Adobe Photoshop v8.0 CS (RAW Processing)

The value of RAW depends on the image. If the range of brightness is modest, you hit the exposure right (or exposure bracket) and you want to emphasize the midtones, jpg will do nicely. These factors probably cover the majority of pictures taken and explains the popularity of jpg. If any of the above are not true, then RAW is more advantageous (given a journey up the learning curve). I do landscapes where sometimes the range of brightness is larger than what is accomodated in jpg. RAW on my 10D gives me a couple of stops or a bit more of brightness range to capture such scenes. Even if a given exposure does not stress the jpg brightness range, the exposure range over a series of shots in a panorama often does. Thus RAW provides extra brightness range when necessary. RAW also lets you determine your own tone curves for shots where you want to do different things with the shadows, midtones and highlights. JPG which emphasizes the midtones, compresses and looses detail in the shadows and highlights. While you can recover a bit in the highlights, the 8 bit truncation of JPG significantly limits what you can do in the shadows.

Even if you are doing shooting that jpg does well, RAW gives you some forgiveness in the exposure. This has saved me in shots where the luminance histogram was misleading. When doing bright reds to golds to yellows, the red channel can blow out and not shown in the histogram. The extra brightness range in RAW comes in handy in this case. Hopes this illuminates the issues.
--
Leon
http://pws.prserv.net/lees_pics/landscapes.htm

Hi Ben:
If CS looses your EXIF data, you don't have the latest patch issued by Adobe!
Don.

Ben_Egbert said:

Maybe because PSCS has such a steep learning curve. But if I
convert my RAW in CS, it loses the EXIF data, BB does not. Also I
think BB is easier to use to download. I can pop my card into the
card reader open BB, highlight all files and tell it to move to my
hard drive all at once. That leaves an empty card, ready to use.

Then I open the files in BB and delete any bad files before
converting. Some I want to save, but are not worth converting. I
can view the files in full size prior to making the conversion
decison.

When converting to RAW from BB, I can add noise reduction, fiddle
with WB and the historgram. Or just do a straight conversion. The
jury is out if CS does a better historgram correction, so far I do
better with BB.

I use CS for just about everything else. Last night I tried a RAW
conversion in CS and it brought the file in at a different
resolution. What? I think it changed the DPI. Probably hit a hot
key.

I retire soon, and expect to spend a few years learning what must
be the most complex computer program known. I am a CAD CAM user,
and have done C-programming. CS makes them look easy. But I can see
the power, and think it will be a good thing to learn.

Ben

Click to expand...

LovCom said:

Before I buy, what should I know first? What expectation should we
have when using this product?

Click to expand...

... major commit of free time to learn the product or go take some basic courses to learn about it to get your feet wet in using it.

The questions you are asking are very basic and others will answer you but they should warn you that the quality of the edited photos in PS is in direct relationship in the knowledge of the product. You could find yourself overwhelm by the products features.

If you want to shoot in RAW, PhotoShop CS is the best 16bit editing program out there. If digital photography is a passion PhotoShop is a must learn. I glad I learn it years ago and I am still learning.

Bill

John Lehmkuhl said:

The RAW converter in PS CS is SO MUCH BETTER than RAW conversions
with ACR 1.0 that I can't even open files in Photoshop 7 anymore.
The colors are off and the detail that ACR 2.0 resolves is so
superior to V1.0 that it truly is worth it's weight in gold - for
me at least.

Click to expand...

1. What is ACR 1.0?
2. What is ACR 2.0?

I agree that PS CS is better than PS 7, but for a normal user is it worth all the extra cost compared to PS Elements, plus the "hidden" tools, plus Capture One LE for RAW conversion?

(I have PS CS and I'm considering getting Capture One LE anyway so that I can batch convert RAW files.)
--
Jeff Peterman

Any insults, implied anger, bad grammar and bad spelling, are entirely unintentionalal. Sorry.

There is a fix on the Adobe website for the problem of stripped EXIF data. It came out earlier this year.

Thanks I wil check into it. I suspected something like that.

Ben

Jeff-

Photoshop CS, with RAW settings options combined with actions, does support batch processing of RAW files. What does Capture One do that CS can't? Just curious, I've never looked at Capture One.

