SHAW ACADEMY NOTES Ultimate Photography Program
What is a Raw file? RAW is simply a file type, like a JPEG. But, where a JPEG photo is considered a photograph, a RAW is a digital negative, an image that hasn t been processed or adjusted by software in the slightest (at least not at first). When a JPEG photo is taken, the camera automatically makes a few adjustments, like applying sharpening and contrast to the image. As a digital negative, RAW files don t receive those automatic adjustments, leaving all the processing up to the photographer. Additionally, Raw files can be used to recover details in the shadows and highlights that would otherwise have been lost if captured as JPEG. Some manufacturers have different names for their RAW files. Nikon RAW files are.nef. Canon uses.crw or.cr2. Sony uses.arw,.srf or.sr2. While the extension name isn t really that important when it comes to image quality, it s worth noting not all image editors can handle every RAW file. If you have an older version of Photoshop and a newer camera, for example, chances are you can t open the RAW files without converting them first to DNG first, Adobe s own RAW file. We can do this through Bridge or through a free app called Adobe DNG Converter. RAW files are essentially the digital negative. They allow a photographer more control over the image even after it s been taken, much like working in a darkroom allows more control over the shot versus dropping a roll of film off at the store to be developed. For those shots that really matter, that will make it up on the wall or within a publication, shooting in RAW helps to get them just right. How a RAW file differs from a JPEG
What is Adobe Camera Raw? Adobe Camera Raw lets you import, enhance, and process Raw image files. It has been a must-have tool for professional photographers and avid enthusiasts since it was first released in 2003. Adobe Lightroom is built upon the same powerful raw image processing technology that powers Adobe Camera Raw and can be used as an alternative depending on personal preference. We use Adobe Camera Raw to get the most out our images before taking them into Photoshop. The Adobe Camera RAW interface Starting by Adjusting White Balance White balance (WB) is the process of removing unrealistic colour casts, so that objects which appear white in person are rendered white in your photo. Proper camera white balance has to take into account the "colour temperature" of a light source, which refers to the relative warmth or coolness of white light. To adjust the white balance, identify which objects in the image you want to be neutral-coloured (50% neutral grey), and then adjust the colours to make those objects neutral. A grey object in a scene takes on the colour cast by the ambient light or flash used to shoot the picture. When you use the White Balance tool to specify an object that you want white or grey, Camera Raw can determine the colour of the light in which the scene was shot and then adjust for scene lighting automatically. You can also use the drop down menu to select an automated adjustment.
Examine the Histogram Exposure adjustments are simple with a RAW file. Use the histogram on the top right to guide your choices - pay close attention to the extreme right and extreme left to ensure that your tones are not clipping. The Exposure slider will adjust the image s overall exposure. Contrast will boost overall image contrast in both the shadows and highlights at the same time. The Highlights slider will help recover some of the details lost in highlights. The Shadows slider will help lift some of the shadows. Whites looks specifically at the overall bright tones in the image, and as the name implies Blacks looks at the overall dark tones in the image. If you re are unsure, play with the sliders a bit and see how those changes affect the image. You can undo them simply by returning the slider to its original position or by double clicking on the slider. Other Basic Adjustments Clarity adds mid-tone contrast to your image, making it look sharper, even though it doesn t actually add sharpening. Adds visual dynamic to image. Vibrance changes the saturation of all lower-saturated colours with less effect on the higher saturated colours. Vibrance also prevents skin tones from becoming oversaturated. Saturation adjusts the saturation of all image colours equally.
