I have a point/shoot digital camera and have always shot in jpeg. I would then remove the CompactFlash card and insert it in the slot in my laptop and the images would download and I would see them on the screen in Photoshop 6. No problem.
Today, I decided to shoot images in RAW format. The images did not come up on the computer screen. Nor was there a listing on the F drive with an individual image number. I know the images were recorded on the compact flash as I was able to review them in-camera on the camera screen.
Any idea as to why the computer is not reading these RAW images? It reads the JPEG ones. I want to purchase a dSLR but I want to understand what is going on first.
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I have a point/shoot digital camera and have always shot in jpeg. I would then remove the CompactFlash card and insert it in the slot in my laptop and the images would download and I would see them on the screen in Photoshop 6. No problem.
Today, I decided to shoot images in RAW format. The images did not come up on the computer screen. Nor was there a listing on the F drive with an individual image number. I know the images were recorded on the compact flash as I was able to review them in-camera on the camera screen. Any idea as to why the computer is not reading these RAW images? It reads the JPEG ones. I want to purchase a dSLR but I want to understand what is going on first.
Thanks.
None of the viewing programs understand the various RAW formats. For example, PS cannot open many of them without a plugin which translates from RAW to an internal bitmap format. PS CS2 has plugins which will open most of the various dSLR RAW files. These plugins may not work with PS 6. Jim
Did you not get a CD with the camera? If so, have a look on it, it may have a prog that can read and convert the RAW file.
Simply, RAW is the data captured by the CCD (e.g. a 4MP camera will produce a RAW file of around 4MB) of the camera, before it is converted, compressed and had other settings (white balance etc.,) applied to it. The idea being, you take the "virgin" RAW data and apply all the settings, corrections etc., yourself in a digital editing program that can read RAW files
Thank you both for your imput. I got the problem solved. I sent email to my camera manufacturer on-line support.(Canon). They told me that Canon software does not allow me to directly go into Photoshop in RAW. That I first had to open file in Canon program; then convert to a tiff file and then save in Photoshop. Which I did. And I was able to edit the pictures then in Photoshop. Whew!!!
Arthur, Does the Canon software allow you to manipulate the RAW data before you convert it to a TIFF? If not, the software is merely doing the same things as the camera’s internal software would do, you may just as well shoot in TIFF to start with.. In effect, there is no point in shooting in RAW if you cannot manipulate the image before you save it in the format of your choice. (TIFF lossless, bigger. JPG not, smaller)
Arthur – Photoshop Elements will get you the latest Adobe Raw, and quite a bit of photo manipulating capability, for much less than the cost of upgrading Photoshop. (About $68 at Amazon.)
Earl, Given that you’re at PS 6 and the current rev is 9, and there’s a lot more functionality as well as RAW file handling built in. And that you’re considering a D$LR, you may want to figure that upgrading your software is part of the cost of supporting the D$SL. Certainly cheaper than another lense.
Arthur, you pays your money and you takes your choice…
If you need the professional features, upgrade your Photoshop to CS2. If your work is more basic, get the latest Elements. Either way you’ll get Adobe Camera Raw with support for your camera.
Also consider your laptop — if it’s a PS6-era model, it may not have the specs for CS2.
I certainly think you might consider something other than the Canon Software for converting your RAW to editable form. Their software comes nowhere near doing justice to their hardware.
As TMH says, the advantage of RAW is the flexibility you have in manipulating various parameters which would otherwise be pre-defined and applied in-camera.
With each of the several Convertors available offering its own approach to processing RAW data, it’s no surprise that it becomes a matter of personal preference rather than clinic advantage which best suits any individual, but there is one that’s wholly free and well-featured, and which would certainly enable you to fully explore the alchemy of RAW without your needing to invest in any new tools… RawShooter Essentials < http://www.pixmantec.com/products/rawshooter_essentials.html>
I recently attended the PhotoPlus Expo at Javits Center in NYC and saw demos of the CS2. I can probably stick with Elements when I can’t use PS6 any longer. Amazing what is available with CS. I usually don’t enhance or fix my photographs up too much. I tend to be more of a traditionalist as a photographer. In fact, I still use film quite a bit. I do like to be able to scan my negatives and slides and then if necessary, modify or clean up the images. And of course save them on CD.
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