tips on getting started shooting in raw?

[DanoPhoto]

Great advice...+1 for everyone...

Would think that you use external hard drive(s) for archiving and not burn to CD/DVD's, correct?

Recommendations to use multiple or single 250GB, 500GB or 1TB, for redundancy, or whatever is best price/deal?

 

[akiskev]

Does it really slow down continuous shooting?

Why not try it on your camera? Seriously, it would take like 10 seconds to try both ways. Then you would know what it does to your camera with your memory card.

And shoot RAW+jpg, Use the RAW when you want to get into heavy precessing and the use the jpg when you are happy with that. Also, when you are new to RAW processing, the jpg can be a good mark of your skills. In other words, you want your final image to look better than the camera's jpg, so if you shoot RAW+jpg, you have the jpg to compare.

This!

 

[eeek]

When I stepped into digital photography, I shot jpeg. Even though RAW was there, I shot jpeg. I mentally listed all the reasons I wouldn’t- too slow, would need more space, more cards and so on. So I blocked it without even trying it. I see you’ve done this as well. For me the big change came when I decided I had enough of keeping every single picture. I shoot a lot of sports, concerts and events and I was in the habit of keeping every out of focus ball, over cropped lead singer and tack sharp microphone. I jumped in and haven’t looked back. Not only do you have a huge amount of room to work, but you have a photo that as products like RAW conversion software improves, you’ll be able to go back and play with. I also look more at my photos and ask myself- do I need this shot? All the things you’ve laid out are true- it is slow, bigger and more work, but the result is at the end of the day you have a negative to work with versus a printed photo.

 

[skitron]

If you want to give RAW a whirl, one thing to note is that you can get access to the latest version of Adobe Camera Raw via Photo Shop Elements 8 and newer. Also, these versions support third party plugins (I just plugged in Knoll Light Factory and Magic Bullet Photo Looks). The workflow is pretty lame but given you can get valid copies of PSE8 on eBay for $30 or cheaper, a good way to try a high quality solution. If you like the results and want better workflow, you could go for Adobe Light Room and still have a decent pixel editor in PSE.

If you shoot a 18MP or less Canon (LOL, or a medium format Phase One), the Capture One RAW processor has superb workflow and color management. I've posted in another thread how this product's color NR and sharpening don't work worth a darn for 21MP files from a 5D2 for some odd reason, so cannot recommend if using with that camera. But fantastic with 60D/50D/XTi files.

 

[skitron]

Note that Windows does not permit you to view RAW thumbnails in its default configuration (assuming you have a Windows system). There is a workaround for this, but it is a hack.

Microsoft has a published fix for this. So no hack needed.

 

[briansquibb]

Note that Windows does not permit you to view RAW thumbnails in its default configuration (assuming you have a Windows system). There is a workaround for this, but it is a hack.

The viewer is available and is not a hack

 

[Jay]

My 2cn:

Shoot RAW only. Import images into Lightroom, and after developing, export all pictures into small JPGs and backup RAWs. If you do other editing, just take export jpgs at the end.

This way:
- you'll always have a nice, fast-to-browse preview collection of all your final images.
- you'll have 0 pointless image (semi-good jpgs: too big for any purpose, bad cropping, wrong white balance)
- whenever you need images for certain pixel sizes, print or maybe you want to go back and change something, there's the original, backuped RAW - with previous "development settings" remembered in Lightroom

If you have expensive setup and go around carrying a tripod, it's just smart to shoot RAW. Storage space is quite cheap and no photographer is so awesome they never make mistakes that could be fixed with RAW. There's so much you can do with RAW. If keep changing between JPG and RAW, one day you realize you accidentally shot small JPGs afterwards. Speaking from experience, that will piss you off.

While normally shooting raw, it's cool to shoot jpg only as a "I really must get it right" exercise. "No need for any editing" beats "little editing for every picture" hands down.

 

[brando72]

I use either a ColorChecker Passport or a SpyderCube. The latter is handy at Christmas time, for portraits in front of the tree, and candids while opening presents - I just hang it on the tree like an ornament, where it's unnoticed in the shot and serves as a nice exposure and WB calibrator during post.

I also have a ColorRight that I use on occasion.
[/quote]

Neuro,

What is an inexpensive way to get white balance correct while you are out shooting instead of relying on finding grey in a raw shot after imported into LR?

Kind Regards.

 

[Loswr]

The most inexpensive way is probably a simple gray card, such as this one (B&H link). Just shoot a picture of it under the lighting conditions you want to balance. If you are going to use it to set a custom WB in-camera, you need to nearly fill the frame, but if you're going to shoot RAW and adjust in post, you can cut the card into smaller pieces (perhaps putting one in each camera bag, if you have more than one).

 

[brando72]

Ok. Thanks. Once imported into LR, how would you then apply the WB to all the pictures from the shoot using the shot of the WB card?

Kind Regards.

