RAW in picasa..
- Thread starter robinchun
- Start date
Robin: As I understand it - and I have to add that I don't use Picasa - Picasa generates an 8 bit JPEG version of your RAW file. It acts more like a RAW file viewer than a RAW editor. You lose a lot of the advantages of shooting RAW. A big advantage is that it is very fast and makes publishing simple.
If you want a little more control with no cost, consider Nikon's ViewNX2. It is pretty easy to use but you will have to manually upload.
If you're willing to invest a small amount of money, I'd recommend Adobe's Photoshop Elements. If you're using a Mac you might want to consider iPhoto. Both products also seem pretty easy to use and will produce nice results.
There are a lot more options available but these are what I most frequently see being used when people are starting out. Hope this helps!
If you want a little more control with no cost, consider Nikon's ViewNX2. It is pretty easy to use but you will have to manually upload.
If you're willing to invest a small amount of money, I'd recommend Adobe's Photoshop Elements. If you're using a Mac you might want to consider iPhoto. Both products also seem pretty easy to use and will produce nice results.
There are a lot more options available but these are what I most frequently see being used when people are starting out. Hope this helps!
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robinchun
Senior Member
Eduard..thanks for that,when using View NX2 what does the little RAW box in the top left corner do,when you click on it dots under the word RAW flash,but what is actually happening?
Robin
I don't use the program but Nikon has an online tutorial here: Nikon | Imaging Products | Digitutor | ViewNX 2 Ver.2.1.1
Browncoat
Senior Member
Picasa reads the image's RAW data and stores that information in a temporary folder. You are not making changes to the RAW file itself (no program does), nor are you converting it to JPEG. In simplistic terms, you're working on a simulated temporary image/file. Any adjustments made are stored within the memory of the program itself, and once saved, it becomes a JPEG file. The original RAW file is not deleted or overwritten, it remains within Picasa's database.
All that said, Picasa is not a viable alternative to full-fledged editing programs such as Lightroom or Aperture. Working with RAW opens up a whole new world of image editing possibilities, and at least in my opinion, is not something anyone should try to do on the cheap. The editing and archiving power of these programs far exceeds their sticker price, and the purchase of editing software is just as important a digital photography accessory as a new lens.
Not to mention, the terms of use of Picasa is not photographer-friendly. They own the rights to your images. Just something else to think about.
All that said, Picasa is not a viable alternative to full-fledged editing programs such as Lightroom or Aperture. Working with RAW opens up a whole new world of image editing possibilities, and at least in my opinion, is not something anyone should try to do on the cheap. The editing and archiving power of these programs far exceeds their sticker price, and the purchase of editing software is just as important a digital photography accessory as a new lens.
Not to mention, the terms of use of Picasa is not photographer-friendly. They own the rights to your images. Just something else to think about.
Actually CaptureNX2 will make changes to the RAW file as your edits are added to the NEF.
Browncoat
Senior Member
No program edits the original NEF/RAW file. Any edits are stored as an annex file that is tied to the original, but no data is overwritten on the file itself, nor is any of it altered. On a DNG conversion file, yes. But never the original RAW.
FoxRacer2
Senior Member
Photoshop edits RAW/NEF files. Where you can tweak white balance, contrast, saturation, shadows, exposure, etc.....then you can open it up in the program and do other photshop tweaks
CaptureNX2 does NOT use a sidecar file. It is one of the reasons I stopped using it. After editing a NEF in Capture NX2, older versions of Photoshop sometimes had difficulty reading the NEF.
From the manual (page 19):
The NEF, or Nikon Electronic Format, was designed as the archive file format for your images. The NEF file format saves the complete contents of the
Edit List palette along with the original image. All changes made to the image are stored separately within the file, enabling a non-destructive image editing workflow. NEF allows for relatively small file sizes with no loss in image quality. Within Capture NX 2, NEF images remain nearly the same size as the original image file, regardless of the number of enhancements that are applied within the image.
Browncoat
Senior Member
No, it doesn't. Not the original file. Yes, you are making those edits, but on a duplicated file or a separate file within the main file. Even in the case of CaptureNX2, you are creating a separate file within the main NEF file for edits. The original RAW data is not altered. It even says that right there:
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Anthony I think we're talking semantics here. The RAW data is not altered but the NEF file will be. My point is that the original file is modified which makes me uneasy. As I also said, I've personally had issues with older versions of Photoshop (CS2 and CS3) which complained about corrupted files. I stopped using NX2 unless I was saving into a TIFF. Great conversation that hopefully helps others make a good choice.
robinchun
Senior Member
I'm using picasa again..at least until I can get elements..I find it easy to use and the results are'nt that bad (imo) and it does the job for me..at least for now anyway.
Anyone else have anything (positive) to say about picasa?
Robin
