Saving RAW?

[ChrisF79]

Is it possible to load up a RAW file in Photoshop, do things like color correction, white balance, etc, and then resave as RAW?

[fletch]

You can save edits done in ACR as RAW files, either in the DNG format or using .XMP sidecar files. You can't save files in photoshop as RAW files as they are no longer uncooked!

[dcclark]

A raw file is literally the raw data that comes from your camera's sensor. It is NOT an image -- that's why you have to use ACR, or Photoshop, or UFRaw, etc. to open and convert the file before you can edit it in a normal image editor. Once you have converted the file, you have fundamentally changed the data, and so it is no longer raw and cannot be saved that way.

[XtremPics]

I have a Sony Alpha camera which comes with software that can open the Sony RAWs, apply almost all settings/options that the camera can do and then save again as a RAW file. That includes colour correction, white balance, contrast, exposure etc etc...

It actually saves the changes as metadata, so every version you create is based on the original file, so that new versions don't increase the disk capacity taken up very much at all... so it's a really useful way to mess around with basic image enhancement before exporting it into a photo manipulation software for more involved post-processing.

I've always assumed that most other camera types come with a similar software package...

X

[OsmosisStudios]

all cameras come with software packages: most of the time they're rubbish.

When you run a RAW file through either ACR, LR or Aperture, it creates a .xmp sidecar file. This is a small file (usually less than 50kb) that is connected to the RAW file. So, when you open the RAW file again, it has all your edits.

[AgBeard]

Originally Posted by OsmosisStudios

When you run a RAW file through either ACR, LR or Aperture, it creates a .xmp sidecar file. This is a small file (usually less than 50kb) that is connected to the RAW file. So, when you open the RAW file again, it has all your edits.

That's what makes virtual copies such a great way to experiment with different treatments of the same image without taking up extra disk space.