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Home: Video University Forums: Digital Photography for Videographers:
Raw Conversion...Update...Suggestions for editing

Art Vandelay
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Nov 19, 2007, 3:28 PM

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Raw Conversion...Update...Suggestions for editing	Can't Post

This summer I took some photos of my kids at the beach using my sister's Rebel XT. I took them in the raw format thinking that would give me more latitude to adjust them. I was going to use these photos for our family Christmas card.

Well the time has come to edit these photos and I can't figure out how to convert or work with the raw files. My sister lost her Canon CD that came with the Rebel, which I assume has the raw conversion software.

Other than buying lightroom, is there some other program, preferably cheap or free, I could use that would allow me to open and edit these photos and covert them to jpeg?

Thanks,
Dave

Update....

I was able to download the software from the Canon site. Thanks for the tips. I am posting some of the photos at the bottom of this thread. If anyone would care to give me some editing suggestions, I would be greatful.

__________________________________________________
Dave LaBrec
Nashville Wedding Videos

(This post was edited by Art Vandelay on Nov 23, 2007, 11:23 AM)

Jenn M
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Nov 19, 2007, 4:17 PM

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Re: [Art Vandelay] Raw Conversion [In reply to]	Can't Post

Have you tried to see if the Canon software is available on canonusa.com?
A photographer told us about a cheap alternative to CS3 or lightroom but sorry I forgot what it is. I could email him but he doesn't always respond to us.

Brian M

RustyB
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Nov 19, 2007, 4:59 PM

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Re: [Art Vandelay] Raw Conversion [In reply to]	Can't Post

I use PhotoShop Elements to convert RAW (Olympus) files. Elements usually comes free with scanners and stuff.

I have ancient PhotoShop 7, but can't get the RAW plug-in to work in it. I guess it's time I bought a real copy of the latest version of PhotoShop. Tongue

If you're just doing video and hobby photography, Elements is great. If you get more into photography, you'll want the full version of PhotoShop.

I wouldn't mine trying out LightRoom, however, it seems a lot of people are using it. My RAW workflow sucks.

the People's Video Collective blog
wedding video and the means of production

DGates
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Nov 19, 2007, 7:27 PM

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Re: [Art Vandelay] Raw Conversion [In reply to]	Can't Post

You can get Photoshop Elements 6 at Costco for $69. Don't know if that was as cheap as you'd like. I have PE5 and it displays/converts RAW files.

Shadow
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Nov 20, 2007, 12:15 AM

Post #5 of 17 (1104 views)
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Re: [Art Vandelay] Raw Conversion [In reply to]	Can't Post

You can get Digital Photo Professional free on the canon site.
Or if you have a Mac then iPhoto will also read raw and you would just save as jpg.

__________________________

Brackish
Veteran

Nov 20, 2007, 12:27 AM

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In Reply To

You can get Digital Photo Professional free on the canon site.

You may be right. I thought you already had to have DPP
installed in order to get the latest versions from the Canon
site. But maybe I'm wrong on this.

----------------------------------------------
"We'll always show up at the wedding with a gift bag for the bride. Inside we have these incredible fuzzy slippers in the teal of our branding."

Art Vandelay
Enthusiast

Nov 20, 2007, 8:54 AM

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Re: [Jenn M] Raw Conversion [In reply to]	Can't Post

Thanks for the suggestions everyone.

I did look at the canonusa.com download site, at first glance it looked like I could just download drivers or updates. Checking it out further I do see something called "Digital Photo Professional 3.0.2 Updater for Windows", I'm not sure if that is an update to software that came on the CD, or the full version...I'll download it tonight and check it out.

I have PS Elements 3, but I don't think that has a raw conversion utility built in, if it does, I haven't figured out how to work it. I also have PS CS 1, but again, I couldn't get the raw files to open with that program either.

__________________________________________________
Dave LaBrec
Nashville Wedding Videos

(This post was edited by Art Vandelay on Nov 20, 2007, 8:55 AM)

Sparky
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Nov 20, 2007, 11:20 AM

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Re: [Art Vandelay] Raw Conversion [In reply to]	Can't Post

Dave,

I use Bibble Pro. As I recall you can download a complete working version from them and it's good for 30 days. You probably won't want to purchase it if you're not that serious, but it would be very good to convert your photos. I believe they also have some tutorials that you can watch to get you going.

I don't know about lightroom ... do they have a full functioning demo version?

RustyB
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Nov 20, 2007, 11:48 AM

Post #9 of 17 (1086 views)
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Re: [Art Vandelay] Raw Conversion [In reply to]	Can't Post

If you have Elements and PhotoShop, you can download the RAW plugins from their website for free. You download/extract them, and install the file into the plug-ins folder of Elements or PhotoShop (there's a plug-in for each one).

