loving RAW
Can you believe our little Crew is 2 months old now? Here's my little buddy on a walk this morning. He LOVES fresh air and was in such a happy mood.
Now look at this same picture before I edited it:
People. Do you know about RAW? Definitely old news to you who are a little more seasoned with photography. But something I definitely felt like mentioning today because it just may change your life. Okay, that's a strong statement. But if you don't know what the heck I'm talking about, read on.
I am not ... I repeat NOT ... a good resource for technical questions. Seriously. Don't ask. I just need to be sure you know that. But my technically saavy brother Kevin, convinced me to shoot in RAW a while ago and I'm learning more and more why. PS - Kevin is a great resource, and since I'm his favorite sister, maybe he'll chime in on the Comments below if you do have questions for him. (Love you, Kevin!)
If you have the option to shoot in RAW on your digital SLR camera, then change that in your settings. You see, when you bring a RAW image up in Photoshop, this window pops up.
Do you see all those options on the right? It took me less than a minute - literally - to do a quick edit on the original image and turn it into a much better result. This is what I did: It was a bit overexposed, so I brought the exposure down, increased the temperature (warmer tones), increased the blacks, brought the clarity down (making it softer) and ... that's it! It does not take an expert to use this panel of options and I'm just SO in love with RAW for this reason alone. You have to try it (if you have a digital SLR with the RAW option)!
Oh! I bet you're wondering who won a free Holiday Card kit! Congratulations to:
1. Rhiannon in Conway, Arkansas
2. Kim in Altha, Florida
3. Michelle in Walla Walla, Washington (is that a real city? how cute!)
E-mail your name & shipping information to Vivian (vgrothe@ckmedia.com) and she'll get your kit to you. Happy card making, ladies!
Now look at this same picture before I edited it:
People. Do you know about RAW? Definitely old news to you who are a little more seasoned with photography. But something I definitely felt like mentioning today because it just may change your life. Okay, that's a strong statement. But if you don't know what the heck I'm talking about, read on.
I am not ... I repeat NOT ... a good resource for technical questions. Seriously. Don't ask. I just need to be sure you know that. But my technically saavy brother Kevin, convinced me to shoot in RAW a while ago and I'm learning more and more why. PS - Kevin is a great resource, and since I'm his favorite sister, maybe he'll chime in on the Comments below if you do have questions for him. (Love you, Kevin!)
If you have the option to shoot in RAW on your digital SLR camera, then change that in your settings. You see, when you bring a RAW image up in Photoshop, this window pops up.
Do you see all those options on the right? It took me less than a minute - literally - to do a quick edit on the original image and turn it into a much better result. This is what I did: It was a bit overexposed, so I brought the exposure down, increased the temperature (warmer tones), increased the blacks, brought the clarity down (making it softer) and ... that's it! It does not take an expert to use this panel of options and I'm just SO in love with RAW for this reason alone. You have to try it (if you have a digital SLR with the RAW option)!
Oh! I bet you're wondering who won a free Holiday Card kit! Congratulations to:
1. Rhiannon in Conway, Arkansas
2. Kim in Altha, Florida
3. Michelle in Walla Walla, Washington (is that a real city? how cute!)
E-mail your name & shipping information to Vivian (vgrothe@ckmedia.com) and she'll get your kit to you. Happy card making, ladies!
at
10:46 AM
35 Comments:
freinds recently have convinced me to switch and try RAW and OMG I was convinced rather quickly to only shoot in RAW!!!
(I have a few examples on my blog too www.myebella.wordpress.com (yup in need of an update)...
P.S.. What a cutie Crew is!!
I don't know anything about RAW but I just wanted to say that the Crew is too cute! It totally looks like he's waving!!
Once you go RAW you never go back--at least I have not.
I do only shoot in RAW, but for those who cannot, you can also edit jpg's in Camera Raw too.
Another great feature of this program is cropping without data loss before bringing the image into Photoshop or Elements.
