Unless you're a professional news or sports photographer who needs to send JPG files to a picture desk in real-time, there's no reason for not capturing raw files at the point of shooting. Thanks to their compressed file size, JPEGs are brilliant for sharing and storing, but if you want to take your photography to the next level, you'll need to be able to exploit the full information contained in a raw file.
Unlike JPEG, which actually stands for 'Joint Photographic Experts Group', 'raw' isn't an acronym; it literally means the raw data straight from the camera. This extra data does come at the cost of larger files, and at up to four times the size it's true that raw files will fill a memory card or hard drive faster. But this is a price worth paying for the additional editing possibilities they allow.
Many of us already use raw files in our workflows, but for those who don't there's a great way of getting started: set your camera to capture both JPEG+RAW formats, choosing the highest-quality raw format available, until you become comfortable with shooting solely in raw.
But it's what you do with your raw files that matters most. So we've designed a workflow for Adobe Photoshop (other raw image editing software is available) that's based around the 10 essential editing steps you'll need to get the most from your valuable post-production time...
1 HOW TO CROP AND FIX LENS DEFECTS
Some simple tweaks to get you familiarised and started in ACR
Denne historien er fra December 2022-utgaven av Digital Camera UK.
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Denne historien er fra December 2022-utgaven av Digital Camera UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Walter Moser on Gregory Crewdson
US photographer Gregory Crewdson is famous for his cinematic images. After a recent exhibition of his work, Steve Fairclough discovers more about his career
DJI Neo
Can this 'follow-me' drone be all things to all people without compromise?
Sony FE 85mm F1.4 GM II
With some desirable updates, this lens aims to build on the success of the original version.
Lumix S 14-28mm F4-5.6 Macro
A modest zoom range and maximum aperture at a modest price
Ricoh GR III HDF
The 'classic' Ricoh GR III now features a Highlight Diffusion Filter
Lumix GH7
New and improved AF make this one of the best hybrids around
Scanning ahead...
With Chinese brands on the rise, Jon Devo considers the effect on the imaging industry.
Behind the lens
SERGEY GORSHKOV Wildlife photographer
CAMERA CLINIC - Master the art of modern photography
This month: Capturing the coast Let's side-step the autumnal colourful spectacular and head to the seaside
MASTER THE MAGIC OF MACRO
Shoot tiny details close-up and hone in on incredible details hidden to the naked eye. Professional photographer Dan Mold is your guide...