Hurray, it's me again with yet another quick and easy tutorial! Same as the previous post, this 'quick tip' is meant for beginners so do not expect anything too difficult/techical here (that's how I want it to be anyway). Before we start, let me ask you a few questions:
DO YOU SHOOT RAW?
Why wouldn't you? Let me assure you that RAW is probably the most powerful image format for post-processing. It's offers you the advantage of more control over your images in the same way film negatives did during the film days, but this time - it's digital. The RAW conversion process gives you full control over a vast amount of variables (exposure, WB etc.), rather than letting your camera do the work for you. A RAW file also resolves slightly more detail than a JPEG.
WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?
A RAW image is a 'digital negative', which is unprocessed and captured as it is. When you snap a JPEG, the in-camera processor compresses and processes the image using a specific algorithm. That's why a RAW file has a superior latitude compared to a JPEG, allowing you to push adjustments harder without much deterioration in image quality. The editing is non-destructive too, so you may just hit 'reset', revert to the original image, and start editing from scratch again - all without sacrificing quality. Furthermore, the White Balance is saved as a data file in RAW, which means you can edit the white balance anyhow you like without a drop in image quality. Now that's sweet...
WHY ADOBE CAMERA RAW?
Mainly because that's what I use. And because it's the best software out there. A lot of camera companies have their own RAW conversion software for their own specific RAW format, but Adobe does all of them - nice. And this time I'll be teaching you how to use the basic interface (See image).
Adobe Camera RAW Interface (Basic) Explained:
1) Temperature: That's your white balance. The numbers in the bracket are the colour temperature in Kelvin (K). Adjust the slider to change the WB to suit your tastes.
2) Tint: Changes the colour cast of the overall image. I usually keep this the way it is.
3) Auto/Default: Use the 'Auto' function and the the program will automatically make a quick conversion for you. 'Default' reverts you back to where you started off.
4) Exposure: Use this to adjust how bright or dark you want your image to be. Gives you a total latitude of 8 stops (-4 to +4 EV).
5) Recovery: As the name suggests, this is used to recover some blown-out highlights in your image. It doesn't do much, but it certainly helps a bit.
6) Fill Light: Lightens the shadows (darker tones in the image).
7) Blacks: Basically the opposite of 'fill light', increasing this will darken the shadows instead.
8 ) Brightness: Very similar to the 'exposure' function, but avoid this and use the 'exposure' slider instead.
9) Contrast: Darkens the shadows and lighten the highlights, as in Photoshop. But editing contrast in RAW reduces the deterioration of image quality.
10) Clarity: Gives a boost to the midtone range along with a 'sharpening' effect.
11) Vibrance: Boosts the saturation of the non-saturated image colours. Gives a much better effect than editing 'saturation' in Photoshop.
12) Saturation: Similar to the 'saturation' in photoshop. Adjusts the overall colour saturation.
Voila, you're done. Click 'Open Image' to open the converted file in Photoshop (and to save as JPEG afterwards). Or you can click done to save your adjustments and open the RAW file later on.
(Remember that you can reset the settings to the original anytime you want.)
That's it! Thank you for reading. Here are some samples:
PS: Personally, I shoot JPEG most of the time because it's simple and convenient (in addition to the faster loading time and smaller size). However, I do shoot RAW when I am not too sure about the WB and want total control over the final image.
DO YOU SHOOT RAW?
Why wouldn't you? Let me assure you that RAW is probably the most powerful image format for post-processing. It's offers you the advantage of more control over your images in the same way film negatives did during the film days, but this time - it's digital. The RAW conversion process gives you full control over a vast amount of variables (exposure, WB etc.), rather than letting your camera do the work for you. A RAW file also resolves slightly more detail than a JPEG.
WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?
A RAW image is a 'digital negative', which is unprocessed and captured as it is. When you snap a JPEG, the in-camera processor compresses and processes the image using a specific algorithm. That's why a RAW file has a superior latitude compared to a JPEG, allowing you to push adjustments harder without much deterioration in image quality. The editing is non-destructive too, so you may just hit 'reset', revert to the original image, and start editing from scratch again - all without sacrificing quality. Furthermore, the White Balance is saved as a data file in RAW, which means you can edit the white balance anyhow you like without a drop in image quality. Now that's sweet...
WHY ADOBE CAMERA RAW?
Mainly because that's what I use. And because it's the best software out there. A lot of camera companies have their own RAW conversion software for their own specific RAW format, but Adobe does all of them - nice. And this time I'll be teaching you how to use the basic interface (See image).
Adobe Camera RAW Interface (Basic) Explained:
1) Temperature: That's your white balance. The numbers in the bracket are the colour temperature in Kelvin (K). Adjust the slider to change the WB to suit your tastes.
2) Tint: Changes the colour cast of the overall image. I usually keep this the way it is.
3) Auto/Default: Use the 'Auto' function and the the program will automatically make a quick conversion for you. 'Default' reverts you back to where you started off.
4) Exposure: Use this to adjust how bright or dark you want your image to be. Gives you a total latitude of 8 stops (-4 to +4 EV).
5) Recovery: As the name suggests, this is used to recover some blown-out highlights in your image. It doesn't do much, but it certainly helps a bit.
6) Fill Light: Lightens the shadows (darker tones in the image).
7) Blacks: Basically the opposite of 'fill light', increasing this will darken the shadows instead.
8 ) Brightness: Very similar to the 'exposure' function, but avoid this and use the 'exposure' slider instead.
9) Contrast: Darkens the shadows and lighten the highlights, as in Photoshop. But editing contrast in RAW reduces the deterioration of image quality.
10) Clarity: Gives a boost to the midtone range along with a 'sharpening' effect.
11) Vibrance: Boosts the saturation of the non-saturated image colours. Gives a much better effect than editing 'saturation' in Photoshop.
12) Saturation: Similar to the 'saturation' in photoshop. Adjusts the overall colour saturation.
Voila, you're done. Click 'Open Image' to open the converted file in Photoshop (and to save as JPEG afterwards). Or you can click done to save your adjustments and open the RAW file later on.
(Remember that you can reset the settings to the original anytime you want.)
That's it! Thank you for reading. Here are some samples:
PS: Personally, I shoot JPEG most of the time because it's simple and convenient (in addition to the faster loading time and smaller size). However, I do shoot RAW when I am not too sure about the WB and want total control over the final image.
by Ralverd via PM: 19-09-2009
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