Photoshop file conversion.

Claudia!

Senior Member
Hi everyone! I have been using View Nx and Adobe Lightroom 3 for my editing software. I also have photoshop cs4. I have been hesitant to use it because of how difficult it is to learn it. I have been trying to take steps in learning more about it little by little. One of the issues I have is that I shoot in raw but photoshop does not accept such files. When I try to open a raw file from the "my pictures" album, it states "Could not open because it is not a valid photoshop document." If I convert it to jpeg, I am able to use the file. My understanding is that you have more room to work with as far as editing with a raw file versus a jpeg. If I convert it to a jpeg, do I lose the room to work with? I would rather edit it as a raw file rather than jpeg. I am still learning photoshop. I have learned View Nx2 and lightroom well. I just want to be able to do more but with a raw file. If there is another form to edit the photos rather than jpeg or raw that still gives me the flexibility of a raw file, please let me know.
 

Eduard

Super Mod
Staff member
Super Mod
You'll need at least Photoshop CS5 to open a D7000 RAW/NEF file. CS4 does not support that camera body.

If you convert your NEFs to DNG first, CS4 will open that version of a D7000 RAW file.
 

westmill

Banned
You'll need at least Photoshop CS5 to open a D7000 RAW/NEF file. CS4 does not support that camera body.

If you convert your NEFs to DNG first, CS4 will open that version of a D7000 RAW file.
Yes... I should have realized lol Adobe never update older versions once they have have a new version out.
I guess its there way of forcing everyone to buy the latest gear. Another good reason to buy Capture NX instead lol :D
 

Eduard

Super Mod
Staff member
Super Mod
Yes... I should have realized lol Adobe never update older versions once they have have a new version out.
I guess its there way of forcing everyone to buy the latest gear. Another good reason to buy Capture NX instead lol :D

Yes, and. . . to be fair you'd have the same issue with Capture NX - you'd need to upgrade to NX2 for the D7000.
 

Claudia!

Senior Member
Hmmm interesting. So to those who use photoshop, do you notice a difference in how much or what you can edit in a raw file compared to a jpeg? Or is there not really a difference to fuss over? I know all the pros and cons when it comes to shooting in raw vs jpeg. I guess what i am asking is, is there a difference or does this not apply to photoshop. I am assuming it does apply and that there is a major difference in a flexibility to edit. Thanks for the advice.
 
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Eduard

Super Mod
Staff member
Super Mod
Hmmm interesting. So to those who use photoshop, do you notice a difference in how much or what you can edit in a raw file compared to a jpeg? Or is there not really a difference to fuss over? Thanks for the advice.

Think of the difference between JPG and RAW/NEF as the difference between a print and a negative. Once you print, you have limited options to change the image. That is JPG.

The biggest issue with editing a JPG is that you lose detail due to the way the files are compressed and stored EVERY time you edit it! You don't with a RAW file.

A JPG is a processed and compressed version of the RAW file created within your camera - and then the RAW information is discarded. The NEF file is (usually) what is captured by the sensor without any processing which is where the term RAW originates.
 

westmill

Banned
Hmmm interesting. So to those who use photoshop, do you notice a difference in how much or what you can edit in a raw file compared to a jpeg? Or is there not really a difference to fuss over? I know all the pros and cons when it comes to shooting in raw vs jpeg. I guess what i am asking is, is there a difference or does this not apply to photoshop. I am assuming it does apply and that there is a major difference in a flexibility to edit. Thanks for the advice.
The differance is actualy very small indeed. You can coax a little more of a few things from a raw, like, dynamic range and sharpness though.
The differance is in no way major. You can edit a JPG in the same way as a RAW in capture NX. Its like I said though, you can coax that bit extra
from lost details from highlights and shadow areas when using RAW. You will perhaps get an extra stop either end with RAW over a JPG.
Its a case of how often do you need that amount of alteration. As for sharpness, you need to go to 100% and look closely to spot the differance.
Lots of folk just shoot JPG. There are pros and cons with whatever you shoot.
 

Claudia!

Senior Member
Thank you everyone for the reply.

Eduard, the video was very helpful, especially the recipe and ingredients example.

So basically, if I want to be able to use photoshop to edit a Raw file, I would need cs5, correct?
 

Eduard

Super Mod
Staff member
Super Mod
So basically, if I want to be able to use photoshop to edit a Raw file, I would need cs5, correct?

You have a lot of options, actually. You can upgrade your Photoshop to a newer version, convert your NEFs to Adobe's version of RAW files called DNG and still use CS4, or use a different program. Your options for different programs include View NX2, Capture NX2, Paintshop, Elements, Aperture, Lightroom, GIMP and others. It depends on how much time and money you want to spend. A big part of the decision should include the capabilities of your PC or Mac such as operating system, processor, memory, hard drive size, etc. We're not trying to make this complicated but it is an important decision.
 
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