As "alis" mentioned above, you can also edit jpg's in the Camera Raw Editor. I have Photoshop Elements 6 and here are the steps:
While in the PSE6 editor, go to File > Open As > find your picture > in the Open As dialogue select Camera Raw > Open.
Viola - you can now use all of the great features of the Camera Raw Editor on your jpg. files!!! Try this - you’ll love it!!
Jen S.
Crew is super cute! Thans for the info.
I had no idea there was such a thing called RAW. I will have to try it.
Thank you everyone for sharing your thoughts.
P.S. Crew is a cutie!
Great photos...can you tell us a little more, not technical but how you've managed the change to RAW?
I'm hesitant because I've heard it will use up all my memory/slow my computer down, and that supposedly the camera would have made similar changes for you, when converting from RAW to jpg??
From your experience, are the camera autochanges very different from what you would do on your own?
Thanks so much for sharing!
I have a really pathetic question...Is Photoshop a program that you purchase and then put onto your computer?
Hey, friend. Totally agree about raw. I've been shooting raw for over a year and it's the only way to go. I actually shoot in raw/jpeg mode. Depending on the programs you have, sometimes raw isn't visible as a thumbnail so it's nice to have the jpg to view or send to family & friends who just want copies regardless of the quality. You have to convert raw to jpeg in order to print so I like having both.
Thank you so much for choosing me:)
I am so excited!!!!!!
Rhiannnon
Conway, Arkansas
Just to answer Susan above. Photoshop is a program you purchase and put on your computer. The large full version is several hundred dollars and the Photoshop Elements version is usually less than $100 (sales at costco are around $79).
You can edit photos and do digital scrapbooking in Photoshop and Photoshop Elements. Hope that answers your question.
Congrats to the x-mas card kit winners.
Darling photos of Crew. My 17 yr old was looking at her pictures from her younger days and couldn't believe how awful most of them were. I had to remind her they were before digital and the film cost a fortune to develop and print so you didn't take tons. You had to be happy with what you got.
Thankful for digital!!!
Kathi in Utah
What a cutie Crew is, he looks like he could twice his age with that little wave!
What a cutie!! I've always wanted to switch to RAW with my DSLR but have been warned that doing so will eat up my memory and I will forever be purchasing extra memory. What's the memory comparison vs. shooting in very high resolution jpeg? Is RAW double the memory size? Triple? (maybe a question for Kevin)
Thanks! Teresa
Becky, Crew is getting soo big and he's soo cute!
I agree RAW is the way to go. I just recently switched to RAW and LOVE it soo much. RAW is great because it can SAVE your pictures if you under/over exposed and/or fix the white balance on the picture. Yes it does use a lot of memory (so I recommend getting an external hard drive so that it doesn't slow down your computer) but the control you have over your picture is amazing. If you shoot in jpg you don't have as much control over your pic because the camera chose how it wanted to process your picture instead of you deciding how to process it.
I forgot to mention there is a great new site for moms who love photography and it's a great place to go if you love photography and have questions. It's helped me improve in my photography skills. If you would like to check it out click on the link below:
Clickin' Moms
Susy
Oh Becky, I don't even have Photoshop!! I have it on my Chrismas list so maybe . . . Drew is adorable!
Very cool to use RAW when shooting. Not sure if my camera does exactly what you are describing but I've seen it show the little graph before. I'll have to look into it.
I can't believe that Crew is already 2 months old. Nice that you have good weather to take him for a walk. Brrr & snow up here.
What a cute munchkin you have!!
RAW is absolutly the best way to go!
Oh and yes there is a Walla Walla, Wa. Check out the big old sweet onions in the store and you'll notice they are probably Walla Wallas. Yum!!
To answer Teresa's question above, it really depends on several variables. Primarily 1) how your specific camera handles RAW files, and 2) how much processing and compression applies to turn your images into a JPEG. Every camera is different.
