Raw Image Processing

[Alan9940]

Hello All:

Not that I anticipate using PL to open RAW files, I'd like to know of the process should I need/want something quick.

I've read a few archived posts on this subject, but none seem to pertain to the most current version; and, it doesn't work for me. I know that the underlying raw processing engine is dcraw, which I'm very familiar with based on many years of its use in standalone RAW converters, and I know that all my cameras are supported by dcraw, but when I do File>Import>Raw Image Data... all I see in the preview window is very bright and colorful horizontal lines. It looks like a brightly colored scan pattern. Wassup? If I access the typical File/Open..., this dialog doesn't recognize a raw format. What am I missing?

As usual, thanks for your help.

Best regards,
AlanH

[bkh]

I've read a few archived posts on this subject, but none seem to pertain to the most current version; and, it doesn't work for me. I know that the underlying raw processing engine is dcraw, which I'm very familiar with based on many years of its use in standalone RAW converters, and I know that all my cameras are supported by dcraw, but when I do File>Import>Raw Image Data... all I see in the preview window is very bright and colorful horizontal lines. It looks like a brightly colored scan pattern. Wassup?

That's not for camera raw files, but for raw (uncompressed) image data – not widely used these days.

If I access the typical File/Open..., this dialog doesn't recognize a raw format. What am I missing?

What file extensions do your raw files have? Nikon NEF files definitely work here, as do Canon .cr2 files, and probably many others. You could try to change the file extension to .NEF or .cr2 and see if PL recognises it – my NEF files open without problems even if I rename them to .cr2 files since dcraw identifies files by their EXIF information, not by their extensions.

Cheers

Burkhard.

[Hoogo]

Amazing! Once there was a raw converter available in import and from the build-in browser. It must have been dropped a while ago - and nobody complained

For Windows there's a limit in the number of allowed file types in the open dialog. I Don't know if this also applies to Mac.
I don't even know how the open dialog appears on Mac. If there's something like *.*, then try that.
If you try the build-in picture-browser: Is the RAW shown there?
Are there other ways on Mac, like drag&drop? What happens when you try?
By the way: What camera is it?

[Alan9940]

@burkhard,

Fie>Open does recognize .CR2 files from my Canon 5D II, but doesn't recognize .ARW files from my Sony NEX-6 nor .RW2 files from my Panasonic G1. The Panny is a ancient camera (in digital years!), but I know for fact that dcraw supports it; so not quite sure why PL doesn't see it and, especially, why it wouldn't recognize the Sony raw files since that's a fairly modern camera.

I did try renaming the not recognized files to .CR2 extension and that does work. However, to do this as a general workflow criteria would just get much too confusing for me.

@Hoogo

Yes, the picture browser does recognize the unrecognizable file types mentioned above which is really odd to me! Why would one path not see them, yet the other does? I'm on Mac, btw.

For both of you... OK, once I have a raw file open I've got a vector graphics adjustment layer as my background layer, and what looks like a quite complicated adjustment layer above that containing many adjustment types. The default image, as opened, looks very flat in contrast and muted in color. Am I correct in assuming that, in general, the background layer doesn't need to be touched and layer 1 (I'll call it) is where I'd make changes to get an acceptable base image?

Thank you.

Best regards,
AlanH

[photoken]

Am I correct in assuming that, in general, the background layer doesn't need to be touched and layer 1 (I'll call it) is where I'd make changes to get an acceptable base image?

Yes.

If the default number of adjustment layers in that "Layer 1" aren't enough, you can add more adjustment layers to it. When you get a nice result, you can save all those adjustment layers (and their settings) as a Preset, so you can instantly apply those adjustments to another image.

[Alan9940]

Thanks, Ken.

Every day as I learn more, I'm really coming to understand the power of PL!

Best regards,
AlanH

[bkh]

I did try renaming the not recognized files to .CR2 extension and that does work. However, to do this as a general workflow criteria would just get much too confusing for me.

I didn't mean this as a workaround for you, but just as a test that this is (just) a file extension problem.

On my Mac, I Just tried the following: if I use an ARW file extension, PL doesn't recognise it as a Camera RAW format, but PL opens it if I choose "All Files" under "File Formats" in the "Open" dialogue. PL also opens the file if I drag and drop it on the PL icon, and I can even assign PL as the default app for ARW files, and it will open the file if I double click it in the finder.

I hope that the file extension issue for ARW and RW2 files will be resolved shortly. If, indeed, there is a restriction on the number of supported file types, then imo the user should somehow be able to choose the ones that seem most important.

Cheers

Burkhard.

[greenmorpher]

hiya Burkhard and all

Just went and took a test picture in RAW with my mighty Panny G6. The same experience opening it in PL as you, Burkhard. Wasn't recognized in the "Open" dialog but was recognized in "All files", etc. Opened as you described with an adjustment layer in place.

PL RW2.jpg

That's the first RAW file I have produced with this camera.

Having made the mighty effort, I have switched back to JPEG and will stick to that like glue! The current Panny JPEGs are beautiful (the JPEGs produced by the G1 were seriously lacking, in my view).

