Anyone shoot in raw?

I need a little help. In the past, I've been shooting all images in JPEG format (converted from RAW to JPEG within the camera before upload). I accidentally shot several photos in RAW format after messing with photo settings and am extremely confused as to what to do with them. I've heard about the plus sides to RAW, but it doesn't do too much if all I can see is a tiny uneditable icon on my screen. I'm excited that these images are 9MB as opposed to the 2 MB pictures that I get from JPEG, but I have no clue how to edit/convert/use them. I'd rather not lose the images just due to my own lack of understanding.

Sorry if this takes a little while to explain. I have a windows computer, and normally when I upload images in JPEG format, I can go straight to "my pictures" and view the small images. When clicked, they go into microsoft picture editor and I can edit them as needed and re-save.
These RAW files originally just showed up as a file icon when viewed from "my pictures" rather than a tiny picture.

As of now, I downloaded codec Nikon Imaging | Global Site | Nikon RAW Codec - NEF Codec Download which sounded like it would help me, but all it did was make me able to view the tiny images when I click "my pictures". I still couldn't do a thing with them.

So I downloaded Windows Live photo editor which apparently could read RAW files. Now I can view the files slightly larger, but still not edit them.

Essentially I am very confused as to how to edit/convert these photos without having to pay a bundle for something like photoshop.

Explanations or step by step guides to help me would be wonderful!!!!

Thanks! I'm thinking I might want to stick with JPEG! :rofl1:

If you know how to do it in photoshop you can send them to me and I will.

I'm curious about the answer too so I'll try my hand at googling.

Do you have photoshop?

I only shoot in RAW. I use PS CS (ollllld) to work with them. You can also download a free program called "Raw Therapee" but I found the program quite slow.

I'm not familiar with Nikon and avoid windows photo-editor like the plague. However, all a raw file is, is the raw data from the sensor. In other words, it's all the info and non of the compression that happens with jpg's.

The advantages of shooting raw files is you can convert them and edit the jpegs/tiff files and still have a master file which is un-edited.

For converting the raw file, it should be as simple as opening it in a program which can read the raw file, and one of the menu options should be to convert or develop the raw image - or it may be 'export image' or some such item. Because I shoot Pentax and use Aperture, I can't give you a step-by-step, but with a bit of digging in the menus, you should be able to find what you need.

The other option you have is if you haven't erased your card yet, you should be able to develop the raw image in-camera. Your manual should be able to guide you through that process with minimal effort.

If you're still unable to get the image converted, you're welcome to email the files to me and I can run them through Aperture and send jpegs back to you in short order.

Lastly, you could look into programs which will convert raw files, like silkypix (sp?), bibble, any of the adobe products, lightzone and so-on. I suspect some of the raw converters out there are free as well.

thanks everyone. I'm an amateur photographer, still quite new to DSLRs, so I hope you all can go easy on me that I still don't quite understand about these photos.

I do not have photoshop. Really, I don't have any photo editors, except what came with the computer, camera, or I have found online.

I understand that RAW images are the uncompressed, unedited versions of the photo from the camera and that they are almost the equivalent of "negatives" in film photography (not directly usable, but exactly what the camera 'saw').

So I take it that I need a converter and an editing system. Can you edit before you convert? Otherwise, it seems quite useless (please feel free to explain!) to take the photos in raw if all you plan to do is convert them to jpeg straight away. Assuming that you CAN edit a RAW photo, is it the same as editing a jpeg photo? Does the picture show up on the screen and you can adjust colors, saturation, exposure, etc right there? Or do I need to know computer codes?

Is the RawTherapee that someone posted a link to an editor or converter? I'm looking at the website, but with my current understanding of everything, I feel like half of it is written in gibberish! :rofl1:

thank you all so much! Once I can figure this out, it'll be interesting to see what I can do with it. I'm still hoping to be able to figure it out myself, because I think it'll really help with my understanding of the camera and photography in general, but if I get desperate, I might take one of you up on your offer to email the photos to you!

thanks!

When you shoot raw and then 'develop' the file to a jpeg or tiff format, you can change things like exposure (within reason) or white balance. Also, you never change the raw file, which is important as you have an un-edited master file which you can go back to if you decide to change the colour space or 'develop' it differently. When the jpeg is created, it means you likely have less editing to do to it as you've already applied some changes to it. This gives you a higher quality image because every time you edit/re-save a jpeg, you loose some quality.

The other thing to consider is that if you change your 'strait from the camera' jpeg, it's changed forever and if you really mess up and accidentally save it, you have to jump through hoops to recover it.

