shoot raw-use special modes

tea2085

Senior Member
If I shoot raw, does it make sense to set camera mode to portrait, landscape, child, sports, closeup, or night portrait? I'm thinking maybe close up due to focus. Please educate me. Paul
 

Scott Murray

Senior Member
If I shoot raw, does it make sense to set camera mode to portrait, landscape, child, sports, closeup, or night portrait? I'm thinking maybe close up due to focus. Please educate me. Paul
If you want NO control over your settings then shoot in one of these camera modes, RAW does not effect your shooting mode. But after shooting in a certain way please look at the settings that the camera has used to get your head around what you could do to change the image for the better (or worse in some cases) experiment and have fun.
 

480sparky

Senior Member
The camera mode settings MIGHT be automatically applied to the file once it's loaded into your post software, but that will depend on the software and the settings you choose. But such settings can be altered or deleted in post.

The camera mode settings WILL appear on the image you see on the camera's back as that is a processed JPEG.
 

WayneF

Senior Member
If I shoot raw, does it make sense to set camera mode to portrait, landscape, child, sports, closeup, or night portrait? I'm thinking maybe close up due to focus. Please educate me. Paul

Scott is correct, the purpose of those scene modes is to provide something without your having to have any control over the image... they are auto everything. However in truth, many users select Auto ISO and Auto White balance and almost Auto everything anyway. But if they don't select all Auto, the Auto modes will.

But several of those scene modes are not available in Raw, the camera will use a JPG file instead (if selected).
See page 55 of the D3300 Reference manual (more complete than the User manual). Reference manual is available at Nikon | Download center | D3300

Regarding Raw, other than exposure (ISO, shutter speed and f/stop), camera settings are ignored, not used, in the raw file.
The camera settings are used in an JPG file that is embedded in the raw file, and which is what shows on the rear LCD (because LCD cannot show raw data), and in the histogram, and the Exif data, and raw software (Nikon software, not Adobe) might apply the settings from Exif into the raw image later, but the camera settings (like white balance, contrast, color profiles, etc) do not affect the raw file data.

Repeating, the white balance and such that you may select shows on the rear LCD, so you might think that you got it, but it is NOT in the raw file data. Raw is raw.

The idea of raw is to make those settings later in the raw software, after we can actually see the image, and can see what it needs, and can make choices to see what comes out best. The idea of raw is to NOT have to guess at it in advance.
 
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WayneF

Senior Member
Yes and No. There are two aspects of Auto.

Auto exposure (including Auto ISO, and camera modes A,S,P, and the Auto modes) give an automated exposure. Exposure affects raw images too. Can be auto or manual.

But all other settings (post processing after exposure), like Auto white balance, and contrast and settings like Vivid (which the Auto modes control, including Auto ISO - but the A,S,P modes don't, we can set them or not...), these camera settings do not affect the raw image. They are ignored by the raw data. These camera settings do still show in the Exif (as if they applied), and they do actually affect the embedded JPG that shows on the rear LCD, and which the histogram is shown from, but they do not affect the raw file data.

However, Nikon raw editors have the option to later apply the camera Exif settings to the raw file image, in the Nikon editor.

Other raw editors do not. Adobe raw can try to apply the white balance (from Exif, but temperature degrees K is not in the Exif), but no other of these settings can be applied. Note that the plan is that Raw software has its own settings to do this post processing, in the same way, but at that later time.

But later applying Exif settings from camera misses the point of Raw. If that's what we wanted, we could have just shot JPG. But the principle of Raw implies that we wait until we can see the image in the raw editor, and then we choose the best settings that will actually help it. We often have set the Exif settings a few months ago, and they have no particular relationship to the actual image in front of the camera.
Instead of guessing about the future picture we have not even seen, it is better to see the actual image first, and see what it needs, and see what actually helps it (one opinion).

We can (some of us can) always edit the JPG picture result to improve it, but a big point of raw is that raw can do it better, and easier. More range in the raw data, it comes out better. The raw tools are simply better (oriented to camera images instead of graphic images), and are much more convenient (we can set the same correct white balance in all of the batch pictures in one click, etc). And if raw, lossless edits apply, we don't have to overwrite previous bad tries, we always start from the original raw image in any subsequent edit. Raw has many advantages for those who actually care.
 
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Horoscope Fish

Senior Member
So, if I want to shoot completely raw, can I use auto or do I need totally manual? Paul
Since P, S, A, M and Full Auto are all just exposure modes, you can shoot RAW however you want, Full Auto included.

The confusion, for some, lies in that we are suggesting you "shoot RAW", we are not suggesting you shoot IN the RAW. Although that is an option I suppose.
....
 

WayneF

Senior Member
Since P, S, A, M and Full Auto are all just exposure modes, you can shoot RAW however you want, Full Auto included.
....


Except full Auto is NOT just exposure. It is Auto everything, Auto ISO, Auto White Balance, Auto Picture Control, sharpening, contrast, you name it. We can control nothing, except where we aim the camera and when we push the shutter button.

P, S, A, and M are just exposure, we can control all else.

Except raw file data is affected only by just exposure.
 

Horoscope Fish

Senior Member
Except full Auto is NOT just exposure. It is Auto everything, Auto ISO, Auto White Balance, Auto Picture Control, sharpening, contrast, you name it. We can control nothing, except where we aim the camera and when we push the shutter button.

P, S, A, and M are just exposure, we can control all else.

Except raw file data is affected only by just exposure.
*eye roll*

Yes, Wayne... I didn't really think it needed to be explaned full auto is.. Well... Fully automated; but thank you for doing so.
.....
 

WayneF

Senior Member
My concern is that those who don't already know may not realize the difference in what you said, and the way it actually is. :) Full Auto is anything but "just exposure". Full Auto is no control of anything, like a point&shoot compact (yes, I know, except a few of which do offer more sophisticated control, as does the DSLR).
 

Horoscope Fish

Senior Member
My concern is that those who don't already know may not realize the difference in what you said, and the way it actually is. :) Full Auto is anything but "just exposure". Full Auto is no control of anything, like a point&shoot compact (yes, I know, except a few of which do offer more sophisticated control, as does the DSLR).

Yes, Wayne...

You can rest easy knowing you have saved countless thousands from hours of agony and suffering in dazed confusion by clarifying this point.
 
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