Using the Tone Curve After using the Basic tab, the next step is to make a more refined adjustment using the Tone Curve tab. This can be achieved very simply by moving the Parametric sliders that control the curve. Please see Lesson 4 toolkit notes for further information about type s tonal curves and their appearance. HSL / Greyscale You can use the controls in the HSL / Grayscale tab to adjust individual colour ranges. This is an easy way of immediately making an image more visually interesting. It can also be used to decrease the saturation of a distraction, colourful element in the background. Hue: Changes the colour. For example, you can the colour of emerald green grass to a more yellow green. Saturation: Changes the intensity of a colour. Great if you want to make a sky appear bluer. Luminance: Changes the brightness of the colour range. Grayscale Mix: Use controls in this tab to specify the contribution of each colour range to the grayscale version of the image. Batch Processing Using Adobe Camera Raw and Bridge Method 1 1. Select all images in Bridge. 2. File > Open in Camera Raw. 3. Select all the files on the film strip inside Adobe Camera Raw. 4. Make adjustments. The adjustments will be applied to all images that are selected. 5. Click Done to update Raw files.
Method 2 1. Open single file in Adobe Camera Raw 2. Make adjustments and click Done 3. In Bridge, select file you have worked on and go Edit > Develop Settings > Copy Camera Raw Settings 4. Select all files you wish to sync settings to and go Edit > Develop Settings > Paste Camera Raw settings Outputting and Exporting 1. Select File/Files you want to export. 2. Open in Adobe Camera Raw. 3. In ACR select Save Image button (bottom left hand side). 4. Choose desired output settings (resolution, dimensions, colour space, etc.). 5. Click Save to export. Local Adjustments in Adobe Camera Raw Adobe Camera Raw is equipped with some simply retouching tools. To retouch a flaw, select the Spot Removal Tool. The tool lets you repair a selected area of an image by sampling from a different area of the same image. Working with raw image data directly can provide cleaner matches for retouching than regular Photoshop tools. Adobe Camera Raw is equipped with some simply retouching tools. To retouch a flaw, select the Spot Removal Tool. The tool lets you repair a selected area of an image by sampling from a different area of the same image. Working with raw image data directly can provide cleaner matches for retouching than regular Photoshop tools. With the Adjustment Brush tool, you can selectively apply Exposure, Brightness, Clarity, and other adjustments by painting them onto the photo. Simply click the Adjustment brush to paint in these adjustments and move the sliders. To undo part of the adjustment, click Erase in the Adjustment Brush tool options and paint over the adjustment. You can also apply local adjustments using the Graduated Filter tools. Simply click the filter and drag then apply your adjustment using the sliders. Sharpening and Nosie Reduction in Adobe Camera Raw
The Detail Panel controls sharpness and noise in our images. RAW files aren t processed fully, so when we compare them side by side to JPEGs they can appear soft and in need of sharpening. When using this panel, it s a good idea to reduce noise first and then sharpen the resulting image. This is important as an image can become softer during the noise reduction process. When sharpening or reducing noise, zoom the preview image to at least 100%. Image Noise can be defined as extraneous visible artefacts that degrade image quality. It often looks like coloured speckles across our image. Photographs taken with high ISO speeds or consumer level cameras often experience image noise. Noise Reduction Luminance Reduces luminance noise. Luminance Detail controls the luminance noise threshold. Useful for noisy photos. Higher values preserve more detail but can produce noisier results. Lower values produce cleaner results but also remove some detail. Luminance Contrast controls the luminance contrast. Useful for noisy photos. Higher values preserve contrast but can produce noisy blotches or mottling. Lower values produce smoother results but can also have less contrast. Colour reduces colour noise. can result in colour bleeding. Colour Detail controls the colour noise threshold. Higher values protect thin, detailed colour edges but can result in colour specking. Lower values remove colour speckles but Sharpening Amount: The how-much-sharpening-am-adding slider. The big chief Radius: The intensity of sharpening, we usually leave this as 1. Detail: This controls how large an edge has to be in our image before it gets including in the sharpening process. So if we leave it at 0 only major edges in the image are sharpened. If the slider is all the way to 100 everything gets sharpened. So this gives us some control.
Masking: The mask slider helps protect detail from becoming over sharpened. The further we drag the slider to the right the more is protected.