New EOS 5D - advise on RAW

[eleta]

Have had my 5D for three weeks now and have so far only shot jpegs.

I have been really pleased with the quality but have read so much

about RAW that have decided to give it a go. I am new to

digital so was abit confused when I opened the RAW file in my canon

software as to what I was supposed to convert it to before opening

it in CS2. jpeg, 8bit TIFF or 16bit TIFF?

[mike cary]

Either will work as most of your editing can be done in 16bit in CS-2

 

Also you can work with the RAW files directly in CS2 by accessing ACR via Bridge.

 

Some people like ACR some people like Canon DPP really just a matter of taste and what works best for each person.

 

Mike

[jpb]

You can make preliminary adjustments to the .crw file in whatever program your using (canon viewer or Photoshop, etc.) and then convert it to a 16 bit tiff. Then make your final adjustments to the 16 bit tiff, size it for print (or display), sharpen it, and then reduce the 16bits to 8 bits once you are sure no further adjustments are necessary. Save the 8-bit file separately from the 16-bit file. I then archive the CRW file in a folder called RAW, the 16 bit tiffs in a folder called processed, and the sized 8-bit tiffs in a folder called print. If you are using layers in your 16-bit file, then save it as a PSD rather than as a tiff as you will save disk space by doing so.

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<b>This is a very abbreviated version of part of my workflow</b>, but I hope it helps.

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Just remeber, shooting RAW will mean more post-processing than the jpgs you are used to shooting, but ultimately, you will have much greater control of your final results.

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Good luck and, more importantly, have fun.

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jb

[eleta]

Thanks. How do i get into ACR via Bridge? Is it a plug-in or part or CS2? sorry for being stupid but only just got CS2 ad never even touched photoshop till last week!

[mike cary]

Eleta,

 

Clicking on a RAW .CR file in Bridge automaticially launch ACR. If not just right click and choose open Camera RAW.

 

Select image or images in Bridge and right click and choose open in Camera RAW. When ACR starts you'll see a film strip of image down one side and one image in the center. You can use sync to apply setting to multiple images at once.

 

When you've made your adjustment choose, open, save or done depending on your needs.

 

Mike

[eleta]

Mike

Sorry i know this is not your problem but need help. I can open a RAW file in cs2 but in bridge the camera raw option is not highlighted so I can't select it. Any ideas?

[lovcom_photo]

You don't need to use Bridge to use ARC. You can just right click on the RAW image then use the "Open With" to select CS...this will also evoke ACR.

[lovcom_photo]

James Burger wrote "You can make preliminary adjustments to the .crw file in whatever program your using (canon...".

 

The RAW image never gets changed. When using a conversion tool, one must convert to TIFF or JPG, but the RAW image remains the same.

[mormegil]

You may need an updated version of ACR if Bridge won't let you open up the RAW file. What happens when you double click on the file?

 

 

 

As to wether you should use 16 or 8 bit. Editing should be done with 16-bit when possible. 8-bit images *look* fine, but when you start pushing pixel values around, you can start seeing banding and other artifacts with 8-bit.

 

What I do is convert to 16-bit, do all my editing, convert to 8-bit and save as a JPEG (others may save as an 8-bit TIFF, but at this point JPEG is fine for me).

[jpb]

Dan Lovell is correct... the peril of my abbreviate response.

 

When you adjust a raw file, it won�t affect the file directly, but will affect the output file, such as the 16 bit tiff conversion. However, depending on the program you are using, whatever shags you make to the raw will be cached with the file, so when you view it again, those changes might still be in effect, but you can always revert to the "as shot" setting and start again. Best thing to do is back up your RAW files and experiment.

[rhaytana__tim_adams_]

The 5D should have arrived with Digital Photo Professional (DPP) on CD for free. You can use that to convert raw files. Others have compared DPP quite favorably to extra $$ programs that do the same thing.

 

But, if you already have CS2, you can use them both.

[eleta]

Jose, initially I could not open it in cs2 either but downloaded the camera raw version 3.3 from Adobe and after much confusion (not used to doing much with computers either!) managed to open raw images in cs2 but in bridge if I click once it just brings up a thumb nail of the raw file icon and if I double click it launches into cs2. I want to be able to view as slideshow. Any suggestions?

 

just want to ssay thanks to everyone who took time to post a reply. Never used this forum before yeterday. I'm sure I shall be asking lots more questions!