Jeff Peterman said:

(I have PS CS and I'm considering getting Capture One LE anyway so
that I can batch convert RAW files.)
--
Jeff Peterman
Any insults, implied anger, bad grammar and bad spelling, are
entirely unintentionalal. Sorry.

Click to expand...

download a 30 day free trial from http://www.adobe.com

LovCom said:

Anyone out there use Adobe P/S v8.0 CS?

I understand it works directly with 10D RAW files...is that so?

When you open a 10D RAW from this product, will it dumb-down the
quality of the pic in terms of color or general quality?

Is it worth the $550 street price?

Please share with us your experiences using this product with 10D
RAW images.

Before I buy, what should I know first? What expectation should we
have when using this product?

Does it force you to convert your 10D RAW to a photoshop file?

Any information you can share would be more then appreciated.

Thanks,
Dan

--
LovCom

Click to expand...

Converting an 8bit JPG to "...a 16bit Tiff for working with it" will do nothing other than inflate the file size needlessly. Once 8 bits, always 8bits.

LovCom said:

Correct me if I'm wrong, or anyone else for that matter, but when
you shot JPG fine, the image is saved in 24 bit color and not 48,
right?

I need some help here guys....I'm dying to know!

Dan

Traveller said:

Everyone's miles may differ...Just one person's opinion as I sit
here working RAW's in CS.

It isn't worth it, the time or the trouble. Working RAW's in CS is
very, very cool the first couple of times you do it....but I have
tested my different work flows on virtually the same image...and
for me, printing or viewing, I can't see a difference between a
fine jpeg converted to a 16bit Tiff for working with it and going
through the RAW process.

Of course, working fine jpeg's, it helps that you take a pretty
good and well exposed image right out of the gate...but you should
be trying to do that anyhow.

I respect the RAW people, I wish them well, but I am fairly sure
I'm headed back to large fine Jpeg. I also just can't stand the
size and storage of RAW's when I travel. (I know that there are
work arounds to this, I just don't want to do them...maybe because
I'm happy with my jpegs).

Best Wishes,

Traveller

Click to expand...

--
LovCom

It's the picture, stupid! ;-)

Click to expand...

--
'There must be some knowledge amidst all this damn information!'

I haven't used Capture One LE yet either, but I know a number of people who have and claim its much better than PS CS, even with batch actions. I believe you can download a trial version, and I intend to once I know I'll have time to play with it.

Besides, I was recommending PS Elements and Capture One LE as a much cheaper alternative for someone who was thinking of buying PS CS just for the RAW features.
--
Jeff Peterman

Any insults, implied anger, bad grammar and bad spelling, are entirely unintentionalal. Sorry.

I am certainly biased, as I have made a living with Adobe and Macromedia products since day one. Not in the realm of photography (as my photos would certainly attest!)

Apart from the obvious "basic" photo editing you can do in CS, you may consider what else you can do. Here are some:

-batch open, convert, and save
-open many picture formats (TIFF, JPEG, PNG, EPS, etc) edit them and export them
-easy to make picture galleries for the web
-sophisticated picture galleries and web pages with ImageReady (included)
-layers and layer adjustments for non destructive editing
-transparency
-blending modes
-masking and other selection techniques
-type
-8 bit, 16 bit, RGB, CMYK, LAB
-true color management workflow for camera, scanner, monitor, and printer
-resizing opportunities
-artifact removal, healing brushes, clone stamp
-channels
-paths
-filters
-layer comps
-etc.

Also don't forget the long list of Photoshop plug-ins, actions, presets, etc. (My current favorite is PhoyoKit Sharpener.)

I tried C1SE, and while I found it interesting I felt I could do a lot more with PSCS. Plus, I am a Mac user and there is no "lite" verson for me.

Elements is actually a fine program for the point and shoot crowd. However, with any of these apps you are going to have to spend time on the learning curve. Why not start learning on the one you will probably end up on anyhow?

PSCS is expensive, but there are alternatives to full boat retail as some responses here point out. Also you may wish to explore the education route, if you, or anone you know, is in that ball game.

The 10D and PSCS are almost inseparable. And unsurpassable!

-ddog