Software for editing in RAW

[shekarcp]

Hi
I have been using gimp for editing my photos taken in JPEG . But now that I have starting learning about RAW format, can you suggest me a software for editing photos taken in RAW? Preferably open source or free software.

[rogerb]

You might give "RawTherapee" a try. It's open source and being actively maintained. It's more like Lightroom than Photoshop in that it doesn't do layer, masking, etc but then you can export the tiff to gimp after making all the adjustments at 16 bits. http://www.rawtherapee.com/

There are several others but I've played with an earlier version of this one and it's pretty powerful.
Roger

[Colin Southern]

Small point ... you don't normally "edit in RAW" per sec; you set various parameters (colour temperature, contrast, vibrance etc) that then tailor the conversion of the RAW file into something else (eg PSD, TIFF, JPEG etc) ... which you then apply layers etc to etc.

So if you're after something free then RawTherapee will probably get you to the point where you can then continue on with the likes of GIMP, but the likes of Adobe ACR + CS4 (Photoshop) with give you a more powerful environment with more user support.

[David]

Hi - I echo the above points. However, you don't say what camera system you are using. Normally, a software utility comes with the camera so that RAW files can be processed. For example, Canon has its Digital Photo Professional software. Although sometimes derided, such software is normally adapted to bring the best out of a RAW file. The second thought is that you should look at UFRAW (Google and ye shall find) for file conversions into the GIMP. It's free and well maintained, and you can set it as a plug-in to work directly from the GIMP. However, like RawTherapee, it does require a bit of effort to learn how to use it to best advantage.

Cheers

David

[Wirefox]

As David says above. UFRaw plugs into gimp seamlessly. In fact if you should have it within the gimp package if you have downloaded the full version. Have you tried opening a camera raw file with gimp. Your image should open in a new window with the raw edit controls down the keft hand side. If not google ufraw and download it.

Steve

[shekarcp]

Wow thanks a lot guys... Will defiantly try "RawTherapee".

Thanks
Shekar

[rpcrowe]

I have just been introduced to "CAPTURE ONE" and I like it quite a bit. Apparently it does a good job opening RAW images and has a lot of other good points.

It is not free but there is a 30-day free trial version available at:

http://xchange.phaseone.com/Content/Downloads.aspx

[crisscross]

I thoroughly recommend DxO optics for conversion, especially for those of you unfortunate enough to have Canon cameras (dives for cover). For Nikon owners using the Nikon free Transfer NX and View NX followed by Capture NX2 (sorry have to pay for that, but nowhere near as much as for PS/CS) is unbeatable. When you have used DxO to convert to .tif, you can continue in NX2 for serious editing and save as nef for later re-visits. You do occasionally need PS for cut and paste stuff and useful plug-ins eg FocusMagic as explained on my pbase site

[Terry Tedor]

I find Adobe Camera RAW works well for me.

[Colin Southern]

I find Adobe Camera RAW works well for me.

Me too - really on two levels; Firstly, if the latest versions of ACR can't get an image sorted out then it is probably beyond redemption - the shear number of way that you can use it to attack a problem image is just mind-blowing, but on another level (where it's truely unique) is where you can seamlessly link both to and from Photoshop using a smartlink. From Bridge (or Lightroom) to ACR to Photoshop - it's just all so integrated, and integration like this equated directly to efficiency.

[crisscross]

I'm curious, why throw that into the mix?

Hi Terry

I was housebound for a couple of weeks last year and took the opportunity of running free trials of every bit of PP software available

I found that DxO, as well as incorporating camera & lens specific corrections, introduces a different tool set according to what camera an image comes from and specifically that files from my old 350D brought up the tool set found in Canon's own DPP, whereas files from my current D80 bring up in the corresponding places, tools as found in Nikon Capture NX2. That is dealing with a RAW file with knowledge of what the manufacturer put into it.

On the contrary both ACR (whatever version is in CS4) and Apple Aperture have a generic tool set that is camera independent. And in the case of Aperture with nowhere near the strength of DxO non-camera specific tool set. I speak as a long standing Mac user and would dearly have loved it if there was a viable apple solution. I have less experience of ACR as I only resort to PS for things where either layers and/or copy&paste are essential and not available in NX2 and transfer a tif from DxO bypassing ACR, which also has the usual user-unfriendliness expected from Adobe whatever its strenghts.

