A few RAW questions

[TexasBob]

I have never shot in RAW but I plan to start. As I have mentioned on here my wife and I are going to the Bahamas this summer. I want to get the most out of those pictures. I have a few questions though:
1. RAW or RAW+Jpeg?
2. With RAW can you still see the image immediately after the shot? With RAW+Jpeg? I'm sure we will want to review the pictures each evening as well.
3. I know RAW files are a lot bigger, how does this affect the buffer? I don't plan on any fast shooting, but dont want to be bogged down either. (Nikon D40- can't sell the accounting dept on a D90 with the cruise cost )
4. I plan on ordering Lightroom soon, but in the meantime can I do anything with the RAW files without software? Can I save them on the computer as a RAW file?

[Hillary]

It all depends on what you are trying to go for.

If you are shooting for minimal post processing, just everyday snapshots on your trip, I say skip the RAW and just shoot Jpeg.

But if you want to take a few shots here and there, that you would like to post-process a little more, then I would switch to RAW

-RAW you are thinking of (For Nikon) are .NEF files, they are not compatable with your computer unless you have software to process them (which Lightroom either comes with, or you can download a plug in for)
-When shooting in RAW, you can still see the shot on your Nikon, even if you are not shooting RAW+JPEG. I think the Nikon software that came with your D40 should have a .NEF processor in them.
-It shouldn't bogg you camera down.


99% of the time I shoot in RAW. I have a method in which I process my photos that I have gotten pretty quick it. That is just my workflow, which is something you can develop once you start processing in RAW.

I don't recommend shooting in RAW if you don't have a good program to process them in, your camera would process them faster when you shoot and make them into a JPEG. Just my .02 cents.

But I do think you once you start shooting in raw, you will become addicted.

[Shane]

I don't know about Nikon, but surely it's the same as with Canon....the free software that comes with your camera and can be downloaded from their website will let you view and process RAW files.

There is no reason, in my opinion, to shoot JPEG. Take a look at Wildman's thread about what he should do about the sub-par pics he got from his "pro" wedding photographer. They were poorly done, and since they were JPEGs, trying to fix them without losing image quality is next to impossible. If they had been RAW files, he would have a lot more luck fixing them.

If you have software on your computer to view and edit RAW files, there is no reason to shoot RAW+JPEG really either. That just takes up a lot more room on your memory card. Your camera will let you view RAW pics instantly.

Get Lightroom. It will help you batch process your RAW pics instantly while they are being imported off the memory card. You can set your preferred default settings - exactly like dialing in the saturation, contrast, and sharpness settings in your camera's processor. It doesn't take any more time that touching up JPEGs in software. The HUGE difference though, is that with RAW files you can go back and process the pics a different way if you want to without losing any image quality.

[BBorgstedte]

On a trip, I would say RAW+small jpg. This way you have the small jpgs that are immediately available for emailing, posting, etc. and then when you have time, process the RAW files into really nice images suitable for printing.

The other thing that is cool about storing the RAW files is that the processing software gets better all the time and if you have the RAW images, you can always go back and get new results or fix things that you may not be able to fix now with current software.

[blacksunshine]

paint shop pro 5 even does raw

holy cow, I just looked at my psp5 and it has a build date of June 4, 1998....

[Snakelover]

I'm relatively new to RAW and Lr 2. But one thing I found out quickly is that it's imperative that you set up a very efficient workflow as soon as possible. Sure, you can install Lr and just start clicking around. But that won't help you set up the procedures, options, preferences, backup methods, file naming systems, directory structures, etc. that will maximize your productivity for the long haul. The thing about shooting RAW is you are dealing with many, many, very large files. And if you're not efficient, you can get buried in a hurry. Also, if you go the wrong way initially and decide to restructure your system tens or hundreds of thousands of photos into it, you can expect to spend many hours of work. You are much better off thinking it all out from the very beginning. That's what this book is all about...

[ATTACH]158845[/ATTACH]

I set up my Lr software with this book open. It was WELL worth the time to read!

[BBorgstedte]

This is the best example of why I would shoot RAW+JPG. I shot this photo of my son on a bright day. The camera was in manual exposure mode because I had just been shooting indoors with a flash so the photo was completely overexposed.

The photo on the left is a .jpg right out of the camera, the photo on the right is what I was able to get by processing the RAW file in photoshop. It is one of my favorite photos of my son and would have been worthless without the processing headroom of the RAW file.

[TexasBob]

Thanks everyone. Shane, Wildman's thread is what made me decide to quit putting off the switch to shooting RAW.

[Shane]

Yep. Really, the less "advanced" you are at photography, the more reason you have to shoot in RAW so that you can save more pics that weren't exposed properly in camera. Fixing them in post processing gives you good feedback on what you did right and what you did wrong, so the next time you are taking pictures you have a better chance of getting the exposure right.

That book that David posted looks very good too. Getting organized with a simple workflow makes all the difference in your post processing efficiency.

[axisbuck24]

Great thread! I will look into both the book and the Wildman's thread. Also, checking on photoshop program.

Do you store your pics on an external harddrive? Anything special needed on the computer that will have the photoshop program?

[Shane]

Great thread! I will look into both the book and the Wildman's thread. Also, checking on photoshop program.

Do you store your pics on an external harddrive? Anything special needed on the computer that will have the photoshop program?

I use external drives, and most people do. Pics take up a lot of space, so keeping them off your main drive helps. Also, it's good to have multiple backups, just in case. Your computer just needs to be fairly "modern" so that it will have plenty of RAM memory, a fast processor, good video card, and a quality hi-res monitor that is calibrated to represent colors accurately is a must. If your monitor color is off and you order prints of your edited pictures, the color tone of your prints will be off.

[huntmaster]

I tried to shoot in the raw onetime and almost got arrested.

[axisbuck24]

I tried to shoot in the raw onetime and almost got arrested.

...Thanks Shane!

[Snakelover]

Do you store your pics on an external harddrive? Anything special needed on the computer that will have the photoshop program?

I started out using a 1 TB external USB 2.0 hard drive to store my Lr files and catalog on. I got impatient with that. USB 2.0 is a little slow for that use. So I put an additional 1 TB internal SATA hard drive in my machine. This hard drive is dedicated to Lr only and does not include my operating system. Now Lr runs a LOT faster! I still use the USB 2.0 external to back up on. The difference is you start a backup and walk away. So you don't care so much if the interface is slower and USB 2.0 is fine for that. But I wouldn't recommend it for your Lr files and catalog. If you have a Firewire 800 external drive, that may be a different story.

[JBS]

I just change my Wife’s Nikon over to Raw + large jpeg. I like having both to work with. One big note. When she was just shooting large jpeg she got over 1K number of photos on a 8gig card. In the Raw + large jpeg mode she gets only 360 photos on the same card, so get bigger cards or more cards.