JPEG colors to RAW

[bandit325]

Hi there... I typically shoot RAW + JPEG with my Nikon D3000 and then compare the each shot and whatnot. Most of the time I feel like the colors in the JPEG shots are accurate. Is there a way to "transfer" those colors (skin tone, highlights, shadows, etc.) into Adobe Camera Raw and into the matching RAW shot? When I open my RAW photos, they vary largely from the JPEG and it can be a bit tedious to get the color right. Just curious if anybody can supply some feedback. Thanks a lot.

[Simon Garrett]

In Adobe Camera Raw, I assume you get offered (in the Camera Calibration tab) profiles including "Camera Standard", "Camera Landscape" etc? I do for my Nikon D300. I find those match pretty closely the equivalent Nikon picture controls at default settings. In other words, if you use the "Standard" picture control in-camera, then apply the "Camera Standard" profile in ACR. You have to do that in ACR - it can't read the setting from the NEF file, as it's in a Nikon proprietary format.

For my D300, the color from the raw from ACR (or Lightroom, which I normally use) matches pretty closely the in-camera jpeg if I use the equivalent Adobe profile like that.

[Dave Humphries]

Hi there... I typically shoot RAW + JPEG with my Nikon D3000 and then compare the each shot and whatnot. Most of the time I feel like the colors in the JPEG shots are accurate. Is there a way to "transfer" those colors (skin tone, highlights, shadows, etc.) into Adobe Camera Raw and into the matching RAW shot? When I open my RAW photos, they vary largely from the JPEG and it can be a bit tedious to get the color right. Just curious if anybody can supply some feedback. Thanks a lot.

Have you tried the Auto button (actually a link in CS5 ACR)?
If you don't do that, ACR opens the image with whatever you used on some other image previously (and saved as a default) - obviously that's very unlikely to be suitable. I find the Auto gets me started, then I take over and change Exposure, Recovery, Blacks, Fill Light, etc. as looks right, I generally don't touch Brightness and Contrast though as you just go insane chasing your tail with all the others if you start moving them too

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[CLK]

Ok, I'm confused after reading Simon's note above. I shoot in raw Nikon D5000, open my pictures via Adobe photoshop organizer which then opens Adobe Camera Raw, I have been using the camera profile Adobe Standard. Are you saying that the profile should be set to camera standard or landscape?

[Colin Southern]

You have to do that in ACR - it can't read the setting from the NEF file, as it's in a Nikon proprietary format.

I suspect it's not so much "can't" as it is "choose not to". Personally, I'd always want a RAW file to be free of any picture styles so that I'm always starting from a known reference point (but can then choose to advance from that point either by adjusting controls or choosing a preset or both), and I suspect Adobe feel the same way.

Keep in mind too that one can also create any number of ACR presets to emulate any style they wish.

[Colin Southern]

Ok, I'm confused after reading Simon's note above. I shoot in raw Nikon D5000, open my pictures via Adobe photoshop organizer which then opens Adobe Camera Raw, I have been using the camera profile Adobe Standard. Are you saying that the profile should be set to camera standard or landscape?

Hi Connie,

Think of RAW as being like all the ingredients to make a cake - but - you still have to combine them and bake it.

Different profiles are like different recipes; you still get a cake at the end, but it may taste slightly different depending on which recipe you follow. There are also things called "presets" which are a bit like saving your own hand-written notes for your own recipes.

The default profile is a good general-purpose one, but some may prefer the changes they've elected to build into other profiles. The simple solution is to just try some of the others and see if you prefer them (you can easily change back to the default if you don't) (so long as you do it before passing the file through from ACR to Photoshop "proper".

[Simon Garrett]

Ok, I'm confused after reading Simon's note above. I shoot in raw Nikon D5000, open my pictures via Adobe photoshop organizer which then opens Adobe Camera Raw, I have been using the camera profile Adobe Standard. Are you saying that the profile should be set to camera standard or landscape?

Well, it's not a matter of "should". The Adobe profile "Camera Standard" is designed to be close in colour rendition to the Nikon "Standard" picture control, Adobe's "Camera Portrait" is close to Nikon's "Portrait" and so in. It just says "Camera Standard" in ACR, but it knows the raw is from a D5000 or whatever, and shows you only D5000 profiles. So what it really means by "Camera Standard" is "the profile for the D5000 that matches the Nikon D5000 Standard in-camera picture setting" etc.

But what you use is down to your preference.

[Manfred M]

I find that Nikon and Adobe have the same preset names, but the underlying definitions are different.

ViewNX2 that comes with Nikon cameras has these presets and if you apply them to your RAW files and export as a TIFF, your colours will closely match the camera presets that you see in your jpegs. You can then use either ACR or Photoshop to further edit your images.

[CLK]

Thank you both, I am so new to this whole process that is seems like I get a handle on one little corner and then there is another huge question looming. What little I know about ACR I have gotten from the PSE videos and now that you mention pre-sets I get it. It will be pre-sets and fiddling for a long time yet.

Again Thank you.
Connie

[Colin Southern]

ViewNX2 that comes with Nikon cameras has these presets and if you apply them to your RAW files and export as a TIFF, your colours will closely match the camera presets that you see in your jpegs. You can then use either ACR or Photoshop to further edit your images.

There's little point in editing a TIFF in ACR (apart from perhaps control convenience) because gamma conversion has already taken place and thus a lot of RAW info has already been lost.

[Manfred M]

There's little point in editing a TIFF in ACR (apart from perhaps control convenience) because gamma conversion has already taken place and thus a lot of RAW info has already been lost.

I agree and I jump directly into Photoshop, but I know some people that prefer starting off with the ACR / Liightroom interface and do their adjustments there. Personal preference...