RAW and PE 3

[diversteve]

I'm still trying to find a RAW plug-in for PS7. :06:

Don't you shoot with an Olympus 5050?

How about one from Olympus:

http://www.olympusamerica.com/cpg_s...sp?Category=Digital+Camera&Product=890&OS=Win

Although I've read(see splashdown divers link lower) it doesn't have a lot of functionality in PS7 - I can't test it as I don't have an Olympus camera.

Otherwise you could go with a converter like SharpRaw, but the problem is the best you get is a 48bit PSD output file, and I think it loses the raw metadata in the process. So it's ok for output, but not for archival work. http://www.logicaldesigns.com/Imaging1.htm

As far as I know these are the only two options for a prosumer digicam like the Olympus. Unless you go with a standalone program like Silverfast DC Pro: http://www.silverfast.com/highlights/en.html

You might also check raw-converter.com, it's a german site but translated into english at this link: http://www.raw-converter.com/en/ A quick scan didn't turn up anything for Olympus.

I also just googled this Raw information page on Splashdown Divers website:
http://www.splashdowndivers.com/photo_gallery/underwater_photography/image_processing_raw.htm

Steve

 

[diversteve]

I have read all the posts here on SB as well as several other sites regarding the capabilities of PE 3 with RAW format. It still leaves me questioning, if one is going to use PE 3, would it be better to shoot in SHQ or go ahead with RAW?
What would be lost/gained?

I'm not sure what SHQ is, but RAW is going to give you more options later on as you're capturing all the exposure metadata along with the image. Also if SHQ is a .jpg format then your camera applies a lossy compression to the image when it's taken resulting in a lower initial image quality.

You can always keep the images in RAW format for future use and convert them to .jpg or .tiff for processing. The new Adobe Digital Negative specification - DNG - that was released last Sept. uses RAW images as it's archive base format. For me anyway, being a diehard PS user, that's enough of a reason to work in RAW in the future.

 

[alcina]

That's an interesting point. Doesn't the software that comes with your camera let you download RAW files & convert them? It might not have all the bells and whistles that PSCS does, but it would let you save the highest quality image for the future and still give you a workable image right now. I can't remember what the software does as I don't use it and have no idea where the disk is...

Or maybe there is a cheaper than $499 alternative out there?\

Welcome to the 5050 set! You'll find that it has its quirks, but overall I enjoy it immensely. My next project is to really work it in supermacro and with my stacked macro 165s. Always more to learn!!

 

[hueyatl1]

..... I think it's well worth the extra $50 or so to upgrade to the full CS program. You can upgrade to CS from any PE or PS version for only $169.

I tried to find this offer on Adobe website and found this instead:

"Adobe Photoshop CS Upgrade
To install upgrade successfully, you will need a licensed version of Photoshop 7.0 or earlier on the same platform as this purchase.
NOTE:Upgrade does not apply to Photoshop Elements, Photoshop Album, Photoshop Limited Edition, or PhotoDeluxe licensed users."

I would be happy to pay $169 for PS CS, however the Adobe website seems to indicate that is not possible from Elements.

 

[Kim]

On the other hand PE3 is only $99 and does support RAW.

 

[crestgel]

I just got off the phone with Adobe and it looks like the upgrade from PSE to CS is $499!

I think I'll be sticking to jpg!

What OS are you running? There are other raw file processing programs other then PS CS and the software that comes with your camera.

Win
BreezeBrowser 60.00
http://www.breezesys.com/purchase.htm

Win and Mac
Bibble 129.00(Full Version) 69.00 (lite version)
http://www.bibblelabs.com/

There are more expensive programs but the top too are pretty good. On certain images BreezeBrowser and Bibble does a much better job then ACR (Adobe Camera Raw - Photoshop CS RAW processor)

 

[PapaBob]

Hi Kev:

I think others have given you the RAW facts and a good RAW education. I checked out the RAW plugin for my canon in PSE3 and I am impressed. It is actually very good. Let me add my vote for shooting RAW and saving your originals, and saving your PSE processed images as high quality JPEGs if you want. The only extra step is running your images through the RAW converter when you are loading into PSE3 to work.

Like many features, PSCS gives you more options, including in RAW. Unless you are going to color correct in RAW or upsize your image in RAW, I dont think you will miss many of the PSCS extras.

There is a feature in PSE3 that has not been discussed and blows me away. Many prosumer digitals will record RAW in 12 or 16 bit mode vs the standard 8 bit. Your 8 bits buys you 256 color shades per RGB channel. The 16 bit earns you over 64k shades per color channel. This may not seem like much of a deal, but have you ever worked over an image in PSE and found huge gaps result in the histogram (combing) or the image detail starts to lose it (posterization)? You can push the 16bits a lot harder with no loss of image quality, and then convert to 8 bit if you want to save compressed JPEG files. I ignored this feature in PSCS for months, but am getting into it. PSE3 supports 16 bit mode with many of its functions (eg Levels). Note: If your camera produces 8bit jpegs you gain nothing by converting to 16 and working them. But if your camera delivers 12 or 16 bit RAW, and your computer has some muscle, then working in 16 is a dream.

At any rate, I had a problem posting to my gallery so I had to attach the following below. One is a screen shot of the RAW converter in CS (left) and the other is the RAW converter in PSE3 (right) for comparison.

---Bob

 

[Zebra mussel]

PE 3 has RAW conversion for most,but not all Cameras. I use NEF files for my Nikon d 70 and this is not supported by PE3. So...it all depends on your camera. Call the Adobe people and they will answer any questions you have. The upgrades from PE2 to PE3 are not substantial unless they can support RAW files for your specific camera. The reason I upgraded was to use the "Healing brush" command which PE2 doesnt have. Its great for getting rid of backscatter and other unwanted atrifacts. It also has some better file management tools.