Nevertheless I am sad that Adobe can't enter into the same respect and agreement with the manufacturers that DxO do. I have seen comments on the web which translated into English suggest that Adobe only have the tiniest bit of dialogue with anyone else that is necessary for PR purposes.

The reference to Canon was not serious

[crisscross]

.... (where it's truely unique) is where you can seamlessly link both to and from Photoshop using a smartlink.

Hi Colin
(a) does this mean that, as in Capture NX2, after doing some processing in adjustment layers you can return to ACR to, say alter the exposure compensation or colour temperature - and the '2nd round' adjustments in ACR transfer through to where you left off in photo-shop?
(b) if so is it possible for you to give an idiots guide to how to?(or refer me to the .pdf manual or another web-site)
(c) if so it is certainly not unique as it is the normal and totally seamless thing in NX2 where you never have to leave the nef (RAW) even upto printing. (Though obviously for a forum jpg or a tif transfer to photoshop you do leave it)

[Colin Southern]

(a) does this mean that, as in Capture NX2, after doing some processing in adjustment layers you can return to ACR to, say alter the exposure compensation or colour temperature - and the '2nd round' adjustments in ACR transfer through to where you left off in photo-shop?

Yes.

(b) if so is it possible for you to give an idiots guide to how to?(or refer me to the .pdf manual or another web-site)

Just hold the shift key down when in ACR; the "Open" butten changes to an "object" button.

[Donald]

Interested in what Chris writes (above) and have downloaded the trial version of DxO (remember I use GIMP, so it's UF Raw and Canon's own DPP, rather than ACR, that I'm testing this against).

However, am looking for advice and guidance from those who know about these things (this highlights my blank spots). The following is a screenshot from teh DxO page at http://www.dxo.com/uk/photo/dxo_opti...rsions_pricing, and I'd like to know what it means for me. Can you help? If so, thank you in advance.

[Colin Southern]

Interested in what Chris writes (above) and have downloaded the trial version of DxO (remember I use GIMP, so it's UF Raw and Canon's own DPP, rather than ACR, that I'm testing this against).

However, am looking for advice and guidance from those who know about these things (this highlights my blank spots). The following is a screenshot from teh DxO page at http://www.dxo.com/uk/photo/dxo_opti...rsions_pricing and I'd like to know what it means for me. Can you help? If so, thank you in advance.

Hi Donald,

On the face of it it looks like it's incompatable with Canon's Small RAW and Medium RAW formats (which are two lower-resolution formats that still enjoy all the advantages of RAW files).

Hopefully this is what you meant?

[crisscross]

Thank you Colin - will have a play next time I have a couple of minutes

Can't help Donald, but am sure a Canon user will. My Canon RAW is/was .CR2 and DxO is fine for that.

[Donald]

Hopefully this is what you meant?

I think so (My knowledge is so deficient at times!)

So, I can keep firing away as I do at the moment , it seems.

Interestingly, when executing the RAW conversion, it gives the choice of saving as as jpeg, DNG or TIFF. I tried to save as DNG. But, maybe because I've got UF Raw installed as a plug-in to the GIMP, it seems to ignore this instrcution and save it as a UFRAW. Still working on this.

But I like what I see so far.

[crisscross]

Just hold the shift key down when in ACR; the "Open" butten changes to an "object" button.

OK Colin, I have turned the RAW into a 'smart object' with the RAW now in place of a background layer...I also copied the adjustment layer, returned the (curves) to default and locked it....d'click the SO layer and return to the ACR window, so far so good....but then alterations in ACR do not show up in the PS window until I OK the ACR....then not only the adjustment layer auto-adjusts to the new ACR settings, but so does the locked layer. This leaves no way of comparing the before and after effects of the 2nd round changes, much less a live readout as I am used to in NX2.

Must be doing something wrong... or it does do what you said, but not what I thought you said and what which would be really useful.

[Colin Southern]

This leaves no way of comparing the before and after effects of the 2nd round changes

Ctrl-Z (Cmd-Z on a Mac) toggles the before and after.

[stuck]

...UFRaw plugs into gimp seamlessly...

I certainly used and it may do so again but the last time I fiddled with it, which was only a couple of weeks ago I discovered the release of GIMP 2.8 has broken UFRAW.

Ken