Tell me about RAW

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Tell me about RAW

Postby Lone Groover » Fri Mar 19, 2010 9:31 am

Just about ( I hope ) to move on to DSLR's and of course am very impressed by pictures seen here that use RAW files then potatoshop.

But I'm dumb - beyond knowing that RAW is an uncompressed image - what does using this mean - and a few basic tips on post processing ??

Pretty please O wise people.

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Re: Tell me about RAW

Postby Doorstop » Fri Mar 19, 2010 9:33 am

Seconded.
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Re: Tell me about RAW

Postby Lone Groover » Fri Mar 19, 2010 9:36 am

Just read this.....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raw_image_format

None the bloody wiser ! ! ! ! !
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Re: Tell me about RAW

Postby Josef » Fri Mar 19, 2010 9:54 am

Not that I know the first thing about it, you understand, but that article seems quite clear to me.

The difference between a photo file and a RAW one sounds a bit like the difference between having a wardrobe and having a pile of wood and a wardrobe catalogue.

Someone will be along shortly to explain what tools you need and how to use them. Have fun, chaps.
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Re: Tell me about RAW

Postby Lone Groover » Fri Mar 19, 2010 10:19 am

Josef wrote:
The difference between a photo file and a RAW one sounds a bit like the difference between having a wardrobe and having a pile of wood and a wardrobe catalogue.

.



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Re: Tell me about RAW

Postby Doorstop » Fri Mar 19, 2010 11:51 am

::):

I'm certain IKEA use RAW materials at some point in the whole magic-wardrobe manufacturing process.

I've already got my coat .. which one of you buggers has been through the pockets?
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Re: Tell me about RAW

Postby potatojunkie » Fri Mar 19, 2010 11:59 am

What happens with RAW files is that you get a one-terabyte external harddrive for your birthday, and eight months later there's only 500GB left on it.

The two most important things about RAW files:

1)white balance adjustment
White balance isn't "set" in a RAW file. You can play with it after the fact to your heart's content. Fun for experimenting with odd effects, indispensable if you shoot gigs or other situations where the lighting situation is in constant flux.

2)increased bit depth
JPEG files are 8-bit. This means you have 256 different shades between black and white to play with. This is what most people would call "enough", and it happens to be the limit current monitors can display. In very contrasty scenes,though, you can get something called "posterisation", where there aren't enough shades to smoothly describe transitions in shading. What you end up with is a patch of sky (usual culprit) which is all one shade, and then a jagged, blocky adjacent patch which is all a noticably different shade.

Image

Ugly, no? RAW files have what is often confusingly described as "12 bits in a 16-bit space". I don't know what that means. What I do know is that the RAW file gives you a lot more say over which 256 levels will end up in the resulting JPEG. Esentially you can sit and fiddle with the exposure so that all the ugly stepped transitions happen in dark regions where nobody can see them anyway. When you hear people talk about "exposing to the right", what this means is erring on the side of overexposure so you have more of those available levels in the bright regions for just this purpose.

If you're making enormous prints you can dodge the JPEG step entirely and output your RAW file as a 16-bit TIFF. Your monitor will only be able to hazard a guess as to what it looks like, but it's the way forward if you're doing billboards or something. I've never done this, mind you, and I've made 30"x20" prints that I'm perfectly happy with.

I'm a big fan of RAW files. Some people hate 'em. Best bet is to try it out and see what works for you.
Adobe Lightroom is the bee's knees for RAW processing, also.
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Re: Tell me about RAW

Postby potatojunkie » Fri Mar 19, 2010 1:19 pm

potatojunkie wrote:"12 bits in a 16-bit space"

New, exciting cameras apparently shoot 14-bit RAW. So there you go.
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Re: Tell me about RAW

Postby Lone Groover » Fri Mar 19, 2010 1:54 pm

Gumph !
Getting a pic here now !
thanks for taking the time Potatojunk
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Re: Tell me about RAW

Postby Doorstop » Fri Mar 19, 2010 2:08 pm

I'm somewhat edified by PJ's informative post (thanks for that PJ old fruit) but it still doesn't help when it comes to me doing things to a RAW image via Photoshop.

Try as I might I get this ...

Image

... when importing a the RAW file into PS3.

Changing image size and bit depth etc only results in different dot patterns - never an actual image of any kind. :?:
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Re: Tell me about RAW

Postby potatojunkie » Fri Mar 19, 2010 2:24 pm

Doorstop wrote:
... when importing a the RAW file into PS3.

Changing image size and bit depth etc only results in different dot patterns - never an actual image of any kind. :?:

Odd. Take it you mean CS3? What sort of RAW file? How are you importing it? Should be able to drag-and-drop RAW files into CS3 and have it bring up the RAW converter.

edit: should have mentioned that Canon, Nikon et al produce different types of RAW files. .CRW and .CR2 for Canon, .NEF for Nikon, something else (I'm guessing) for Sony, and so on.
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Re: Tell me about RAW

Postby Vinegar Tom » Fri Mar 19, 2010 2:40 pm

To add to the above, shooting RAW files is a boon if you are indulging in HDR. You can create multiple exposures ( e.g -1,0,+1) from one RAW file instead of multiple frames.

As PJ says , you can have hours of fun exploring the possibilities of RAW with Adobe Lightroom. I like Lightroom so much I even bought a book on it :)
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Re: Tell me about RAW

Postby Lone Groover » Fri Mar 19, 2010 2:56 pm

Doorstop ! ! ! !

We need lightroom, get onto it lad. !
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Re: Tell me about RAW

Postby Doorstop » Fri Mar 19, 2010 3:31 pm

potatojunkie wrote:
Doorstop wrote:
... when importing a the RAW file into PS3.

Changing image size and bit depth etc only results in different dot patterns - never an actual image of any kind. :?:

Odd. Take it you mean CS3? What sort of RAW file? How are you importing it? Should be able to drag-and-drop RAW files into CS3 and have it bring up the RAW converter.

edit: should have mentioned that Canon, Nikon et al produce different types of RAW files. .CRW and .CR2 for Canon, .NEF for Nikon, something else (I'm guessing) for Sony, and so on.


It is indeed CS3 PJ. It's a standard Panasonic RAW format of .raw.

Any way of importing the file (drag and drop, 'open file' or double click on the image icon) all result in the same white noise type image.

Does exactly the same thing in Paint Shop Pro 9 incidentally. :?:

Looks like I'll have to go on a bug hunt for Lightroom somewhere .. *dons the deerstalker and magnifying glass.* .. although I'm a tad reticent if all I'm going to get is the same old guddled bitplane again.
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Re: Tell me about RAW

Postby Lone Groover » Fri Mar 19, 2010 3:35 pm

Doorstop wrote:
Any way of importing the file (drag and drop, 'open file' or double click on the image icon) all result in the same white noise type image.



You haven't got a white lens cover by any chance ?............................
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