How do you process RAW images?

I am new to D3300 and Nikonites, and just switched to saving pics as RAW + jpg based on advice in this subforum. I use the Photos app on Mac to file my photos, and was happy to see it can import and edit RAW files. What is a good beginner workflow to post process RAW files in the Photos app or equivalent? What would be the next app I should consider once I outgrow the Photos app? Thanks!


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Simple editing:

Check for focus.
Adjust levels/curves.
Bump saturation or convert to b&w.
Unsharp mask.
Straighten unlevel horizons.
Crop.
Save.

Thanks! Can you elaborate on how to adjust curves, and what does "unsharp mask" entail?


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gustafson said:

Thanks! Can you elaborate on how to adjust curves, and what does "unsharp mask" entail?


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Click to expand...

What Sparky mentioned in his answer to your question is available with either photoshop or photoshop elements. The unsharp mask is only sharpening applied to the photo. You didn't mention which Mac software you are using to convert your Nef files. If you only use the Mac Viewer, I'm not sure you can crop and correct horizon. With the Mac iPhoto you have more options. I havent used the iPhoto software for a long time and don't remember exactly how far you can go with it except that the corrections you can do with it can't be done on only a portion of the image. With Photoshop or Photoshop Elements you can do corrections on parts of the image using the layer and then masking what you don't want change.

But maybe for a beginner this would be a bit complicated. So I suggest you use Uncle Google to search basic photoshop handling and go from there.

There is a lot to be learned with photography. Enjoy your Nikon and welcome to Nikonites.

gustafson said:

I am new to D3300 and Nikonites, and just switched to saving pics as RAW + jpg based on advice in this subforum. I use the Photos app on Mac to file my photos, and was happy to see it can import and edit RAW files. What is a good beginner workflow to post process RAW files in the Photos app or equivalent? What would be the next app I should consider once I outgrow the Photos app? Thanks!

Click to expand...

A basic corrections workflow for me looks like something like this...

Correct exposure
Correct white balance
Adjust highlights and shadows
Adjust color (HSL (Hue, Saturation, Luminance)
Straighten and/or crop
Resize
Sharpen
Save as JPG

After you outgrow your current application I would suggest moving to Adobe Photoshop or Adobe Lightroom.
,,,,,

Thanks for the additional responses. As for the Mac program, I'm planning to use the new Photos app which replaces iPhoto & Aperture. Good point that it cannot work on portions of an image, unlike more sophisticated editors.

As regards to correcting and adjusting image parameters, are there any guidelines or rules of thumb to follow, or does one typically tinker around with the image to make it more pleasing to one's eye?


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Best ROT I've ever come across:

If it don't need it, don't do it.

If the image doesn't need straightened, then don't straighten it. If it doesn't need levels/curves adjusted, leave 'em alone. If the contrast is dead on, don't change it. If it doesn't need more saturation, leave that slider at 0.

480sparky said:

Best ROT I've ever come across:

If it don't need it, don't do it.

Click to expand...

Have to agree... Not that I'm any expert but IMO, good adjustment is all about finesse; doing only as much as needed and no more.

.....

I'm with y'all. In fact until recently, my uneducated opinion was that post-processing is sort of like cheating, and that the mark of good photographers is having near-perfect unaltered shots. I have come to realize that I was being too idealistic.

My limited understanding of RAW is that the images are unprocessed and tend to look flat, and post-processing is almost mandatory to correct errors (lens distortions, etc.) and make them pop. Question is, is that generally unnecessary for the D3300? If no, I'd be a happy camper!


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gustafson said:

My limited understanding of RAW is that the images are unprocessed and tend to look flat, and post-processing is almost mandatory to correct errors (lens distortions, etc.) and make them pop.

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Yes. That is correct.

gustafson said:

Question is, is that generally unnecessary for the D3300? If no, I'd be a happy camper!

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You can simply convert your RAW files to image files (JPG, etc.) if you want but RAW files, regardless of the camera that produced them, require post-processing to make the best image files.

You might want to see this tutorial: RAW vs JPG: The Ultimate Visual Guide
....

Thanks for the insights and for pointing me to that excellent tutorial!


