Im really struggling with RAW!! I started using Adobe Bridge and then i tried capture one on a trial and to be totally honest i am a little lost with it all, any ideas where i can get help??
I shoot with a D1H and when i go to open them up thru bridge it seems to blast out the highlights and the colours go mental!!!!! i started using Picasa but i know i can do better!!!
Posted by John Swift on December 6, 2006 at 2:19 PM
Andy,
Phase Ones Capture One has been my raw convertor of choice for some years now so if you have some specific issues there I might be able to help.
Regards
JohnS
Posted by John Gardner on December 6, 2006 at 4:00 PM
Can't recommend Nikon's Capture NX highly enough - really does allow you to bring out the best in the RAW.
It's difficult to write it all down as an explanation. I deally you need to sit down with someone. Where are you based? perhaps there's an NPNer nearby or try a local camera club.
John
Posted by Sean Bolton on December 6, 2006 at 5:16 PM
Hi Andy
I would suggest a decent book on the subject such as PhotoShop for Nature Photographers by Ellon Anon and Tim Grey. It has a good section covering RAW conversion and subsequent PhotoShop adjustments such as levels, curves, sharpening, etc.
Thanks everyone, im based in southport in the north west. Where can i find the default settings in acr???
Posted by Graeme Lee on December 6, 2006 at 5:55 PM
I struggled with RAW for ages after shooting purely JPGs and I can't remember what resources I used to improve. Pretty sure it was just NPN forums. I use C1 and found it really intuitive to use. Admittedly I don't use half the features but the rest is done in photoshop. There's a wealth of info on the net and I'd suggest learning a bit at a time otherwise it can be quite overwhelming. Do some sarches on here and also the main NPN forums.. pretty sure I asked this question a while ago but can't remember when
As you are quite a long way from me, I will try to outline the steps for C1 conversion which IMO is a far better converter than ACR.
1. White balance.... choose from one of the presets and adjust or use the eye dropper on a part of the image you know to be neutral (note if you have a white area and there is any clipping then using that will give an incorrect w/b) It is important to set your w/b first as this can affect subsequebt clipping.
2. Exposure, adjust the exposure slider to give a fully tones preview.. I use these rules +/- 1/3 minor adjustment of exposure, +/- 1/3 to 2/3 major adjustment, I have not estimated the exposure as well as I could, over +/- 1 stop, I got the exposure totally wrong and it is then a rescue job or a bin it.
3. still in the exposure tab. adjust the white and black points (as you would in PS) using levels, then adjust mid tone contrast with a slight S curve, adjust the saturation making sure there is no clipping as you do so, check the overall exposure again to make sure....
4. Export to PS with no sharpening, in PS minor apply capture sharpening, any minor tweaks (shouldn't be needed, I try to get the best conversion possible), remove any dust spots, creative sharpening then save as a master TIFF....
HTH...
Any questions you can email me P.Hurst(at)nhm.ac.uk.
All the best
Phil
Posted by Tim Munsey on December 7, 2006 at 5:50 AM
I believe Nikon raw convertors are the best for nikon nef's, I have explored other products and always have come back to nikons own. The general procedure is the same on all raw convertors, nikon NX has some extra toys to play with, its slow but wonderful.
It has some online tutorials so you can watch it in action.
Preferences.... misc tab, there is an option to export to the TIFF associated app you can also set an external editor there, then on the process tab check automatically open near the bottom.
Discussion
16 repliesIm really struggling with RAW!! I started using Adobe Bridge and then i tried capture one on a trial and to be totally honest i am a little lost with it all, any ideas where i can get help??
I agree that it's a rather steep learning curve, but one that is worth persevering with.
A good source of useful info on all matters digital is Digital Outback
Anything in particular you're stuck with?
Have you turned off the default settings in ACR ?
Phase Ones Capture One has been my raw convertor of choice for some years now so if you have some specific issues there I might be able to help.
Regards
JohnS
It's difficult to write it all down as an explanation. I deally you need to sit down with someone. Where are you based? perhaps there's an NPNer nearby or try a local camera club.
John
I would suggest a decent book on the subject such as PhotoShop for Nature Photographers by Ellon Anon and Tim Grey. It has a good section covering RAW conversion and subsequent PhotoShop adjustments such as levels, curves, sharpening, etc.
cheers
Sean
So this reply probably isn't the kind you wanted.
Cheers
Graeme
As you are quite a long way from me, I will try to outline the steps for C1 conversion which IMO is a far better converter than ACR.
1. White balance.... choose from one of the presets and adjust or use the eye dropper on a part of the image you know to be neutral (note if you have a white area and there is any clipping then using that will give an incorrect w/b) It is important to set your w/b first as this can affect subsequebt clipping.
2. Exposure, adjust the exposure slider to give a fully tones preview.. I use these rules +/- 1/3 minor adjustment of exposure, +/- 1/3 to 2/3 major adjustment, I have not estimated the exposure as well as I could, over +/- 1 stop, I got the exposure totally wrong and it is then a rescue job or a bin it.
3. still in the exposure tab. adjust the white and black points (as you would in PS) using levels, then adjust mid tone contrast with a slight S curve, adjust the saturation making sure there is no clipping as you do so, check the overall exposure again to make sure....
4. Export to PS with no sharpening, in PS minor apply capture sharpening, any minor tweaks (shouldn't be needed, I try to get the best conversion possible), remove any dust spots, creative sharpening then save as a master TIFF....
HTH...
Any questions you can email me P.Hurst(at)nhm.ac.uk.
All the best
Phil
It has some online tutorials so you can watch it in action.
Tim
Preferences.... misc tab, there is an option to export to the TIFF associated app you can also set an external editor there, then on the process tab check automatically open near the bottom.
HTH
Phil