Canon RAW file processing

[jason_tanner]

A friend of mine recently purchased the 40D and liked the preview of his jpeg preview of his RAW file more than

his Photoshop Camera RAW processed version of the jpeg. So he was wondering what software tools people use to

process their RAW files. He used Digital Photo Professional 3.1, which came with his new camera, and was pleased

with his results. Anyone else using the same? If not what do you use? Thanks!

 

Jason

[KenPapai]

I use ACR 4.5 (PS CS3). Works perfectly well, and, IMNSHO, is the best (and totally professional grade) raw processor for EOS raw files. I don't use any Canon software.

[michaeljlawson]

I am starting to thinks something went wrong with a recent Adobe update. I too have noticed that my Canon DPP previews look better than my Adobe Raw JPG conversion, but only when viewed in Adobe. The same Adobe processed file opened in DPP or another viewer looks great. I have also noticed that my B&W shots look terrible when previewed in Adobe, but fine when viewed in another application. Anyone else experience this?

[g dan mitchell]

I'm big on CS3 ACR. It does everything I need it to do and it integrates beautifully with Photoshop. (Smart layers rule.)

 

If your images don't look the way you want in a particular RAW converter/viewer, there is likely nothing at all wrong with the

software - you just need to work the settings to optimize the image.

 

Dan

[michaeljlawson]

I agree, CS3 ACR is the way to go as far as I'm concerned, it's just recently things started not to look right after the Raw processing, when viewing in Photoshop. Might just be my imagination though.

[zml]

Canon DPP is a mature converter and it is free. It also allows for some rudimentary processing in additon to the

RAW conversion and is often all that one needs for post-processing. One big plus of DPP is that it reads Canon

picture tags and sets the starting point for conversion accordingly.<br> CaptureOne and Adobe ACR have cought up

with DPP for almost all Canon cameras with the exception of 1Ds Mk. III and 1D Mk. III: DPP is still a champ for

these

two cameras. <br>I'd say that for an average shooter the newest versions of Canon DPP + Adobe Photoshop

Elements

are more then enough for

postprocessing.

[SteveH]

I have a 1Ds MkIII. I don't use the Canon software. Rather I use Lightroom as the RAW processor and do further editing in

PS3. This is because I do a lot of travel photography and have Lightroom on my laptop as a

sorter/viewer/processor/labeller, and can easily transfer this to my desktop at home. Works for me.

[apetty]

I use DPP. It is cheap (came with the Camera) and I can do almost everything I want to do. (If they could add a free rotation feature to the next version(Canon if you are reading this.........give me rotate by .01 degree at a time)

 

I find it quick and easy and it reads the RAW file easily

[hawkman]

Jason,

The best sw to process 40D RAWs is Canon DPP which comes with the camera. It is extremely fast and easy to use. Lightroom and CS3 use different algorithms for demosaicing which are not necessarily optimized for Canon sensors. I have also noticed that ACR applies NR at shots that are taken at ISO 400 and above even if you set it off and the pics have a watercolor look. The only feature that DPP unfortunately doesn't provide is rotation by degrees for straitening tilted shots.

[g dan mitchell]

All the theorizing in the world about "different demosaicing algorithms" and other such stuff doesn't change the fact that

for Photoshop users ACR does an absolutely fine job of RAW conversion, and integrates with PS via smart layers in a

way that is very powerful, for example permitting you to double-click the layer in PS and return to ACR to make

adjustments you'd rather make there.

 

I'm not against using something else if you feel like it, but ACR is really a tremendously powerful application for those

who learn how to use it.

 

Dan

 

(Who can understand using Lightroom instead for processing and sorting large numbers of photos.)

[mvw photo]

>>>One big plus of DPP is that it reads Canon picture tags and sets the starting point for conversion accordingly.<<<

 

Exacrly, and that in my mind means it is madness to use anything else. I have always wondered about this. If I set my WB to Tungsten, my sharpening to heavy, my color space to sRGB, and so on, why on earth would I use a converter that ignores any of those settimgs?

 

I use Lightroom on the Mac with my 1D but I hate it. Any setting I do on camera is ignored. These apps will ony be good once they take the settings I set on the camera.

[mvw photo]

And I do agree, DPP misses essential features:

 

1) arbitrary rotate

2) sharpen after reducing in size

3) distort (to fix perspective issues)

 

Canon, PLEASE add those.

[cabbiinc]

If he likes DPP version 3.1 he would love version 3.4. More features, more noise reduction, more lenses on the lens abberation correction. I'm sure there are people out there that dont like DPP, and thats fine too. It's kind of like which camera do you buy, some like Canon some dont. In the end the one that lets you do what you want to do is the right one for you. If you like a software and it works for you then use it. If your software doesnt do what you want then you need to lose it.

 

The tutorial is here http://www.usa.canon.com/content/dpp2/index.html It's not a bad bit of free software.

[JDMvW]

DPP works fine, but I too use the Adobe Creative Suite 3 software most often.

[stavros_l]

try this http://www.isl.co.jp/SILKYPIX/english/