 

[Loswr]

Not being a user of Lightroom, I have no idea...sorry! I use DxO Optics Pro for RAW conversions, and there I'd select all the relevant images, click on the WB eyedropper tool, click on the gray card in one of the images, and I'd be done. Hopefully someone who does this in LR will chime in, if not, Adobe has help forums and the answer can probably be found with a search there or on Google...

 

[brando72]

No worries. Thanks Neuro.

 

[JR]

Ok. Thanks. Once imported into LR, how would you then apply the WB to all the pictures from the shoot using the shot of the WB card?

Kind Regards.

You have a few choices. Once you select the picture with the right white balance in LR, you can then at the bottom of the screen, press the shift key and select all the picture you want the change to be applied. Then on the lower right of the screen press the sync button. A pop-up screen will appear asking you which feature you want to apply to all your picture. Simply select the white balance and then clic synchronize again.

This is the fastest way. You can also access this same sync menu from the Settings menu and then Copy settings, but this way is more useful for a few picture. For batch processing, use the Sync button.

Hope this helps.

 

[JR]

Ok. Thanks. Once imported into LR, how would you then apply the WB to all the pictures from the shoot using the shot of the WB card?

Kind Regards.

You have a few choices. Once you select the picture with the right white balance in LR, you can then at the bottom of the screen, press the shift key and select all the picture you want the change to be applied. Then on the lower right of the screen press the sync button. A pop-up screen will appear asking you which feature you want to apply to all your picture. Simply select the white balance and then clic synchronize again.

This is the fastest way. You can also access this same sync menu from the Settings menu and then Copy settings, but this way is more useful for a few picture. For batch processing, use the Sync button.

Hope this helps.

Sorry forgot to mention you need to be in the Develop mode in LR for this to work. Press Develoop from the top Right corner before the above procedure. Good luck. Let me know if this does not work. I am quite familiar with LR now. I have been using it for only 5 months but I love it!

 

[pwp]

Here's a whole bunch of links to help get you started with Lightroom:

http://www.lightroomforums.net/forum.php
http://www.photoshopuser.com/lightroom3
http://www.photoshopsupport.com/lightroom/tutorials.html
http://layersmagazine.com/category/lightroom
http://lightroomkillertips.com/
http://www.jkost.com/lightroom.html
http://www.lightroomqueen.com/
http://mulita.com/blog/
http://www.pixiq.com/contributors/4399

Do a Google search for Lightroom Tutorials or Lightroom Tutorials Beginners and you'll find plenty more.

It's places like these that I learned Lightroom. I have these bookmarked but hardly ever need to refer to them now.

The Lightroom Forums are good value. Register, take a look around and start asking questions.

Paul Wright

 

[cheeseheadsaint]

Wow thank you for all your replies! =D But I don't think I am going to be buying new software at this point. Between Photoshop Elements 7.0 and DPP which is better for raw processing? haven't installed DPP yet..

 

[Loswr]

...select the picture with the right white balance in LR, you can then at the bottom of the screen, press the shift key and select all the picture you want the change to be applied. Then on the lower right of the screen press the sync button. A pop-up screen will appear asking you which feature you want to apply to all your picture. Simply select the white balance and then clic synchronize again.

This is the fastest way.

Sorry forgot to mention you need to be in the Develop mode in LR for this to work.

Wow...is it just me, or does:

select all the relevant images, click on the WB eyedropper tool, click on the gray card in one of the images, and done

...sound a whole lot easier? I really hope there's an easier way to do it in LR, else from a workflow standpoint alone I'm glad I use DxO!

 

[alipaulphotography]

...select the picture with the right white balance in LR, you can then at the bottom of the screen, press the shift key and select all the picture you want the change to be applied. Then on the lower right of the screen press the sync button. A pop-up screen will appear asking you which feature you want to apply to all your picture. Simply select the white balance and then clic synchronize again.

This is the fastest way.

Sorry forgot to mention you need to be in the Develop mode in LR for this to work.

Wow...is it just me, or does:

select all the relevant images, click on the WB eyedropper tool, click on the gray card in one of the images, and done

...sound a whole lot easier? I really hope there's an easier way to do it in LR, else from a workflow standpoint alone I'm glad I use DxO!

Yeah - you literally copy and paste.
command/control C - select white balance
then paste it onto the relevant images with command/control V.

Doesn't get easier than that.

 

[JR]

Wow...is it just me, or does:

select all the relevant images, click on the WB eyedropper tool, click on the gray card in one of the images, and done

...sound a whole lot easier? I really hope there's an easier way to do it in LR, else from a workflow standpoint alone I'm glad I use DxO!

lol! Yeah, my post did read a bit complicated does it! ???

It is much easier to do then how I explained it. I guess I could have done it shorter - was feeding my 20 month old at the same time so brain was multitasking

Good news is there is a simple way to do it...(I just wanted to make sure brando72 knew all the menu location in case he was not familiar with LR).

Cheers.

 

[Loswr]

Yeah - you literally copy and paste.

Thanks! Sorry, JR, but I was pretty sure there had to be a much easier way...