The annoyance of the proliferation of RAW modes and the software to handle the formats

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Forums › Digital Imaging › The annoyance of the proliferation of RAW modes and the software to handle the formats

lchiu7

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#114588 24-Feb-2013 19:16

I recently switched from a Nikon DSLR to a Sony NEX-3F because I wanted a compact mirrorless camera with interchangeable lenses and at least an APS-C sensor that could also take video.

Turns out the RAW format used on the NEX-3F is a new format and only supported in Photoshop in CS6. Adobe don't even have Camera Raw Plugins for versions lower than that.

So if I want to open those RAW files in Photoshop (I have CS5) now it means a US$199 upgrade which I don't really want to do. Plus CS6 only runs on Windows 7 with SP1 or Window 8 and I am loathe to do a major OS upgrade so I can read the new camera format.

It's annoying but not impossible since Adobe do release a standalone converter that reads most RAW formats and converts to DNG format but still, it means I can to convert all my photos before I can even view them.

Just wondering what other folks do when they change camera formats?

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rhy7s

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#768589 24-Feb-2013 20:37

You might want to try running the conversion to DNG as your first step, e.g. http://basepath.com/site/detail-Ingestamatic.php or doing your conversions in something like http://rawtherapee.com/downloads and exporting to TIFF for anything you need to muck around with to a greater degree in Photoshop.

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timmmay

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#768600 24-Feb-2013 20:59

Just use the free Adobe DNG converter, like you said. Yes adobe's policy of only releasing new camera codec's for the latest photoshop's annoying, but it'd be a lot more work for no gain for them otherwise. Lightroom is cheaper and gets updates in a more generous way, but personally I hate lightroom with a passion - I like Bridge/ACR.

Just convert to DNG, it doesn't take that long. Shoot raw + jpeg if you need quick images.

jonherries

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#768609 24-Feb-2013 21:16

Or buy a mac, iphoto comes with a lot of raw converters and works with my 5N.

Jon

lchiu7

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#768641 24-Feb-2013 22:06

timmmay: Just use the free Adobe DNG converter, like you said. Yes adobe's policy of only releasing new camera codec's for the latest photoshop's annoying, but it'd be a lot more work for no gain for them otherwise. Lightroom is cheaper and gets updates in a more generous way, but personally I hate lightroom with a passion - I like Bridge/ACR.

Just convert to DNG, it doesn't take that long. Shoot raw + jpeg if you need quick images.

I do shoot RAW and JPEG and it was handy to be able to open the RAW files in Photoshop without having to convert first. As for a Mac, well I am reluctant to spend $199 on CD6 upgrade, a Mac is hardly a better option and anyway, I like Photoshop.

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timmmay

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#768702 25-Feb-2013 08:04

Yeah I understand your frustration, but your options are DNG converter, different software, or paying for CS6.

Chainsaw

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#768873 25-Feb-2013 13:14

Surely you got software with the camera that can handle them?

lchiu7

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#768897 25-Feb-2013 13:38

Chainsaw: Surely you got software with the camera that can handle them?

Sure but it's not Photoshop. Just something cheap and nasty.

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Lykho

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#774072 4-Mar-2013 03:08

lchiu7:
Chainsaw: Surely you got software with the camera that can handle them?

Sure but it's not Photoshop. Just something cheap and nasty.

but it can't 'save as' some other high quality format photoshop will read?

timmmay

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#774092 4-Mar-2013 08:03

DNG is the best intermediate format. It's got exactly the same data as the original raw, plus some metadata about how to read the raw data. Converting to TIFF etc loses the benefit of RAW. Of course you can do your adjustments in any raw converter, export to tiff or jpg, that works fine too.

lchiu7

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#774545 4-Mar-2013 20:18

Well I tried a trial copy of Photoshop 6 on a Windows 8 partition I had. Still had to download the latest camera raw (7.1?) but it opened the files fine. Now to save up for the new version :-(

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