Example images of RAW file recovery ( long read)
Feb 2, 2013 01:04:56 #
These two images were taken during the height of an ocean storm yesterday. The heavy overcast light was extremely monochromatic and flat,...resulting RAW files had virtualy no color information.
Severe 50 plus mph wind and blowing surf made shooting excesively difficult if not impossible. I had all I could do to remain upright on my feet at times.
This session was shot with the Nikon D300 and a 17-80mm f4 Nikon lens, hand held, something I never do,...but due high winds, salt spray and a zero possibility of a tripod remaining earth bound,...I opted to carry the camera concealed under my extra large coat I wore. My eye glasses were absolutely useless and kept in my pocket.
My strategy went like this,..........
....select a safe vantage point based on good footing and balance while holding myself as steady as possible against the wind,...Quickly reveal the camera bringing it to me eye and squeeze of several quickly composed bursts,....turn my back to the wind and spray, shield the camera, and wipe dry the lens filter.
( with a bath towel that was tucked under my vest....a tiny dainty microfiber lens cloth wouldn't have stood a chance staying dry),....return the camera to under my coat again ready for the next flury of shots. This is how I shot for several hours unless I found shelter in a stand of trees.
Anyway
This repeated rush of shooting,... quickly cleaning, shooting,..quickly cleaning....resulted frequently in inadvertentley changed my camera settings due to the quick manhandling of the camera,..(which was now totally soaked in salt spray, a first such christening of the D300)
I shoot and focus on manual,..so resetting exposures was req'd every go around,...maybe 60% or more images were unusable due to visible water droplets on my RAW files from the filter glass or from streaking if I didn't wipe the salt off carefully,...or if my hands moved a setting while rushing my adjustments.
I had my share of poorly exposed images.
Posted here are two such images that were man handled into a wrong exposures in yesterdays storm.
They illustrate the image information contained in a RAW file.
This naturally is not a practical technique,....spot on exposure is always the ideal.
This image retreval could not have been accomplished with a typical jpg file.
I show,...the RAW unprocessed file out of camera,...with its corresponding post processed one done in ACR and photoshop.
One of these RAW files is really badly under exposed, might be interesting, I hope some find it informative?
I do have to say the five plus hours was an adrenaline rush.
Marty
Severe 50 plus mph wind and blowing surf made shooting excesively difficult if not impossible. I had all I could do to remain upright on my feet at times.
This session was shot with the Nikon D300 and a 17-80mm f4 Nikon lens, hand held, something I never do,...but due high winds, salt spray and a zero possibility of a tripod remaining earth bound,...I opted to carry the camera concealed under my extra large coat I wore. My eye glasses were absolutely useless and kept in my pocket.
My strategy went like this,..........
....select a safe vantage point based on good footing and balance while holding myself as steady as possible against the wind,...Quickly reveal the camera bringing it to me eye and squeeze of several quickly composed bursts,....turn my back to the wind and spray, shield the camera, and wipe dry the lens filter.
( with a bath towel that was tucked under my vest....a tiny dainty microfiber lens cloth wouldn't have stood a chance staying dry),....return the camera to under my coat again ready for the next flury of shots. This is how I shot for several hours unless I found shelter in a stand of trees.
Anyway
This repeated rush of shooting,... quickly cleaning, shooting,..quickly cleaning....resulted frequently in inadvertentley changed my camera settings due to the quick manhandling of the camera,..(which was now totally soaked in salt spray, a first such christening of the D300)
I shoot and focus on manual,..so resetting exposures was req'd every go around,...maybe 60% or more images were unusable due to visible water droplets on my RAW files from the filter glass or from streaking if I didn't wipe the salt off carefully,...or if my hands moved a setting while rushing my adjustments.
I had my share of poorly exposed images.
Posted here are two such images that were man handled into a wrong exposures in yesterdays storm.
They illustrate the image information contained in a RAW file.
This naturally is not a practical technique,....spot on exposure is always the ideal.
This image retreval could not have been accomplished with a typical jpg file.
I show,...the RAW unprocessed file out of camera,...with its corresponding post processed one done in ACR and photoshop.
One of these RAW files is really badly under exposed, might be interesting, I hope some find it informative?
I do have to say the five plus hours was an adrenaline rush.
Marty
RAW
Processed
RAW (Wicked under exposed)
Processed
Feb 2, 2013 01:22:49 #
I'd like to add something about RAW files.
Digital images right out of the camera can appear to be a bit on the soft side, looking lackluster and just plain "off" in appearance from what was actually seen by the eye.
This appearance in a digital file is entirely normal prior to post processing work.
The last step in post processing is usually sharpening,....but only after the photographer reestablishes what they actually envisioned through the camera using their choice of post processing tools.
As one acquires experience with the tools,....everything seen at exposure will eventually be revealed in the final image.
Part of the enjoyable journey to an end.
Following my very first digital camera experience I was also extremely disappointed and thought the camera was faulty.
It wasn't the camera,....
It was the guy behind the guy in front of me
The learning curve varies user to user , exposure to exposure.
With the vast selection of image rendering tools available combined with who says what is best,....,..it can be quite confusing for the non technical serious shooter.
Enjoying the experience and having fun doing so is where it's at.
No matter what or how we learn and apply ourselves,...we each will ultimately be doing it a bit different than the other person.
A friend of mine always said,....
Do something,...even if it's wrong.
Marty
Digital images right out of the camera can appear to be a bit on the soft side, looking lackluster and just plain "off" in appearance from what was actually seen by the eye.
This appearance in a digital file is entirely normal prior to post processing work.
The last step in post processing is usually sharpening,....but only after the photographer reestablishes what they actually envisioned through the camera using their choice of post processing tools.
As one acquires experience with the tools,....everything seen at exposure will eventually be revealed in the final image.
Part of the enjoyable journey to an end.
Following my very first digital camera experience I was also extremely disappointed and thought the camera was faulty.
It wasn't the camera,....
It was the guy behind the guy in front of me
The learning curve varies user to user , exposure to exposure.
With the vast selection of image rendering tools available combined with who says what is best,....,..it can be quite confusing for the non technical serious shooter.
Enjoying the experience and having fun doing so is where it's at.
No matter what or how we learn and apply ourselves,...we each will ultimately be doing it a bit different than the other person.
A friend of mine always said,....
Do something,...even if it's wrong.
Marty
Feb 2, 2013 12:43:02 #
Feb 2, 2013 12:54:10 #
Thanks for taking the time to reveal all that information. It has encouraged me to re-look at some of my raw images to see if I can make them look better. Would love to see you write more on the subjext of post processing raw images
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