It's free and has automatic settings :P

Juniper366

Canon EOS-10D

04/22/2005 02:28:09 PM · #10

I just bought that book too. I got it on ebay for a total of $24.95 with shipping. I hope I didnt overpay!

jen

Nikon AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G IF-ED

04/22/2005 02:35:22 PM · #11

That sounds like a great price.
I paid Â£18.89 from the UK site. I thought about buying it from the US Amazon as the Â£ is strong against the $ at the moment but I want it ASAP to brush up on a few things before a training session I am running soon...

2Shay

Nikon Z7 FX

04/22/2005 02:36:52 PM · #12

Originally posted by Juniper366:

I just bought that book too. I got it on ebay for a total of $24.95 with shipping. I hope I didnt overpay!

I see that Amazon has the "Real World Camera Raw with Adobe Photoshop CS2" for $23.39 with free shipping. It is a pre-order since the book has not been released yet. Looks like it will ship in late May.

cghubbell

Nikon D300

Nikon AF-S DX Zoom Nikkor 17-55mm f/2.8G IF-ED

04/22/2005 02:42:04 PM · #13

If you're dabbling in which tool to pick do yourself a favor and sample Bibble. I find it to be lightning fast, great output quality, and it handles 90% of the editing activities I regularly do. There's a bit of a learning curve, but once you get through it it automates just about everything but the taking of pictures.

30 day eval is free for the testing.

dwoolridge

04/22/2005 02:51:54 PM · #14

Originally posted by Kavey:

Can you tell me what it is about Rawshooter Essential that you like and how it differs from other available tools?

I did recommend in your other thread to grab a bunch of RAW converters (C1, Bibble, RSE). Here's a thread discussing Bibble and another discussing RSE.

Bibble and RSE are both less than perfect in terms of final image quality. Yes, you'll probably be satisfied in most cases, but C1 and ACR will always be better (based on current versions of all).

Bibble's approach is more complete since it allows you to do nearly everything you'd want pre-full-blown-editor. RSE comes close in that department, but the lack of a crop tool is significant (and it's not just my opinion), for example.

Bibble's UI is a little sloppy and somewhat cumbersome. RSE's UI is super slick and it boasts some cool things (slideshow plus ranking = workflow heaven).

Mr_Pants

SiPix Blink

04/23/2005 08:32:42 AM · #15

Originally posted by Kavey:

Can you tell me what it is about Rawshooter Essential that you like and how it differs from other available tools? THANKS

The shadows and highlights contrast adjustment tool looks really good to me. I've just ditched my PC, so I now have to use Capture One, which is not too bad either.

Regarding Rawshooter Essentials, I'd recommend downloading it while it's still free. I gather that in the future it will cost money (!)