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For basic processing you can try the Nikon View NX-II that comes with the camera (or download the latest version). That will give you basic editing tools. For more advanced there is Nikon Capture NX-D. Beyond that it is Photoshop.

I use NX-D and that takes care of all of my RAW editing needs.

I had a CD come with my camera with ViewNX software. When I saved some of my blue sky photos as JPEGs (shot in RAW) white lines appeared in the sky. I saved them as tifs instead and then as JPEGs and that fixed the problem. But I haven't been able to find out how to import .nef files into my antique Photoshop 6.0.
When I tried running the unsharp mask adjustment taught me by a former Photoshop teacher years ago, I really didn't see any improvement in the images. But my vision is not the best.

Rebecca Belknap said:

I had a CD come with my camera with ViewNX software. When I saved some of my blue sky photos as JPEGs (shot in RAW) white lines appeared in the sky. I saved them as tifs instead and then as JPEGs and that fixed the problem. But I haven't been able to find out how to import .nef files into my antique Photoshop 6.0.
When I tried running the unsharp mask adjustment taught me by a former Photoshop teacher years ago, I really didn't see any improvement in the images. But my vision is not the best.

Click to expand...

To work with RAW files from your D3300 you'll need a newer version of Photoshop; no way around that I'm afraid... .

Rebecca Belknap said:

I had a CD come with my camera with ViewNX software. When I saved some of my blue sky photos as JPEGs (shot in RAW) white lines appeared in the sky. I saved them as tifs instead and then as JPEGs and that fixed the problem. But I haven't been able to find out how to import .nef files into my antique Photoshop 6.0.
When I tried running the unsharp mask adjustment taught me by a former Photoshop teacher years ago, I really didn't see any improvement in the images. But my vision is not the best.

Click to expand...

Horoscope Fish said:

To work with RAW files from your D3300 you'll need a newer version of Photoshop; no way around that I'm afraid... .

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Your best option in this case is to
. Do basic edits in View NX/Capture NX-D
. "Export" the RAW to 16 bit TIFF
. Use Photoshop 6.0 to process the TIFF image further for NR, and other effects

aroy said:

Your best option in this case is to
. Do basic edits in View NX/Capture NX-D
. "Export" the RAW to 16 bit TIFF
. Use Photoshop 6.0 to process the TIFF image further for NR, and other effects

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How did I miss this? Thanks, that is actually what I have been doing. Now trying to decide what the best image size should be.

Rebecca Belknap said:

How did I miss this? Thanks, that is actually what I have been doing. Now trying to decide what the best image size should be.

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I "Export" the images to 1000 pixels on the long site, cropped to what I think needs to be shown, as most are just posted on the WEB.

If I want a print, then I first decide on what size, then "Export" the image at 300 DPI (if feasible). The cropping is in the aspect ratio of the print - 3x5, 6x4, 8x10 A4 or A3.

Rebecca Belknap said:

How did I miss this? Thanks, that is actually what I have been doing. Now trying to decide what the best image size should be.

Click to expand...

If you are asking about what size to export as tiffs if i do it i export the full raw file as a tiff,do my editing save as a jpeg long side 1000,then dump the tiff to save space as i still have the raw file.

As relative beginner, I occasionally post photos on the web and that's about as far as they go.

I use photos on my Macbook for basic editing and find it easy to use and to get good results with, although it is a bit limited. I'd love photoshop/lightroom but can't quite justify it unless I get more serious about photography.

Are there any benefits of using Tiff over Jpeg?

Stibbs said:

As relative beginner, I occasionally post photos on the web and that's about as far as they go.

I use photos on my Macbook for basic editing and find it easy to use and to get good results with, although it is a bit limited. I'd love photoshop/lightroom but can't quite justify it unless I get more serious about photography.

Are there any benefits of using Tiff over Jpeg?

Click to expand...

1. TIFF is lossless while jpeg is lossy.

2. You can use 16 bit TIFF to preserve DR, with jpeg you have only 8 bit data.

Try Nikon View NX, or better still Capture NX-D for editing RAW images, you will be able to do much more than with jpeg and normal image editing programs.