RAW Converters

[destrekor]

I figured this would be best in Software for Windows forum, but then I realized that a significant chunk of the digital imaging community wouldn't be looking there, but rather, in the All Things Apple forum. So, I'll split the difference. Sure, it's not the actual consumer electronics, but it's part of the workflow, so it goes here [for now?].

For the longest while, I was running with blinders on when it comes to RAW converters... I was stuck in the Adobe mindset, thinking Lightroom and Photoshop were sort of the holy grail when it comes to workflow.

In the end, I'll give a trial of most RAW converters, I'm sure. I've played around with a trial of DXO, but not all that much. I've got Lightroom 5 (and PS CC/ACR), btw.

I've heard good things regarding Capture One.
For Nikon shooters specifically, I see a lot of love for Capture NX2, especially for the control point abilities that Nik Software baked into it for Nikon. Sadly, now that Nik is owned by Google, it looks like that feature will be absent from future versions. It looks like Nikon is working on a new version/replacement for Capture NX2 (Capture NX-D), and will cease updates for NX2 once NX-D is out of beta. NX-D does not contain the control point technology, and they state they have no plans to add it (bummer that Nik couldn't continue to work with Nikon, even with new owners - it's not like they were an internal Nikon team prior to the Google buyout).

The biggest thing I'm looking for here, is the most effective workflow that is easy to use without dragging down resource use or hard disk space. It may be cheap, but I can think of a few workflows that could quickly eat storage.


There are two goals: easy workflow, and color accuracy.

Regarding color accuracy, I've heard Lightroom/ACR is basically the worst out of the box. To that end, this whole process has gotten me to look into the camera profiles in Lightroom. I guess the Adobe Standard is terrible (agreed), and the Camera Standard was actually quite respectable to my slightly color deficient eyes (aka "color blindness" - I mild red/green problems in comparison to some folks).
I forgot I had the ColorChecker Passport, which came bundled with my i1 Display Pro. I was without my camera for the past month, as it was with Nikon's service/repair group for shutter assembly replacement (took advantage of the service advisory for free service on my D600). I just got it back and have run it through Lightroom and the ColorChecker plugin to create a new Camera Profile. Honestly, not sure about it just yet. It's a little more pronounced than what the Camera Standard setting gives - but I haven't played around with many photos with that just yet; I just got the camera back yesterday.

So with that all in mind, what process would one suggest to get the most accurate and eye-pleasing colors? A certain workflow for that, a specific RAW converter and it's default methods? Lightroom + ColorChecker or other calibration?

For workflow, I've got mixed opinions on what I am really looking for. This is likely because I haven't gotten into workflow for professional purposes, or even really had a chance to become skilled with the Lightroom + Photoshop workflow that I currently utilize.

Lightroom seems quite terrific for the overall management aspect, and makes jumping into Photoshop a breeze. Because of the way I can utilize plugins with Smart Filters, I've mostly been using Lightroom for import, management, and RAW processing. I then export as smart filter into Photoshop CC and then do any work with Nik Collection or other plugins that I might desire. I still get the option to work with ACR as a filter, so that's nice. But I have to remember to not mess with the file anymore inside of Lightroom, as I expect I lose editing latitude since it's no longer a RAW file. I can't guarantee, but I do believe when using the smart filters on the exported RAW (becomes a .tiff or .psd in Photoshop), you still get the full RAW image data and so the full capacity to edit a few stops above and below.

But the other thing about Lightroom is the sidecar file aspect. I might have nothing that would truly allow a freely creative workflow with straight RAW files of some sort (NEF or DNG), but something I'd like to be able to do is use whatever RAW converter (DXO, C1, NX2?, a more obscure one like Corel's?, etc), and have the edits saved to the RAW file itself, but non-destructively. Further, I'd like to be able to then open that actual RAW file in another application and see the edits, not the "as shot" file, which is what you get if you have edits stored in a sidecar file for one application and open the RAW in another application.

I suspect what I stated above, I just cannot get. Each RAW converter interprets data differently, correct?

Perhaps some types of photography might be best handled in one RAW Converter, and then perhaps opened in Photoshop for extra work; whereas other types (landscape vs portraits? Commercial vs art? whatever) might be better in an entirely different converter.
Is there any workflow that makes it easy to manage just that?

 

[corkyg]

Part of the problem is how eac h OEN implements RAW.

Although there is a standard raw image format, (ISO 12234-2, TIFF/EP), the raw formats used by most cameras are not standardized or documented, and differ among camera manufacturers.

Most camera manufacturers have their own software for decoding or developing their raw file format, but there are also many third-party raw file converter applications available that accept raw files from most digital cameras. Some graphic programs and image editors may not accept some or all raw file formats, and some older ones have been effectively orphaned already.

So, I would look to the brand of camera you have and use its software. As for a "generic" program, I have used RAWShooter Prmium 2006 and gotten satisfactory results. There is a newer version (2011) - a free download. Might be worth a look.

http://en.softonic.com/s/rawshooter-2011

 

[destrekor]

Part of the problem is how eac h OEN implements RAW.

Although there is a standard raw image format, (ISO 12234-2, TIFF/EP), the raw formats used by most cameras are not standardized or documented, and differ among camera manufacturers.

Most camera manufacturers have their own software for decoding or developing their raw file format, but there are also many third-party raw file converter applications available that accept raw files from most digital cameras. Some graphic programs and image editors may not accept some or all raw file formats, and some older ones have been effectively orphaned already.

So, I would look to the brand of camera you have and use its software. As for a "generic" program, I have used RAWShooter Prmium 2006 and gotten satisfactory results. There is a newer version (2011) - a free download. Might be worth a look.

http://en.softonic.com/s/rawshooter-2011

Sorry to say, that's not exactly helpful. Maybe I'm looking for more in-depth, advanced knowledge and experience on the topic.

RAW formats may vary from each manufacturer, but that's ultimately just the container, and it's also only a fact that matters if one cares to utilize in-camera image settings, say, like Active D-Lighting on Nikon. Most third-party software ignores everything but the metadeta and the actual industry-standard data.
The light data captured and encoded by the sensor and camera is standard - anything else, like custom white point or other settings, can be useful but is not standard.
If a Nikon shooter wants to see on the computer what they see on the camera's back LCD screen, they really need to use Nikon's software. That said, it is far from necessary, and can be more trouble than it's worth for certain shooting scenarios.

Point being, I'm looking for information and opinions regarding advanced editing, color, and workflow approaches.
I realize this is probably something that's better discussed at dpreview.com or any other photography-specific forum, however, I like to start here since there is a good community and, why not, considering I browse this forum all the time anyway. One less page to refresh.

 

[shortylickens]

I got the Corel pro photo suite and it came with a nice RAW program. It can automate and process multiple images in batch, merge for HDR, and has a decent selection of adjustments. Probably not as comprehensive as Lightroom, but it was dirt cheap and does a MUCH better job than any free program.

http://www.paintshoppro.com/en/prod...=ATG&utm_medium=ASP&utm_campaign=PIDredirects (the free trial still requires email activation, I think)


I got it during a big sale as part of the suite. It was practically free.