Raw Processing for Dummies: I would like to start shooting in RAW and am looking for a quick straight forward tutorial or class to learn lightroom or whatever software to process the...

printer273

I would like to start shooting in RAW and am looking for a quick straight forward tutorial or class to learn lightroom or whatever software to process the photos. Something for a beginner in this process. Any suggestions?

bobmcculloch Loc: NYC, NY

printer273 wrote:

I would like to start shooting in RAW and am looking for a quick straight forward tutorial or class to learn lightroom or whatever software to process the photos. Something for a beginner in this process. Any suggestions?

PSP X7 does a decent job, if your shooting Canon try DPP, came with your camera on the disk, Bob.

AzPicLady Loc: Behind the camera!

I'm going to suggest rather than taking a class that you do the following: Pick any image and make every change possible. Write down the corrections that worked. Then, make those your "set" of developmental corrections to be applied automatically. Makes for a LOT less work and worry.

bobmcculloch Loc: NYC, NY

AzPicLady wrote:

I'm going to suggest rather than taking a class that you do the following: Pick any image and make every change possible. Write down the corrections that worked. Then, make those your "set" of developmental corrections to be applied automatically. Makes for a LOT less work and worry.

I like that suggestion, at least the first half, try all the controlls, however I find that most photos are unique, they each need a little different touch, however for doing groups DPP does allow you to copy the "recipe", Bob.

Dngallagher Loc: Wilmington De.

printer273 wrote:

I would like to start shooting in RAW and am looking for a quick straight forward tutorial or class to learn lightroom or whatever software to process the photos. Something for a beginner in this process. Any suggestions?

Millions or possibly even zillions of tutorials for Lightroom and Photoshop are available for free to watch on the internet, and re-watched again and again if needed.

I found video tutorials did much to improve my use of Lightroom and Photoshop.

A good place to start is Adobe TV - http://tv.adobe.com/

Or YOU TUBE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vi1-8qYHWaQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nF2RMd3L83w

Tons of tutorials for the cost of your time to search and watch.

msghael

RAW requires a post processing software.
Lightroom is one of the easiest to learn and organising your pics is a bonus. Beats PSE

WNC Ralf Loc: Candler NC, in the mountains!

Dngallagher wrote:

Millions or possibly even zillions of tutorials fo... (show quote)

:thumbup:

MtnMan Loc: ID

printer273 wrote:

I would like to start shooting in RAW and am looking for a quick straight forward tutorial or class to learn lightroom or whatever software to process the photos. Something for a beginner in this process. Any suggestions?

Get Jeff Schewe's book "The Digital Negative".

jethro779 Loc: Tucson, AZ

printer273 wrote:

I would like to start shooting in RAW and am looking for a quick straight forward tutorial or class to learn lightroom or whatever software to process the photos. Something for a beginner in this process. Any suggestions?

Start with the processing program that came with your camera. It is free and will give you a basic idea of what can be done. If you have a MacBook or iMac then use iPhoto to start.

While there are people who think that these programs are not worth the effort, the fact that they are free and can get you started means more to me than trying to keep up with the Joneses.

photoshack Loc: Irvine, CA

There are two components to using raw; one is the "workflow" process overall, and the other is the detailed adjustments resulting before you consider a RAW file developed. Your assertion that every image is different is correct; the workflow helps speed up the process of doing the adjustments for images that have similar exposure changes, etc. before exporting to your printing service or website.

If you are not doing professional work where time is money, really you have nothing to lose by just using whatever tool you have (lightroom, photoshop, Digital Professional (if you're a Canon shooter) and get the adjusting part sorted out. Videos, books may be useful, but in the end what you see on the screen is all that matters. I started out with just popping the software on, shooting in raw and then pointing the software at the raw files....and I didn't need to unlearn anything I learned in that process.

Db7423 Loc: Pittsburgh, PA

Dngallagher wrote:

Millions or possibly even zillions of tutorials fo... (show quote)

Indeed. :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

Mr PC Loc: Austin, TX

Tony Northrup has a new Kindle or real book on Lightroom 5 that is excellent. It's helping me break some of my self-taught habits and showing me better ways to do things. Lots of hours of included video tutorials are linked to the ebook. Hope this helps, might be the best $10 you spend this year.

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

printer273 wrote:

I would like to start shooting in RAW and am looking for a quick straight forward tutorial or class to learn lightroom or whatever software to process the photos. Something for a beginner in this process. Any suggestions?

Canon DPP is free, and Lightroom, a better choice for all the things it does besides adjusting the image is free for 30 days. It comes bundled with Photoshop to make a complete package for just about anything you can envision doing to a photo. After the initial trial you can have the bundle for $10/mo and it will always be up to date.

Keep in mind that raw processors are parametric (the apply global rules) and rarely produce a perfectly finished image. But they do a great job at optimizing a file for additional processing in Photoshop (a pixel-level editor) or any other pixel editor for complete print-ready photos.

There are 1000s of tutorials from the very basic to advanced online. Many are free.

DaveHam Loc: Reading UK

If you are shooting RAW then your camera manufacturer should have supplied you with some RAW processing software (such as Nikon's NX). This is always a good place to start; there is a wealth of information on YouTube and available via Google to help get to grips with the basics.

Your choice of software to post your images depends on what you want to do. For basic post work (after RAW processing) the freebies like GIMP offer a lot of scope and give you a grounding in what you need before you commit to the likes of Lightroom ar Elements.

It's not necessarily the cost of the post software that should be of concern; it is how many lifetimes you have available to learn how to use it.

Don, the 2nd son Loc: Crowded Florida

jethro779 wrote:

Start with the processing program that came with your camera. It is free and will give you a basic idea of what can be done. If you have a MacBook or iMac then use iPhoto to start.

While there are people who think that these programs are not worth the effort, the fact that they are free and can get you started means more to me than trying to keep up with the Joneses.

:thumbup: :thumbup: I found that DPP which comes with a Canon DSLR does just as well as Light Room. I processed a number of RAW files through first one then the other. Comparing the result I thought I saw a slight advantage to DPP, but as I use several different brand cameras I have stayed with Light Room. Should I just shoot with my Canon cameras I believe I would just concentrate on DPP. Canon's software engineers have custom built DPP for their product, it may well give a better slightly result than a "do-all" program. Cost is right!! Result is right!!