Working in Raw

[dorothy_kay]

<p>I am an amateur who has always shot in JPEG, and just shot my first batch of RAW images (over 300 pics). I think I am in way over my head, and despite articles papering my walls, and PS books all over my desk, I am overwhelmed. I have PS3 and a D90 camera, which incidentally,made the images look great on the screen. Despite searches, my question is, can I convert all the raw images (untouched) to JPEG, and then apply post processing? Side note: I need step by step instructions because I am technologically challanged!</p>

<p> </p>

[peter_e]

<p>Dorothy: This would defeat the purpose of shooting RAW. You have to do the adjustments to the RAW file before you save as jpg. Probably best at this point if you use the software that came with the camera and follow the instructions given there. If you go with PS, you have to open the files from the Browse in Bridge... dialogue. If the RAW images can't be seen or opened there, it means that your version of PS does not support the RAW file format of your camera. If you can, the rest should be pretty straightforward. Good luck!</p>

[devon_mccarroll]

<p>Hi Dorothy,<br />The point of shooting RAW is so that you have alot more control in making changes to your images, which have no data loss at that point. If you convert them to jpeg and then edit, you may as well have shot them in jpeg in the first place.<br />You don't need to go crazy with editing in RAW if your images are close to the way you want them. You can do simple things like adjust white balance, color, and contrast. If you want to go deeper than that, as you know there are plenty of resources to learn how to do that. One you're finished in CS3 (I assume you meant you have CS3), just click the bar in the lower left corner that says "save image", and you can save it as a jpeg. You'll still have the RAW/NEF image to go back to if you need to tweak something later.</p>

[dorothy_kay]

<p>Peter & Devon, thank you both for your prompt response.</p>

[tommyinca]

<p>One way to run batch file in photoshop CS3 is this (see below). Also try to set the default setting of Camera RAW to the way you like before hand. Next time shoot in JPEG + RAW :-)</p>

<p> </p><div></div>

[Matt Laur]

<p>You can use Nikon's free View NX program to convert the RAW files into the same JPGs the camera <em>would</em> have made, while preserving your opportunity to take full advantage of individual RAW files when you need the extra editing latitude. Did I mention it was free? <br /><br />View NX understands your camera presets, and will handle those files without you having to do anything to them for a batch conversion. When you see an image that requires your more careful attention, you go about editing it in CS3 as you see fit. For those that you got right enough in-camera, the batch export to JPGs will go just fine on cruise control.</p>

[dorothy_kay]

<p>Many thanks for your kindness Tommy & Matt, all is not lost!</p>

[lachaine]

<p>Being an increasingly cantankerous and curmudgeonly pre-senior man, I may have different ways of looking at things, but I have to wonder if you really need to mess with raw. I do use raw myself for some things, but if you ask me, feeling overwhelmed as you say, maybe you should consider taking it one step at a time. There are plenty of experts out there who can effectively argue you don't need raw files... and their arguments are as valid as those who say you do. You could just make sure you have your in-camera settings optimized as you want them, and then trust me, there's no reason you can't do basic adjustments to large JPEGs, as long as you do them all on the same file without resaving it multiple times. You can crop, adjust brightness and contrast using both simple or more complicated methods, you can play with hues and saturation all you want, etc. You can even clone out unwanted small objects if you want.<br>

Once you're comfortable with that, then explore raw, but one picture at a time, not 300. You can learn a lot just by taking one picture you really want to work on, and then experimenting. You can start over as often as you want, because raw converter software doesn't change the actual file, only the settings you want applied to it (which you can reset at any time).</p>

<p>In the meantime, as someone else suggested, just use the image browser that came with the camera to rapidly convert your 300 files to the JPEGs your camera would have given you in the first place, assuming those are all keepers. If they are, you're a better photographer than I am.</p>

<p>I mean, come on, people have been doing digital photography just fine for years without using raw files, but all of sudden, everything is garbage if it isn't raw. Everything your camera does it does to a raw file before it saves it as a JPEG anyway. So if you ultimately do the same thing to the raw file, you're gaining a sweet nothing for your effort.</p>

<p>It's as if there were no photographers in the film days if they didn't use a darkroom... which is nonsense, of course.</p>

[dorothy_kay]

<p>Thank you Pierre, I AM going back to JPEG and making the simple post process corrections I am used to making.God only knows whatever I was thinking when I decided to 'explore' RAW with 300 images. But I'm back on track and appreciate your advice.</p>

[aura_jane]

I would download a trial version of lightroom. I find that so easy to use myself. I can edit 300 pics and have converted to

jpeg in about 30 min on there. Just import all the files, get the color and exposure the way you want. You can then select

all the pics you want exposed that way and hit sync. then select all the photos and export

you can then choose where and what name you want saved under and what quality and it's done. It's so easy and it's a

free 30 day trial.

[carbon_dragon]

<p>I use Aperture for that. You can "develop" all the raw images till they look good and then export as jpeg.</p>