Please don't tell me RAW is great -- it makes my head hurt and I always start with mud, as here, and make it muddier.

By the way -- iPhoto 8.1.2 is what I have for my catalogs of pix (managed by iPhoto Library Manager so I can have multiple libraries). iPhoto of about three years ago used to recognize and import RW2 files from my G1 but iPhoto 8.1.2 running on OS X.6.8 does not recognize the RW2 files from the G6.

By the way (2) -- I took the picture with the little 12-32 from the GM1 on the G6 -- this is just the bottom slice of the vertical 3:2. Not bad, hey? And how do you like the close focusing? This little lens transforms the G6 into a walk-around fun machine.

Cheers, geoff

[photoken]

I hope that the file extension issue for ARW and RW2 files will be resolved shortly. If, indeed, there is a restriction on the number of supported file types, then imo the user should somehow be able to choose the ones that seem most important.

Agreed, especially for the RW2 files.

[Alan9940]

@Burkhard,

Yep, thanks to Ken's suggestion regarding the picture browser I now have, at least, one workaround. I will try the "all files" option and dragging to the icon is certainly an option that I didn't think of. Even though I used Mac starting with OS 9 and leaving it behind around OS X 10.2, then moving to the dark side until very recently (got an iMac just a few weeks ago), I feel like I'm a newbie, again. That said, though, PL should recognize these files types via the standard File> Open shouldn't it?

@geoff

Sorry, other than my little Fuji X10 I've never shot a JPEG the last 14 years. I even shot raw with my Oly E-10 and I'll spare ya the tale of the difficulty working that way with that camera. Not starting any dialog about which is better...just different strokes. I have a couple well respected professional photo friends who won't even whisper 'raw!' I guess ya chose your workflow and if it works for you...who's to say any different?!

Best regards,
AlanH

[bkh]

That's the first RAW file I have produced with this camera.

Looks like the colour interpretation is totally off – are you using a camera profile (under Preferences -> Colour Management -> Devices)? Normally, you shouldn't use such a profile and make sure that you checked "Use Camera White Point" under Preferences -> Files -> Raw. (Unfortunately, this doesn't help in all cases – my old Nikon DSLR produced awful colours when set up that way but worked well with a camera specific ICC profile.)

Please don't tell me RAW is great -- it makes my head hurt and I always start with mud, as here, and make it muddier.

Yes, don't start with mud like that – it's almost impossible to get something decent out of it.

However, with my new DSLR, PL's raw import (without a special camera profile) works like a charm – mostly, you can't tell the imported file from the camera jpegs, and if there's a difference, it's usually just a matter of adjusting exposure (and the JPEGs aren't always better), so I have a good starting point for adjustments.

Cheers

Burkhard.

[OldRadioGuy]

While PL is excellent for many jobs, it is inferior for raw conversion. There are many raw conversion programs that do a much better job -- at least on raw files from Olympus.

PL-Raw_Compare.jpg

The comparison of conversion of a raw image of a Trumpet Creeper vine, which has a bright orange blossoms and bright green leaves at standard daylight kelvin temperatures, explains why I don't use PL for raw files.
Bob

[photoken]

While PL is excellent for many jobs, it is inferior for raw conversion. There are many raw conversion programs that do a much better job -- at least on raw files from Olympus.

I don't agree, at least with the RW2 images from my LF1.

Looking at your comparison, I have to ask if you are simply using the default values provided by PL for the RAW image, instead of making your own modifications to the adjustments? I found it important to add an "Optimize HDR" adjustment layer to the stack. Here's the setup I'm using for the RW2 images:

RAW adjustments.png

I modified all the settings in all the active adjustment layers.

As you can see, most of my efforts were focused (no pun intended ) on getting the maximum sharpness and local contrast possible. The end result of these modifications, as well as my choice of the DCB demosaicing algorithm, results in an image that is very close to what I can achieve with my RAW image processing application of choice -- RawTherapee.

In any case, my colours are much better than what you show. I'd suggest looking at the Curves and Histogram Correction settings to fix that.

Also, I see that you're comparing the results of a JPG conversion. You should check the colour space and colour management options you're using for that.

[photoken]

I found a review on photographyblog.com of the Olympus OM-D E-M1 camera which has downloadable sample ORF images, so I downloaded one of them and opened it in PL 18.90b1. The default settings gave vibrant colours, but just for the helluvit I added an Optimize HDR adjustment and tweaked the Curves adjustment. Here's a cropped area (reduced in size to 23%):

olympus_om_d_e_m1_15 cropped.jpg

In the PL settings, I'm using DCB as the demosaic algorithm and a colour profile of "ProPhotoRGB".

[Andreas87]

Looking at your comparison, I have to ask if you are simply using the default values provided by PL for the RAW image, instead of making your own modifications to the adjustments?

That's the reason why I do not use PL for RAW converting. It's too much effort for a simple converting job. Using DPP or what ever starts with very good defaults and you only need some little tweeks.
With PL that you even don't know where to start to tweek. No help, no cookbook. And PL does not take the white balance info from RAW.

Raw Therapy starts with good defaults as well, but I stopped to use it some years ago because of the very frequent crashes and as the denoise was much too slow for me.