RAW Photos Only

[private]

K9 - I just opened up the raw file went to view tool palette - and tweaked from there, closed it and then saved it as a jpg file (convert and save) and then went in to photoshop and cropped it. And it was 6.6...

[oldwolf]

Originally Posted by k9mom

I admit, until your post I haven't used the digital photo editor to do any editing...so I just tried it and it appears the editing functions are limited to rotation, curves adjustment and color setting (RGB, etc). The other Canon utility, the "Picture Style Editor" seems to do slightly more (sharpening, contrast, in addition to the aforementioned), but only allows you to save the file in a "PF2" format - whatever that is )

When I tried the Digital Photo Professional program, under the "tools" menu, it allowed me to "transfer to Photoshop"...that function worked, opening the file, as a TIFF file, in PS CS, but at quite a memory cost! The original RAW file was about 9 mb whereas the TIFF file was nearly 58 mb!!! As soon as the TIFF file loaded in PS CS, the Digital Photo Editor crashed, giving me an "insufficient memory" warning, and I had to close it with task manager.

So I don't see either Canon's Digital Photo Professional or the Picture Style Editor as being very useful. And, yes, with these larger files, it looks like I will also need to up, up, up my RAM to prevent "insufficient memory" issues in the future. Oh goodie, more money to spend!!

You can do sharpening, contrast, exposure compensation, trimming/cropping and cloning inside of DPP as well. I run across the same issue when saving it to TIFF format but that's the price I pay for wanting to save to a lossless format. I just convert them to psp files when I get them pulled into psp x2. It takes up less space unless I start going crazy with layers and stuff. You have to take the pictures to the Edit Image Window to get all the funtionality of DPP. The main window doesn't really do much for you except basic junk.

I did convert them to JPG with the highest image quality possible when I started messing with the program but I found the TIFF to be slightly better.

How much RAM do you have on your puter?

[private]

Oldwolf - When you say "You have to take the pictures to the Edit Image Window to get all the funtionality of DPP. The main window doesn't really do much for you except basic junk."

Is that where you are finding the white balance correction, picture and brightness adjustment and then on the next tab you have your RGB Image adjustment? I did not think the main menu did anything...argh - so much I do not know - well, better get to learning! And does it really make a big difference, tiff vs jpg?

[lputman]

Originally Posted by private

And does it really make a big difference, tiff vs jpg?

Yes...I can't explain why, but it does.

[oldwolf]

Originally Posted by private

Oldwolf - When you say "You have to take the pictures to the Edit Image Window to get all the funtionality of DPP. The main window doesn't really do much for you except basic junk."

Is that where you are finding the white balance correction, picture and brightness adjustment and then on the next tab you have your RGB Image adjustment? I did not think the main menu did anything...argh - so much I do not know - well, better get to learning! And does it really make a big difference, tiff vs jpg?

yep. the cropping and cloning are located in the tools menu when you go to the edit image window as well. kind of silly that they'd hide those two things in a menu when everything else is right there to the side.

jpg has always been a lossy format. you can take a jpg picture and save it 10 times without doing anything to it but saving it and you degrade the picture each time because you're saving it in a lossy format (some type of compression is going on).

tiff is not a lossy format and that's why the file sizes are so huge. you can save a tiff 10 times and the picture doesn't degrade each time you save it because there is no compression going on. at least that's my understanding of tiff.

when i work with pics in psp, i will usually save the file in psp's native format so i don't lose the layers and so it's not compressed. that way, if i ever have to go back to work on it later, i won't have to worry about losing picture quality because of the compression.

my final pictures are saved in jpg though. that's what i give the customers and upload.

[private]

Maaan, I knew I would end up spending money if I went to RAW - need more memory, bigger CF card...oh well A new computer was on my list any way...

I am gonna research and see if I can find out why TIFF is better than jpg...

[k9mom]

Originally Posted by oldwolf

You can do sharpening, contrast, exposure compensation, trimming/cropping and cloning inside of DPP as well. I run across the same issue when saving it to TIFF format but that's the price I pay for wanting to save to a lossless format. I just convert them to psp files when I get them pulled into psp x2. It takes up less space unless I start going crazy with layers and stuff. You have to take the pictures to the Edit Image Window to get all the funtionality of DPP. The main window doesn't really do much for you except basic junk.

I did convert them to JPG with the highest image quality possible when I started messing with the program but I found the TIFF to be slightly better.

How much RAM do you have on your puter?

Thanks for the tips - will try again! My puter is getting old--alas--so the RAM is lacking. It has 512 MB, but I'm looking to ramp it up to 2 Gigs (cost of $120...so not too expensive moneywise, but it is just another thingy I have to buy to support my growing photography addiction. )

[oldwolf]

Originally Posted by k9mom

Thanks for the tips - will try again! My puter is getting old--alas--so the RAM is lacking. It has 512 MB, but I'm looking to ramp it up to 2 Gigs (cost of $120...so not too expensive moneywise, but it is just another thingy I have to buy to support my growing photography addiction. )

ahh ok. if you're running windows then 512 MB is the minimum, i'd recommend just to do basic stuff hehe. RAM isn't too expensive these days. most systems i build will have at least 2 GB in it just because windows is such a big resource hog. i think you'll notice a big difference when you do upgrade your RAM though.

[ttosifa]

Ok, I've shot RAW before with my old camera, but this is my first time with my new camera, the D700. The challenge motivated me. What a camera! I bought it so I could get auto focus for action shots in poor lighting. This camera just locks and shoots! If I can see it, the camera can see it too!

And the pictures look great.



This picture is actually at ISO 6400, at 1/60 at f/3.5. The noise is still practically invisible from a distance even at 100%. I have not done any color changes, but have done a "Blacks" adjustment in Camera RAW and actually reduced the CR default noise reduction to zero. I also did some sharpening in PS.

[private]

OMG! ISO 6400 and it looks that awsome!!!!!!!!? I love this RAW thing - its sooo fun, its like I just got a new toy... I hope topost some more tomorrow