CocoaRoger Loc: Cocoa Florida

I'm using ViewNX 2. My understanding is that one of the advantages of shooting in raw is that after you've made adjustments should you want to later go back to the raw file and begin again from scratch with the original raw file you could. I can't. After I make adjustments to the raw file and convert it to jpg, if I go back to that original raw file it too is changed to same adjustments of the jpg and not as it's original state. I tried looking through all of the settings in the program to see if maybe there was something to prevent the changes made from being saved permanently to the raw file but couldn't find anything. The only other thing I can think of is a tremendously dumb thing to be forced to do and that is copy all of the NEF files, use the copies to make adjustments, then delete the 'worked on' raw files off my HD and have to do this everytime ie copy every raw file and save it somewhere before I do any work. Surely there must be a simpler way to make adjustments, save it as a jpg but not have those adjustments made permanently to the raw file so that if you feel the need to readjust something at a later date you still have it in it's original state.

Nikonian72 Loc: Chico CA

RAW is a shooting or image recording format. Once captured, you are not able to change it, either in the camera or in a PC. All edit changes are recorded as additional JPGs, which can be viewed, printed, e-mailed, etc.

I simultaneously shoot RAW & JPG, and directly download both to a new folder in my PC. I edit my RAW, and rename the newly saved JPG to same folder. If I want another version, I know where to always find my original RAW.

I suspect your original RAW still exists, but not in the folders you have searched.

CocoaRoger Loc: Cocoa Florida

Oh, ok, thanks!

dfalk Loc: Chugiak, Alaska

I use Canon cameras and Photoshop.

In the folder with the RAW file there is a file with the suffix .xmp which holds the adjustments made to the RAW file. If you remove the xmp file you are back to the original settings. Also in photoshop I can just click the default button and it reverts to the original settings.

I'm very, very happy that it keeps the adjustments so that I don't have to do them again.

nyweb2001

I convert the RAW file in Elements 9, then save as a Jpeg. When I'm done, I close the RAW file and Elements asks me if I want to apply the changes I made to the RAW file. I click "no" as I made changes and saved as the Jpeg, and I still have the original RAW. Maybe some programs don't allow that....maybe make a duplicate Layer before starting so the RAW isn't touched ?

CocoaRoger Loc: Cocoa Florida

I did a search of the RAW file and it only showed up the one file that was changed and no other location. I'm using ViewNX 2. After I save it to jpg, the original RAW is altered to the jpg. When I click on the original RAW the changed version is now permanently RAW. Great, this is what Nikon says:NOTE: It is generally recommended to create a copy of the original file ( or folder ) and work with the copy. This way, if a mistake occurs you can always start over. This is not actually necessary, but if you are unsure if you will ever want the larger size back, you would still have the original file save.

So if I take 100 20meg NEF files I then am supposed to back ALL of them up by creating another folder and doubling the amount of space on my HD??? This is ridiculous!

Bruce H Loc: Oregon Coast

this doesn't add up. take your orginal RAW file, work on it and then save it to a different name. I use (1) in the name so I know I have worked on it. the modifications aren't saved to the orginal but rather to the new name. exit out and your oginal is the same. this works even for .jpg's, I never save over or to the orginal name which would destroy the file.

CocoaRoger Loc: Cocoa Florida

That doesn't work, the converted jpg is changed to ''test...'' followed by a number so the jpg has different name than the NEF and the NEF is 'saved' to it's new settings before the jpg is written. It's saves the changes to the NEF file first, then writes the jpg to that new setting. This is insane. Now, I do notice that the instructions from Nikon that say to duplicate the RAW files says ''it's not actually necessary'' so there must be another way.

nyweb2001

Is that some kind of program that came with your Nikon ?

CocoaRoger Loc: Cocoa Florida

yes

nyweb2001

Doesn't make sense...all my software saves a Jpeg and then asks if I want to save changes to the original.....I'm thinking there's some default settings that aren't quite right in your program......HELP ??

CocoaRoger Loc: Cocoa Florida

Nyweb, yes you are right. There's a very very tiny icon that is invisible until after it's converted to jpg that highlights itself up in corner. It's very tiny and discreet. But it comes on and if you click on it it reverts the NEF back to it's original look. Thanks

nyweb2001

Good !

CocoaRoger Loc: Cocoa Florida

I would suggest to Nikon that next time they maybe put that up in the toolbar instead of an 1/8 inch button that is barely visible and when it does light up its a dark gray as opposed to the black that it was.

Nikonian72 Loc: Chico CA

Roger - I shoot simultaneous RAW & JPG. I use Nikon Transfer (provided on disk with camera) to upload from camera to computer. I copy all NEF & JPG files to a new folder within "My Picture", labeled with year, month & day. Today's folder would be 11-12-09. This is my permanent folder, which I can access with Picasa 3, PSE-10, or any PP program.

Within Picasa, I view the camera's JPGs, and "edit" the RAW images, which are then saved as new JPGs, the first edit with a "-1" added to image name. I can edit the RAW image many times, and each edit gets a new, sequential number added.

Picasa 3 is free, and quite handy for basic image tweaking.