Photoshop CS2 RAW | O'Reilly Media

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Long before you fire up your computer and transfer your image files from your digital camera, you must make important decisions that will affect your entire workflow. It's not always necessary to shoot and save RAW files. There are times when a JPEG works just fine. The question then is: when do you shoot RAW? There is also the question of the importance of various digital camera settings. When you shoot RAW, some settings, like ISO and exposure, are critical. Other settings, such as white balance and sharpening, aren't. This chapter highlights some of the more important choices you'll need to make, and provides guidelines that should make everything that follows go smoother. It'll also give you a cool way to make downloading your digital images to Bridge easier and more efficient.

Chapter Contents

When to Shoot RAW
Critical Digital Camera Settings
Correct Exposure
Including a Color Target
Importing Images to Bridge with Import Camera

It's helpful to understand that not every shot warrants the flexibility and quality of RAW, especially when you consider storage limitations and the extra work it takes downstream to convert and process the RAW files into formats that can be printed or otherwise shared.

Let me share a personal example with regard to making the RAW vs. JPEG choice. I was recently in Iceland, working on a travel story. I brought my wife and daughters, and mixed work with pleasure. Here are a couple photos of the family enjoying the famous Blue Lagoon, a unique geothermal spa just outside Reykjavik. Figure 1-1

Figure 1-1:

These are family mementos, snapshots if you will, meant for the family album. Figure 1-2 I didn't want to fill my memory card, since I was going to have limited opportunities to download it to my laptop, and I had plenty of shooting ahead of me. In this case, I set my camera file preferences to JPEG with the highest quality setting. The saved file size was only 2.5MB and I could shoot to my heart's content with little worry of quickly filling my 1GB memory card.

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It's helpful to understand that not every shot warrants the flexibility and quality of RAW, especially when you consider storage limitations and the extra work it takes downstream to convert and process the RAW files into formats that can be printed or otherwise shared.

Let me share a personal example with regard to making the RAW vs. JPEG choice. I was recently in Iceland, working on a travel story. I brought my wife and daughters, and mixed work with pleasure. Here are a couple photos of the family enjoying the famous Blue Lagoon, a unique geothermal spa just outside Reykjavik. Figure 1-1

Figure 1-1:

These are family mementos, snapshots if you will, meant for the family album. Figure 1-2 I didn't want to fill my memory card, since I was going to have limited opportunities to download it to my laptop, and I had plenty of shooting ahead of me. In this case, I set my camera file preferences to JPEG with the highest quality setting. The saved file size was only 2.5MB and I could shoot to my heart's content with little worry of quickly filling my 1GB memory card.

Figure 1-2:

Later in the day, while touring the rugged terrain outside Reykjavik, we stopped at Gullfoss, Europe's most powerful waterfall. With this breathtaking scene in front of me, my concern for quality and flexibility increased, and I switched my file setting from JPEG to RAW. Figure 1-3 In the past, I might have used a medium-format camera for this kind of shot. The act of changing my file format setting helped put me in a more deliberate mood, and I took time to carefully frame the shot and pay attention to detail. The resulting file size was 9.5MB, considerably larger than a JPEG would have been.

Figure 1-3:

For now, changing file formats is a part of my work process, just like changing f-stops and shutter speeds. Every photographer comes up with their own criteria and rationale for shooting RAW. I've heard many event photographers say they avoid the RAW format altogether when shooting conventions and other such "grip and grin" situations. They are perfectly satisfied with the quality of JPEGs, which don't require post-processing like RAW files do. Wedding photographers, on the other hand, tend to shoot and archive RAW files, giving them maximum flexibility for extracting various sizes and quality options later in order to meet their clients' wishes. Almost every nature photographer I know shoots and archives RAW, which makes sense, since quality is such an important aspect of that kind of shooting.

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Shooting and saving RAW adds built-in flexibility from a processing point of view. But the degree of flexibility is dependent on making the right choices as often as possible up front, even before you shoot. In short, some camera settings are critical, and others aren't.

Here are what I consider to be the critical camera settings when you're shooting and saving RAW:

File format
Exposure
ISO

This one is obvious; if you don't set you camera to save RAW, well, you won't get a RAW file with all its benefits. Figure 1-5

Figure 1-5:

As I'll explain in the following section, there is a common misconception that you don't have to worry about exposure when you shoot RAW. True, you have more margin of error with RAW. But only to a degree. (More on the subject of exposure correction later in Chapter 4.) Figure 1-6

Figure 1-6:

Just because you shoot RAW doesn't change the fundamental fact that quality is compromised at higher ISOs. The higher the ISO, the more electronic noise. This isn't necessarily bad. You just need to know ISO settings can make a noticeable difference. (In Chapter 7, I'll explain how to work with high ISOs from a processing point of view.) Figure 1-7

Figure 1-7:

Here are the issues I don't consider to be quite as important when shooting RAW:

White balance
Sharpening
Color Space

I put this in the less-critical category with qualification. Yes, it's true, white balance can be determined later in Adobe Camera Raw with no quantifiable consequence. However, getting a correct white balance setting up front can streamline the process later. Figure 1-8

Figure 1-8:

It doesn't matter what you set your camera sharpening setting to: Camera Raw ignores your settings and applies an optional setting of its own. However, if you shoot RAW+JPEG, your sharpening settings will apply to the JPEG file. Common wisdom is to turn sharpening to its minimum, and leave it as a last step in processing, just before printing. I go into great detail about process sharpening in Chapter 6.