I shoot with the new Canon 50D (love it), and have temporarily set it to save both RAW and large/high quality JPEGs simultaneously (I usually only shoot RAW). The sizes are below:
RAW: 16.5 MB
JPEG: 3.3 MB
The size difference is attributed to the fact that a RAW file stores 2 or 3 stops (depending on the camera) of image information above the current settings AND below, giving you great control over lighting and sharpness (among other things). Drive space is cheap these days, so if you can shoot RAW, go for it.
I don't shoot RAW yet (just got a new camera for my birthday/Christmas that has that setting). But I thought if what Becky mentioned and her picture of Crew didn't convince you then check out Karen Russell's blog: http://karenrussell.typepad.com/my_lifejust_not_on_the_ro/2008/05/and-i-owe-it-al.html
She does a great job of explaining (along with examples) of what Becky mentioned. Even if shooting in RAW doesn't interest you then just go to the site to check out her photography. WOWSERS!
BTW, that little guy of yours is super cute edited or not!
Crew is a cutie!
There is a current Costco coupon for the new Photoshop Elements 7 for $30 off....I think this makes it $50!! The coupon is good until December 7. Merry Christmas..this will be under my tree for me!!
if you have photoshop CS3 you can make these same adjustments to jpgs! In photoshop go to File>Open As then choose your photo, just make sure at the bottom (under the file name) you chande the "open as" from Photoshop to "Camera Raw". You'll see your photo, along with all of the adjustments that used to be only available for adjusting RAW photos. It's awesome. Probably still might want to shoot RAW for big shoots (though I know a lot of wedding photogs that swear by JPEG) But this is a great way to make adjustments to all of your jpeg photos....
Oh, there is just too much to learn. I'm seriously behind the learning curve. When they finally get that new baby I'll go hold him and ask your techie brother all my questions. He and your sister and law are gems.
What a cutie - I can't believe he's two months old already- although I'm sure the time has flown much faster in your eyes than mine :) Thanks for the photo tips
And yes, Walla Walla, WA really exists! And if you think Vidalia onions are great you haven't lived until you try a Walla Walla Onion! :)
Editing my previous comment to say Crew, not Drew! Sorry Becky!
From your post a few days ago:
You aren't the only one who hasn't read the Twilight Series, but you and I are among the few! My reason is also the same as yours: baby. Maybe someday I can get around to reading again!
Hey Becky,
Crew is such a cutie! I just wanted to say THANK YOU so much for choosing me for the holiday card kit. My husband and son came in to check on me when I checked your blog and saw my name, I was so excited I quess I got a little caried away with my excitement. I have never won anything EVER!!! Can't wait to get started on my cards! Thanks for making my day!
Kim from Altha
Hi Kathi! Thanks so much for answering my question...I'll be heading over to Costco to purchase mine! Thanks, Kowen for the info on the coupon!!
Make sure when you are buying photoshop elements you are buying 7. This new version (I just jumped up from version 4). PSE7 allows you to edit RAW in the format shown in Becky's screen shot.
Thanks so much!! Can't wait to get my card kit. And thanks for the info on shooting RAW - I'm wishing for a digital SLR for Christmas.
And yes, Walla Walla is a real place. And even funnier - we're the Wilwands from Walla Walla, WA.
You just have to take Karen Russell's photography class. I have three little ones as well and it just changed my photography, my scrapbooking and my life. It was the best thing I could have done for my kids when they are little by being able to capture their story just a little bit better. My kids are about the same ages and sex as yours :)
Awww what a cutie pie!!
You did a great job showing the flexibility of RAW shooting lets you get the most out of your shots. I shoot RAW and, like many of the commenters, I recommend it to everyone.
As for the technical details behind RAW, I did a little technical post on RAW shooting here that should help answer some questions that your readers may have.
Thanks for posting, sharing your good experiences will help others see the joys of RAW. Oh, and cute kid ;)
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