What are most people using for processing RAW

[brianleighty]

Ive been ugrading from CS2 to CS5 and now CS6. I can tell ACR of each CS is different, the latter the better and more effective. I tried LR4 and DDP before CS6 but didnt like it.

Yeah, I'm still on DPP but I may switch over to LR at some point in the future. The main thing that always held me back was raw didn't look anything like the out of camera jpg or what it looked like in DPP. In LR it was super contrasty and had a greenish tint to it almost all the time. The new process I believe 2011 or 2012 fixed a lot of that stuff. It's probably still not exactly the same but it's a heck of a lot closer. I was close to switching but I've gotten a little bit comfortable with DPP. Not to mention it's free so at this point I'm putting my money towards other things but at some point I might circle back around.

[M.ST]

I use Photoshop CS6 Extended with ACR.

[dirtcastle]

I fully agree with you, DPP constantly produces cleaner images that are more color accurate, with better tones, it has nothing to do with being free,

Is this based on your own experience/opinion, or is this a broad consensus backed up by testing?

I'm not trolling, I just find it hard to believe that LR/ACR/Aperture aren't as clean/accurate as DPP.

[carl]

I fully agree with you, DPP constantly produces cleaner images that are more color accurate, with better tones, it has nothing to do with being free,

Is this based on your own experience/opinion, or is this a broad consensus backed up by testing?

I'm not trolling, I just find it hard to believe that LR/ACR/Aperture aren't as clean/accurate as DPP.

I use CR from CS5 and also DPP. Mostly always CR, but at the price of slowing down my process time, sometimes I use DPP and I find it better for sharpening and it gives a better 3-d real modeling of shapes, perhaps because there is more tone variation on the shadows. It feels closer to the real place. But I am one that usually likes the"before" better than the "after" in many people's photos.

[canon816]

For my 40D raw files I've been using Elements 8 for some time.
Now I'm about to get a 5D MK III, I'll not be able to use Elements 8 as it's version of ACR isn't compatible with this camera. I can't afford a copy of Photoshop CS6 so whats my best option? What do most people use? I guess the answer is Lightroom 4.1.

If you like PS you could just get a subscription to it.  I own LR4 and have a month to month subscription of PS6.  It's only $20/ month and lets you upgrade to the newer version when its time.

If adobe continues top pump out new versions of PS every couple years then this is much cheaper then paying for an upgrade every time not to mention buying it outright the first time!

[RS2021]

Lightroom 4.1. 

[Helevitia]

Lightroom 4.1.

+1

[IslanderMV]

Lightroom works for me 95 % of the time. ( occasional trips out to Photoshop and back.)

[Jan van Holten]

I use Aperture for a seven years now. The workflow is really easy to work with, but I hope with the next version, they have been taking a good look at Lightroom. That graduent filter is a great instrument. In Aperture noise reduction and remove sensor-dust sucks. I use Elements 4 for that, it works much easier!!!!!
Also the instrument ''dodge and burn'' could be much more sofisticated. Now the treatened part always becomes brown, even when that colour is not in the subject.
And, write a user guide with less nonsense talk, just come to the point. A lot is not explained.
When you copie your images to an external harddisk, every new pack of images that you have imported to the library is stored like that. Why not maintain a simple structure like maps and submaps with you see when working with the library. Just the way you build up the library.
I'am not very happy with it, but I don't like to learn the pretty different workflow of Lightroom. There is a lot to improve in Aperture.
Sorry for my English.

Jan van Holten

[RS2021]

I use Aperture for a seven years now...I'am not very happy with it, but I don't like to learn the pretty different workflow of Lightroom. There is a lot to improve in Aperture.

Aperture, though was miles ahead at its inception, is now an abandoned redheaded stepchild for Apple. They see the writing on the wall with Lightroom and its marketshare and I am not sure how much resources will be committed from the 'mothership' to compete.

[PaulTopol]

Capture 1 now that they have fixed it for 1dx.
Tried LR but too confusing workflow.
Cap1 has great workflow and produces output in every format I need:jpg(anysize), tiff, dng into separate directories. I have used it for,at least, the last 5 years.

Just tried out DPP, while C1 were dragging their feet, and found it pretty good. It has to be, considering it is designed by the original makers of the CR2 format. If they don't know their own format then we are in big trouble.

Now gonna learn LR4. Might as well learn how to use all the tools available, especially since so many of you use it.

Just upsets me how much Adobe charge for new versions and upgrades for the CS series. Encourages piracy, in my opinion.

Have a great day, Paul

[dirtcastle]

Just upsets me how much Adobe charge for new versions and upgrades for the CS series. Encourages piracy, in my opinion.

Adobe's new "Creative Cloud" plan dramatically drops the price for anyone who uses more than one Adobe program and updates annually. There is also a 50% discount for students and teachers.

http://www.adobe.com/products/creativecloud/buying-guide.html

I'm not necessarily against piracy. And I agree that the price of a single program (outside of the "Creative Cloud") is steep for non-professionals. But as a pro, I feel an obligation to support a product... that supports me.

[joshmurrah]

Photoshop CS6' ACR here. 

Depending on fixes needed, a lot of the time I won't even continue into Photoshop, I'll save right out of ACR and close Photoshop down after the panel closes.

My understanding is that this software is the same as what's in LR4, so that's a cheaper route if you need it.

[lastcoyote]

Right, got my 5D MK III now  Awesome..naturally.
I went for LR4 in the end. From most replies here I think that was the right choice. Haven't yet installed and set it up yet. My question is after I've processed my photos in LR, I may want to do further editing in Photoshop Elements. As I said in my opening post I have Elements 8. Am I right in thinking that since my raw files are 5D MK III that I won't be able to pass them over to Elements 8 editor, and that I'll need to get either Elements 10 or 11 which support the 5D MK III? Or will LR be able to convert to PSD and open them as such in Elements 8 without issue?

Also while I'm posting...any opinions on the new version 11 of Elements?

[lastcoyote]

been looking on elementsvillage forum regarding this myself and it appears i should be fine in doing the raw processing in LR4 and then when i want to make further changes i just select to 'Edit In' photoshop elements 8 which then creates a duplicate file (psd or tiff depending on preferences) and then this should be fine to work on and save in PSE8 which then is displayed alongside original raw file in LR. I guess i was confused in thinking i couldn't use my PSE8 at all due to the ACR version in it not supporting 5D MK III. But as I'd just be using it for editing then this isn't a problem.
or am I still wrong?