Develop RAW Photo-Editing Skills
Linux Format|November 2020
In the first of a two-part series, Alexander Tolstoy shows how to edit RAW files as he explores open source alternatives to Adobe Lightroom.
Alexander Tolstoy
Develop RAW Photo-Editing Skills

Almost everyone is a photographer these days thanks to smartphones and affordable D-SLR cameras. Taking photos can be fun, but it can become so much more – whatever equipment you might own. From starting out as a novice photographer, you can become an enthusiastic hobbyist as your skills improve. You can even turn pro and make money from something that was once just a means of capturing a moment in time.

Somewhere along the way, you’ll come across the phrase “shooting in RAW”. In this tutorial, the first part of a two-part series, we’ll explain what a RAW file is, how it’s an improvement on the JPEG format, and how you can use open-source software to work with RAW files. Part two will cover advanced RAW editing techniques.

What is the RAW format?

When we take a photograph that’s saved as a JPEG, we often don’t realise that the camera’s firmware carries out a lot of enhancement steps automatically: color balancing, de-noising, and so on. In contrast, a RAW file is a minimally processed set of data taken directly from the camera’s image sensor. RAW files contain more color data and therefore can provide a wider dynamic range and gamut, but they’re usually not yet ready for printing or sharing.

The cornerstone of RAW processing is the assumption that a decent photo-editing program on a powerful PC can do a better job of improving the image than a camera’s basic firmware that’s locked within a limited performance range, dictated by the camera’s hardware. Thus the skill in editing RAW files is to manage the RAW-to-JPEG conversion process manually so that you outperform the camera’s own algorithms.

この記事は Linux Format の November 2020 版に掲載されています。

7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。

この記事は Linux Format の November 2020 版に掲載されています。

7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。

LINUX FORMATのその他の記事すべて表示
Create your first WebSocket service
Linux Format

Create your first WebSocket service

Mihalis Tsoukalos explains how to use the Go programming language to work with the WebSocket protocol.

time-read
9 分  |
April 2023
Fantastic Mr Firefox
Linux Format

Fantastic Mr Firefox

Nick Peers takes a trip down memory lane to reveal the story behind the rise - and slight fall - of Mozilla's popular web browser.

time-read
9 分  |
April 2023
Set up your terminal and email like it's 1983
Linux Format

Set up your terminal and email like it's 1983

Jump in the hot terminal time machine with Mats Tage Axelsson who emails from the command line using the latest technology.

time-read
8 分  |
April 2023
Universal layer text effects with GIMP
Linux Format

Universal layer text effects with GIMP

Posters use them, films and presentations are hard to imagine without them: text effects. Attract attention with Karsten Günther and GIMP.

time-read
8 分  |
April 2023
Jump to a federated social network
Linux Format

Jump to a federated social network

Nick Peers reveals how you can get up and running with this free, decentralised and non-profit alternative to Twitter.

time-read
9 分  |
April 2023
Free our SOFTWARE!
Linux Format

Free our SOFTWARE!

Taking anything for granted is dangerous, so Jonni Bidwell and Mike Saunders revisit how the free software movement got started to help free us from proprietary tyranny!

time-read
4 分  |
April 2023
Master RPI.GPIO
Linux Format

Master RPI.GPIO

Les Pounder goes back to the early days of the Raspberry Pi - and his career with this classic library! -

time-read
5 分  |
April 2023
Waveshare Zero to Pi3
Linux Format

Waveshare Zero to Pi3

Transform your Pi Zero into a Pi 3, they promised Les Pounder, but it's more like adding on go-faster stripes.

time-read
2 分  |
April 2023
The Best OPEN SOURCE Software Ever!
Linux Format

The Best OPEN SOURCE Software Ever!

In an attempt to trigger controversy, Michael Reed and Neil Mohr unequivocally state these are the greatest free software apps ever. Probably. We’re just trying to be helpful.

time-read
10+ 分  |
April 2023
Linux-Mandrake 7
Linux Format

Linux-Mandrake 7

Simplicity and a wide range of applications make this a great distribution for all Linux users.

time-read
2 分  |
April 2023