“What is the basic process of converting RAW files to other, more usable file formats?” This is the most fundamental question you must address if you are going to work efficiently with RAW files. This is the question I answer in “RAW Conversion Workflow Basics,” my most recent “RAW Processing Solutions” column for AfterCapture. (PDF here; complete text below.)
This article is geared both for newbies to RAW as well as for photographers with intermediate raw processing skills who want to better understand helpful conceptual underpinnings — especially in relation to working with raw files in Lightroom. (If you are a RAW processing wizard, you might want to share this article with confused colleagues or mentees.)
Topics covered include: • How RAW and JPEG files differ; • Differences between RAW workflows in Adobe Camera Raw/Photoshop and Lightroom workflow; • Step-by-step RAW to TIFF workflows in Photoshop and Lightroom; • What’s going on “under the hood” in Lightroom when working with RAW files.
RAW Conversion Workflow Basics
“What is the best way for me to get my RAW (Canon) files converted to TIFFs?” One of the magazine’s faithful readers, Mike P., sent us this great, basic question. I e-mailed Mike some basic advice explaining, in part, that: “There are any num- ber of ways to go from Canon RAW files (CR2s) to TIFFs, depending on one’s individual workflow. Since I don’t know your workflow, I’ll assume that you are looking for the most basic solution and so I will recommend using Lightroom 3 for the entire process.”
In this column I will answer Mike’s question more fully. It’s a great question because it’s so basic, and basic information is the most important information. After all, if we haven’t mastered the basics we get stuck and frustrated as we try to deal with nuances. As Mike wrote: “I’m having a heck of a time deciphering the RAW dilemma. Too much info out there and some of it is conflicting.”
Because Mike asked about the mechanics of making TIFF files from RAW files (and not about specific processing controls), I assume that his “RAW dilemma” might best be summed up by this question: “What is the basic process of converting RAW files to other, more usable file formats?”
Opening a RAW file in Photoshop launches Adobe Camera Raw, a powerful RAW processing engine. This is done by clicking “Open Image,” which converts the RAW file into a Photoshop file that opens into Photoshop, making it ready for further editing.
RAW Files Require Special Processing
RAW image files are unusable as captured in-camera. Therefore, at its most fundamental, RAW processing is the act of converting RAW files into other usable types of image files. RAW files can be converted into Photoshop files for further editing. They can be converted into TIFF files for publication or delivery to clients. And RAW files can be converted to JPEGs of various sizes and quality for printing, sharing and use in Web galleries.
RAW files are the capture format of choice for today’s photographers because Continue reading “RAW Conversion Workflow Basics”