Raw image question: Does anybody know why when shooting in RAW, some of my images are flat, lack contrast, etc., which is my understanding of how RAW images should look, yet at other...

Bill McKenna

Does anybody know why when shooting in RAW, some of my images are flat, lack contrast, etc., which is my understanding of how RAW images should look, yet at other times, my RAW images look reasonably good right out of the camera. I don't understand this. I would think that there should be a consistency in what my images look like shooting in RAW...but not always. If it matters, I shoot with a Nikon D6 and D850.

reverendray

There is a menu setting for that which controls saturation and several other things.....get the manual out it does an ok job of explaining it.

Ysarex Loc: St. Louis

Bill McKenna wrote:

Does anybody know why when shooting in RAW, some of my images are flat, lack contrast, etc., which is my understanding of how RAW images should look, yet at other times, my RAW images look reasonably good right out of the camera. I don't understand this. I would think that there should be a consistency in what my images look like shooting in RAW...but not always. If it matters, I shoot with a Nikon D6 and D850.

And what raw processing software?

CPR Loc: Nature Coast of Florida

Raw images are data not photos, they are not meant to be evaluated as photos. Once you've fed the raw data into a program then you can reasonable evaluate what you have.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

Your RAW images always look flat, lack contrast, lack sharpening, lack lens corrections, and lack noise processing. The only way they can "look" different is because you're viewing them with a digital editor that applies some of these processing controls against the RAW image. That's a simple reality of RAW.

If you open a Nikon NEF into the Nikon software, it will pick-up the camera settings, including the picture control and will display that processed version of the image.

If you open a Canon CR2/CR3 into the Canon DPP software, it will pick-up the camera settings, including the picture style and will display that processed version of the image.

If you import any camera's RAW file into Adobe Lightroom, Adobe provides a default amount of sharpening and noise reduction and applies the Adobe Standard profile to the image. These are minor changes, easily undone / changed, but also no longer present the raw RAW file.

We have no video tape of your life nor examples of the images you see, so we can't say exactly which applies to your prior observations.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

CHG_CANON wrote:

Your RAW images always look flat, lack contrast, l... (show quote)

Fotoartist Loc: Detroit, Michigan

Bill McKenna wrote:

Does anybody know why when shooting in RAW, some of my images are flat, lack contrast, etc., which is my understanding of how RAW images should look, yet at other times, my RAW images look reasonably good right out of the camera. I don't understand this. I would think that there should be a consistency in what my images look like shooting in RAW...but not always. If it matters, I shoot with a Nikon D6 and D850.

I don't know if you mean on your LCD screen or in the computer. But my Nikon Raws generally look good as shot on the LCD and in the computer. Of course they can be improved in Adobe Camera Raw.

rmorrison1116 Loc: Near Valley Forge, Pennsylvania

RAW image files are unprocessed data files. Every RAW image file has a little jpeg thumbnail image imbedded in it. When you display an unedited RAW image, you are seeing the low quality jpeg thumbnail. See your cameras manual on how to adjust the quality of the RAW files jpeg thumbnail.

Bill McKenna

Adobe Photoshop on-line

Bill McKenna

Thanks!

Bobspez Loc: Southern NJ, USA

Bill McKenna wrote:

Adobe Photoshop on-line

If Photoshop opens the raw image in Camera Raw, it sometimes keeps the previous camea raw settings that were used on the previous raw image.

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

Bill McKenna wrote:

Does anybody know why when shooting in RAW, some of my images are flat, lack contrast, etc., which is my understanding of how RAW images should look, yet at other times, my RAW images look reasonably good right out of the camera. I don't understand this. I would think that there should be a consistency in what my images look like shooting in RAW...but not always. If it matters, I shoot with a Nikon D6 and D850.

Yeah, that is the way it is. When you look at a RAW image in the back of your camera, it should be in Jpeg mode, it should look like you shot it, sort of, when you bring it up in Photoshop RAW, it will then look a lot flatter than when you viewed it in the back of the camera.
RAW is designed to be worked on in post, RAW gives you so much more data you can manipulate in Photoshop RAW. Yes, they will all look different, some will look reasonably good right out of the camera, but even those that do not will look better once you apply the several sliders available in Photoshop RAW and any RAW post processing software.
Relax, your doing just fine.
Good luck and keep on shooting until the end.

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

Bill McKenna wrote:

Does anybody know why when shooting in RAW, some of my images are flat, lack contrast, etc., which is my understanding of how RAW images should look, yet at other times, my RAW images look reasonably good right out of the camera. I don't understand this. I would think that there should be a consistency in what my images look like shooting in RAW...but not always. If it matters, I shoot with a Nikon D6 and D850.

Subject, lighting, camera settings will affect what an image looks like, and sometimes a vividly colored subject with contrasty lighting will look pretty good, even as a raw capture. I've observed the same thing you have over the past 15 years I've been shooting raw. I wouldn't worry about it.

pecohen Loc: Central Maine

Bill McKenna wrote:

Does anybody know why when shooting in RAW, some of my images are flat, lack contrast, etc., which is my understanding of how RAW images should look, yet at other times, my RAW images look reasonably good right out of the camera. I don't understand this. I would think that there should be a consistency in what my images look like shooting in RAW...but not always. If it matters, I shoot with a Nikon D6 and D850.

RAW is a file format that captures what the sensor captures and usually it can be improved with post-processing to get an image that is more pleasing to the eye. Eyes and perceptions can vary however and an image that is pleasing to one person may look off to someone else. Jpeg is a compressed file format that is post-processed according to how some engineer (or the boss of some engineer) thinks is pleasing. You may or may not appreciate the way the processing was done, but to some extent you are stuck with it. You can still post-process the JPEG file but you will have less detail to work with than if you had post-processed the RAW file.

frankraney Loc: Clovis, Ca.

CHG_CANON wrote:

Your RAW images always look flat, lack contrast, l... (show quote)