photoshop??

I have photo-shop 7.0 and when my photos are sent from the Canon EOS viewer utility to photo-shop they are converted to a tiff format/file . Do i loose anything going from RAW to TIFF ?? I have tried to open them in photo-shop in RAW , but i don't think i can with 7.0 . Do i need a new version of Photo-shop to work with RAW images ?? I know this is a REALY ROOKIE ?? . Thanks for all you Patience , i now i have been asking a lot of questions .

Thanks Again !!!!!!!

RobK.

Yes, you do lose something when converting to tiff. Basically, you don't have the same raw data to work with, which limits the editing you can do. There are lots of specific things that are much easier to do when working with the RAW file, such as bringing back shadow detail, white balance work, and general exposure work just to name a few.

There is a version of Adobe Camera Raw that used to be available for download for version 7, but I would highly recommend upgrading to CS3. Adobe added tons of photography specific upgrades, tools, and RAW support in CS3.

Rob - Based on your question, I think a little reading of what RAW actually is would help a lot. Then you can decide for yourself what you want to do with your RAW files. Basically, RAW files aren't an image - they should be treated more like a film negative. Creating the TIFF from them is equivalent to developing a negative. Here are some more pages explaining :

Luminous Landscape Understanding RAW
Cambridge in Colour RAW
PC World Shooting RAW

These are good reads to start, and I really think reading anything on the first two sites is very helpful for a large variety of topics.

Thank you guys !!!!!!!

Rob-I'm right there with you on these questions and am glad you asked them.

Thanks!

Sandi Winton
www.redbudphotography.com

Rob-If you decide to upgrade your software, CS3 is going to cost you several hundred dollars. Adobe Photoshop Elements costs about a hundred, and you can open and work with Raw files before converting them to Tiffs or Jpegs, as well as do many, many other adjustments. I believe they are up to Elements 6.0 now. You may want to get this for now, then later, if you feel you need CS3, make the big plunge at that point.

Ken

Also, if you're the type that does tons of RAW conversion but not too much detailed PS work, Elements and Lightroom make a very nice combination that's still quite a bit less than CS3.

I believe since you own version 7, the upgrade price is under $200 for CS3. That might still be too much for some folks, but well worth it if you ask me. There are quite a few things you can't do with Elements, granted, they are mostly advanced techniques that beginners won't use.

I'm a strong advocate of Adobe Lightroom, it's the most streamlined software I've ever used for RAW conversion, It would be really nice in conjunction with any of the newer photoshop programs, CS and above, or any newer copy of elements. I use it at work with CS, and it's solid. Good luck!