Lastly, Raw gives you more head-room in the highlights and shadows so you can recover some info which may appear to be blown out or black whereas a jpeg you don't have the same flexibility.

This all comes at a price though. You need a program which can develop a raw file and you probably want something which can do a better job editing your photos if you're going to put that kind of effort into it. You also need time to develop the files and more hard-drive space to store the raw files (or DVD's or however you choose to store them).

There's also the issue that you can't take as many photos on a memory card as you can in jpeg. And if you shoot everything right, right off the bat, then you probably don't really need to do many edits you your photos anyway.

Here's a shot where I was able to tone down the highlights and get detail in the shadows which would have been lost had I shot a strait jpeg:

With Raw Therapee you can edit and then save in the file type of your choice

thank you both so much! Looks like I need a converter! I'll let you know how it goes.

BTW - absolutely beautiful picture AndrewF! Just stunning!

i found RAW so intimidating at first, like 'why can't i open this in photoshop and windows viewer etc??' etc but now it's the only way i shoot!
Take a bunch of pics in raw, import them into adobe lightroom, play around, export the best ones into folders and upoload to chaz! haha, seriously, lightroom is awesome.

do you know if Lightroom is able to convert photos? And if it can open .NEF files?

I've heard that each camera manufacturer uses a different RAW format, so even if a program can "read" one RAW format it doesn't necessarily mean it can read another. Is this correct?

I think I'm still in the overwhelmed stage!

I use Aperture, which I believe is very similar to Lightroom. Lightroom is a great program for raw conversions and for organizing your photo library. It does come at a cost of $200 CAD last I checked, but once you're using it (if you use it), you'll find it worth while. That said, it will read the raw files from almost every camera out there and it updates when new cameras are released.

Lightroom can either import photos into its library or it can reference master files on your hard-drive. When you make changes to those files, lightroom basically makes a layer and your changes are to the layer - not the master - so it's completely non-destructive when you do any editing. This is good for both Raw files and jpegs. You only need to decide if you want all your originals contained within lightroom or if you want lightroom to reference the masters and store the edit info only. Personally, I imported the masters for the sake of simplicity. It also means I can move that whole library to my external drive to save space on my hard-drive and not have to then export the masters afterwards.

Once you've made some adjustments, you can export export a copy of that photo, resized for web posting or printing or whatever you want.

I use Aperture (which is similar to Lightroom) and once I got the hang of it, it made things very simple for basic edits, quick organization of my photos and in general and also exporting images in certain sizes for posting. I keep the large files in Aperture and the small files I post, I keep on the hard-drive. It keeps things all nice and tidy.

There is a learning curve, but if you can get through that, lightroom will save you time and give you much better quality edits than microsoft photo editor and that goes for both raw and jpegs. And it will handle raw and jpegs pretty much the same, meaning you don't have to worry about the file type - only the edits you want to make (and you can go back to the original file before edits with a couple of clicks.

If you're considering Lightroom, check out adobe's site. I believe they have some videos, showing you some of the basic features. If it looks good, download the trial copy and see if you like it.

I use lightroom. Love it!! Its amazing what that program can do for even jpg files.

Thanks. So I take it you upload the pictures from your camera and open them in the program to edit. Once editing is done, is that when you convert them from RAW to jpeg to use online, etc.?

Also, it seems like I'm hearing positive thoughts about several programs. I'm debating if it would be smarter to spend more money for a more professional program or go with something cheaper or free (if I can find something online). I just don't know if I'd understand all of the bells and whistles of a more complex program at this point, but I do spend a lot of time editing, adjusting, and viewing my photos on the computer after upload. Any thoughts?

If it matters, the camera is a Nikon D80.

Again - thanks! I really appreciate all of the help!

The best I can tell you is that if you shoot raw, you're going to want a raw converter. Adobe Lightroom will do that. You'll also want an editor with some capability. Lightroom will also do this. Lastly, Lightroom will allow you to organize your photos.

Another program which you might like is LightZone. It will allow you to open raw files, make changes and save as a jpg. or tiff. It's a completely different workflow than the adobe products, but I personally like it.

You can also try adobe elements, but beyond DNG's (which I use for the raw format) I don't know if it will allow you to convert Raw files to jpegs.

Personally, I suggest you download the trial of Lightroom to start with. Play with some of your jpegs and shoot some photos in raw. See how you like it and then download some other programs to compare. Once you're in, I think you'll find working with RAW files isn't anywhere near as complicated as it sounds and will be second nature to you within a week at most. Import the raw file (I import the files strait from the camera to aperture and you can do the same in Lightroom), do some edits to it, put it in a "project" to keep it organized and then export a version.