Using PSE6 to edit RAW files...

[Kevan_G9]

Please indulge me with your suggestions, I've tried searching for detail here, but this forum for one reason or other doesn't like short words such as RAW and spat me out.

So my question...PSE6 opens a RAW window that allows the user to run rampant on their innocent photos. Unleashed, I can slide bar my photo into positves and negatives and percentiles involving temperture, tint, exposure, recovery (my photos could stand for some of that!), fill and on and on...

Most times I accept the photo right off and go to the main screen of PSE6dom to do my butchery, but I'm thinking that I'm missing out on an important aspect of processing in the RAW (not me the photo). Do you folks have some general guidelines to follow? Is there a tutorial to lead me from saturation-ruination?

Your comments would be much appreciated. Thanks.

[Joe M]

ACR definitely has a lot to offer and is a very powerful tool.

There is probably a video tutorial on this site that deals with the latest version of ACR. Maybe someone else can answer that knows for sure. I know there is at Kelby Training in the class Camera Raw Workflow Essentials. You can watch the first 3 videos for free. There is a difference between PSE 6 ACR and the one with Photoshop CS3 but you will still learn the basics.

Here is another website that has a pretty good tutorial. Photoshop Cafe (http://www.photoshopcafe.com/cs3/acr4.htm)

[TonyW]

Interesting question. I'll try a few answers.

You can do a forum search for 3 (and 4) letter words. When it says you can't type the word RAW into the new search box that pops up and the search defaults to Google search this site and you'll get 4580 hits (give or take a few).

If you are a subscriber there are two excellent video tutorials on the new RAW editor (ACR 4 which works in PSE4,5 and 6). They came out in 2007 and are called Camera RAW 101 and 102 or something similar.

The reason you often like what you first see is that Camera Raw applies default settings when you open it that are specific to your camera. So in many cases those defaults may well be pretty close to what you want. You can even change the defaults if you want if you find they aren't quite what you want as well as making them specific to a specific camera or ISO setting. For example I like to boost the clarity and vibrance so have changed my defaults to apply some boost.

Where Camera Raw comes into it's own is when the defaults don't quite work for the specific shot and the general rule is to adjust the sliders in order from top to bottom. After a while you get to spot which particular tweaks you like - and Camera Raw is pretty forgiving about the tweaks.

Perhaps the best thing about RAW is that, unlike JPEG's you are working with the Raw camera data and can always go back and re-tweak because the original "Digital Negative" isn't changed - ACR keeps the settings separate from the original file. So you can mess it up - but you haven't really messed it up and can always go back to the original default settings.

That said RAW is for those who like to tweak and for those who like to rescue those tricky shots taken in tricky lighting conditions. If you're a point and shooter and are generally happy with the JPEGS the camera delivers then probably Raw isn't for you.

Tony

[Kevan_G9]

I ran into this blog that sheds some light on the use of ACR (referring to my inital post, little did I know that was where I was...), specific to my make of camera, but in general can be used by others:

http://lightdescription.blogspot.com/2008/02/camera-raw-settings-for-g9.html

[hfgerena]

Hello Kevan G9;

If you are a member on the Volume 4 Number 7 of PET there is a nice article by Matt called "7 Reasons you've gotta try the new camera Raw".

For my personal taste I don't use all the functions of ACR.

Here is what I do;

1. Once I open my RAW's in ACR then I change them to 16 bits.
2. I use a little bit of; Correct the Exposure, Recovery, Carity & Vibrance.
3. Then I "Open the Image" to be edited in Elements still in the 16 bits (Elements does not allow many of the functions in 16 bits), so I go into the Enhance Menu and use a little bit (if necessary) of Saturation, Contrast, Sharpness, and Cropping.
4. The when I'm done with this little changes I then change the Image>Mode>8 bits.
5. Now I can use all the PE functions.

The reason that I do this is that in 16 bits I can take advantage of all those "colors and resolution" and at the same time I feel more confortable using the rest of the functions in PE that in ACR, I also feel that I'm doing my progress a little bit faster. Again, this my personal taste to do it.