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11/22/2005 02:54:09 PM · #1 |
I'm a beginner and was wondering if anyone would be so kind as to tell me the difference between shooting in RAW and JPEG fine on my D50.
Also, if I shoot in RAW how to I convert the pic. The camera saves the file as a *.NEF. I'm sure I need to convert this file but I can't get PS to open it up through normal channels. Am I doing something wrong?
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11/22/2005 03:17:06 PM · #2 |
For converting them, there are a few options. Nikon View that came with your camera is the most obvious choice. Also, I know my camera the 8700, allows you to convert to TIFF (which PS will open) in-camera.
The advantages to shooting RAW over JPEG Fine have been debated a lot around here. The most obvious advantages are post-shoot adjustments to White Balance, Exposure and so forth. Also RAW is 10-12 bit compared to JPEG's 8-bit, so technically you get better gradiations of color and greyscales.
However, there are some drawbacks to RAW, file size is huge compared to JPEG. Write times are long and most cameras can't do long burst of shots in RAW mode. Plus, at the end of the shoot, you will have to convert to a usable format ie JPG or TIFF, so that you can post-process or have the photos printed.
Hope my 2 cents helps.
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11/22/2005 03:23:35 PM · #3 |
If you use a PC, you can download RAWshooter Essentials for free. I use Capture One, as I am on a Mac. I much prefer RAW, as I can carry out all my exposure and white balance adjustments, along with some sharpening, in the RAW converter and not even bother to run Photoshop, except for some additional spot-editing. Batch conversion after tinkering means that I can then walk away while the computer turns out the final JPEGs. I'd recommend trying it, just to see whether you like it as much.
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11/22/2005 03:26:31 PM · #4 |
If you are using a recent version of Photoshop (and full version, not Elements) you should be able to open it, but will need the Camera Raw Update that supports your camera. Offhand, I don't know what the first version was that supported the D50. If your version of Photoshop is 7.0 or earlier, it certainly will not be supported. If you cannot get direct support in Photoshop, then the previously posted Raw Shooter Essentials is a good option.
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11/22/2005 05:49:39 PM · #5 |
Wow. GREAT info. I'll try tonight and post a reply. I have to say, this is a great forum for learning. I've tried a couple of others and this is definitely the best for someone like me. Thanks for ALL your help.
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11/22/2005 05:58:36 PM · #6 |
Here's a Linkto Rawshooter Essentials Download
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11/22/2005 06:16:58 PM · #7 |
Originally posted by fotomann_forever:
For converting them, there are a few options. Nikon View that came with your camera is the most obvious choice. Also, I know my camera the 8700, allows you to convert to TIFF (which PS will open) in-camera.
The advantages to shooting RAW over JPEG Fine have been debated a lot around here. The most obvious advantages are post-shoot adjustments to White Balance, Exposure and so forth. Also RAW is 10-12 bit compared to JPEG's 8-bit, so technically you get better gradiations of color and greyscales.
However, there are some drawbacks to RAW, file size is huge compared to JPEG. Write times are long and most cameras can't do long burst of shots in RAW mode. Plus, at the end of the shoot, you will have to convert to a usable format ie JPG or TIFF, so that you can post-process or have the photos printed.
Hope my 2 cents helps. |
As an example of why I always shoot RAW is the recent red ribbon in triptych. I shot a single image in raw and then processed it twice. The first time I set the exposure in the raw processor to expose for the sky and the second time to expose for the wall.
Taking these now very differnet versions of the same image I combined them in photoshop to take the heavy sky from one and the lighter wall from the other.
There is no way that I would have been able to do that with jpg because the captured data was converted to a single jpg and then much of the original data thrown away by the camera.
Shoot raw if you can afford a big fast CF card.
Message edited by author 2005-11-22 18:21:12.
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11/22/2005 08:00:19 PM · #8 |
I use raw for important shoots to make sure i have the ability later to fix exposure or WB. Like using flash or tough lighting conditons, as it is much easier to move the expsoure in a RAW image than a JPG without degrading the image.
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11/23/2005 11:17:57 PM · #9 |
Sean,
Congrats on the Nikon.
First, your camera should have come with a program to open and work on the RAW images. I would also recommend you try the free RawShooter Essentials. I think the prior posts givein enough info on how to convert it so I'll describe the reasons I shoot in RAW.
RAW captures all the data from the sensor without any processing. You will hav eto do it on the computer. In practical terms, RAW allows you to bring out a lot more details from the over and underexposed areas. In JPEG, the camera's program does that for you via it's set programing. If it's spot on, then fine, if it's off then you have less room to recover the image from the over and/or underexposed areas of the shot. It also has a more dynamic range of colors.
I'd recommend first shooting in JPEG to learn your camera and photography if you are new to it and then as you get comfortable, try things in RAW and see how you like RAW.
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