For example:

For Elements 3.0, I think you need Camera Raw 3.6: http://www.adobe.com/...etail.jsp?ftpID=3550

For PhotoShop CS1, I think you need: Camera Raw 2.4: http://www.adobe.com/...etail.jsp?ftpID=2863

Good luck!

the People's Video Collective blog
wedding video and the means of production

Shadow
Veteran

Nov 20, 2007, 11:55 AM

Post #10 of 17 (1083 views)
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Re: [Brackish] Raw Conversion [In reply to]	Can't Post

I think so too because when I got my new laptop I think I just took the downloaded file from the canon site and loaded that into vista and forwent the whole disk thing.
One thing I noticed though is some of the quick link buttons at the top were missing, but everything worked, including the raw conversion.

__________________________

Art Vandelay
Enthusiast

Nov 23, 2007, 11:36 AM

Post #11 of 17 (1042 views)
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Re: [Art Vandelay] Raw Conversion...Update...Suggestions for editing [In reply to]	Can't Post

Okay, below are the jpeg versions of 3 photos. These were taken with a Rebel XT on Auto with a flash. It was pretty overcast at what should have been sunset. If anyone would care to give me some editing suggestions, I would be most appreciative. I have PS CS1 and PS Elements 3 if that matters. I was planning on trying to get the family photo printed as an 8 X 10, maybe do the canvas print thing and give to the rest of the family as a Christmas present.

This first photo is one my father-in-law wants to send with their christmas cards. This is the unedited version:

This next version is after my own editing attempts I moved my mother-in-law's head from another picture,since the wind blew her hair in her face and did an auto-enhance in PS Elements, I then croped it for a 4X6 print size. It is noisy than I would like and the skin tones are too red. I would like to figure out a way to improve the skin tones and bring out more blue in the sky.

Here is the whole family. I haven't done anything to this photo yet. (By the way I am the big guy on the right).

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

Dave

__________________________________________________
Dave LaBrec
Nashville Wedding Videos

Shadow
Veteran

Nov 23, 2007, 9:42 PM

Post #12 of 17 (1024 views)
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Re: [Art Vandelay] Raw Conversion...Update...Suggestions for editing [In reply to]	Can't Post

I like the backdrop and how everyone is all matching in similar clothes. Smile

That's really nice, my family doesn't have any photo of the 4 of us except from years back. (Figures, family with cameras don't have pictures)

For the last photo I would go back to the raw file and adjust the brightness there. I'm not sure what the actual photo is like but on my computer it looks a little underexposed.
I'd probably bump it up one or two notches on DPP, then convert to JPG

From there I would adjust curves until you get the correct level of brightness and also increase saturation and contrast.

Vignetts look lovely - do you know how to do those?
As far as getting the sky to look sunsetish that's beyond me to type it out, I have a book called Photoshop Elements Drop Dead Lighting Techniques and in there it shows how to make a sunset from daylight. There's a lot of cool effects in the book.

__________________________

Laura K
Veteran

Dec 1, 2007, 12:03 PM

Post #13 of 17 (911 views)
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Re: [Art Vandelay] Raw Conversion...Update...Suggestions for editing [In reply to]	Can't Post

Art,
Just buy PS3 and be done with it.
You'll be glad you did.
L
"... it seems that if you're passionate about something, it freaks people out. You're considered bizarre or eccentric. To me, it just means you know who you are." - director Tim Burton

Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.

Brackish
Veteran

Dec 1, 2007, 7:23 PM

Post #14 of 17 (904 views)
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Re: [Laura K] Raw Conversion...Update...Suggestions for editing [In reply to]	Can't Post

You're recommending he buy a $650 software program
to open a few pictures of his kids?

----------------------------------------------
"We'll always show up at the wedding with a gift bag for the bride. Inside we have these incredible fuzzy slippers in the teal of our branding."

Brackish
Veteran

Dec 1, 2007, 7:24 PM

Post #15 of 17 (903 views)
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Re: [Art Vandelay] Raw Conversion...Update...Suggestions for editing [In reply to]	Can't Post

Hey, Art.

Have you found anything yet to open the RAW files?

----------------------------------------------
"We'll always show up at the wedding with a gift bag for the bride. Inside we have these incredible fuzzy slippers in the teal of our branding."

Art Vandelay
Enthusiast

Dec 1, 2007, 9:19 PM

Post #16 of 17 (898 views)
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Re: [Brackish] Raw Conversion...Update...Suggestions for editing [In reply to]	Can't Post

Hey Brack...I downloaded the software to open and covert the files on the Canon website.

__________________________________________________
Dave LaBrec
Nashville Wedding Videos

Laura K
Veteran

Dec 7, 2007, 4:31 PM

Post #17 of 17 (829 views)
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Re: [Brackish] Raw Conversion...Update...Suggestions for editing [In reply to]	Can't Post

It's a fantastic investment. I just don't understand how any
videographer or photographer could limit themselves otherwise.
I have it and use it all the time. It's capabilites help sell
my product time and again.
L
"... it seems that if you're passionate about something, it freaks people out. You're considered bizarre or eccentric. To me, it just means you know who you are." - director Tim Burton

Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.