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It's a common misconception that you don't have to worry about exposure when you shoot RAW. Sure, you have more exposure latitude with RAW—some photographers swear they get two to three more exposure stops when they shoot RAW. But as you'll see later in Chapter 4, the further your image is from the correct exposure, the more work you'll have to do in Camera Raw or Photoshop to get it right.

Getting the correct exposure—as most photographers know—can either be very difficult or a piece of cake. It depends on the subject, the light, and the camera's capabilities. Fortunately, almost all digital cameras come with built-in features that help determine whether or not you are in the ballpark: LCD previews, histograms, and over/under exposure warnings. I encourage you, if you haven't already, to familiarize yourself with these handy tools and use them faithfully. (My book, Shooting Digital, goes into the subject of exposure in great detail.)

The LCD preview will tell you if you got the shot, but shouldn't be relied on as an indictor of correct exposure. Figure 1-12

Figure 1-12:

Camera histograms are a very good indicator of exposure. Figure 1-13 Properly exposed images will produce a well-distributed histogram, shifted slightly more to the right, without clipped highlights.

Figure 1-13:

Flashing Over/Under exposure warnings are distractive, but at a glance you'll know if your highlights are too light or your shadows too dark. Figure 1-14

Figure 1-14:

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When it is possible or practical, I find it very useful to include a gray card or a color target—such as the GretagMacbeth color test chart—in at least one representative shot. You can find these targets at professional camera stores or on the web. (Keyword: "Buy. Photo. Gray Cards" or "GretagMacbeth.") The GretagMacbeth target should cost around $50 each, but gray cards are much less expensive, ranging from $10–$20.

Not only does the GretagMacbeth color test chart provide a quantifiable color baseline, but as you can see, the chart also includes a white target and various shades of gray, which are useful for fine-tuning your tone mapping and white balance settings in Camera Raw. Figure 1-15

Figure 1-15:

Gray cards such as the ones shown here, make a larger target and are therefore more useful for outdoor, "in-the-field" shots. Gray cards are useful on the shooting side for determining correct exposure and white balance in tricky lighting conditions, and later, as a target, for fine-tuning white balance settings in Camera Raw. Figure 1-16

Figure 1-16:

Placement of the GretagMacbeth color target is easy and most effective in a studio environment with controlled lighting. Simply place the target so the studio lights strike it evenly. Figure 1-17 Unless you change the type of lighting—i.e. from stroke to tungsten—all you need is one sample shot with the target. Using a target—be the GretagMacbeth color target or a gray card—outdoors under varying lighting conditions is trickier. As the light changes you'll need to reshoot the target to reflect the changes.

Figure 1-17:

Later, when I open my files in Camera Raw. I use targets in either of two ways: if I've included a GretagMacbeth color card in the shot, I simply hold up the actual color target next to my monitor and compare the colors with those on my screen and manually make adjustments. Figure 1-18 This is a very crude and inaccurate method, but sometimes it's all I need. Other times I simply use a gray card (or one of the neutral colored boxes at the bottom of the GretagMacbeth color card) as a target for determining correct white balance. I'll discuss this further in Chapter 5.

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Many photographers simply attach their digital camera or memory card to a computer and manually transfer the image files to disc. You can also use a ready-made Adobe script to automatically import images from your digital camera to Bridge. It's called Import Camera, and it's available for free. (Of course, if you are comfortable with scripting language, you can write your own. Refer to the Adobe web site for more on writing custom scripts.)

Downloading and using the Import Camera script takes a little bit of effort, but once you get the general concept and basic procedure you'll see how the tedious task of importing, renaming, and backing-up can be done in a snap without ever leaving the Bridge environment. Start by downloading the script from http://share.studio.adobe.com. Figure 1-20

Figure 1-20:

(In Chapter 10, I'll show you ways to automate other tasks such as file conversion and resizing as well.)

Once you've downloaded the latest version of the Import Camera script, here's what to do:

The script file is ImportCamera_BR.jsx. Place the script in the Adobe StartupScripts folder. (Since the location of this folder varies from platform to platform, I suggest you search on your computer for .jsx files or "StartupScripts" to find the appropriate location.)
You'll also need to place three other files that come with the download into the start up scripts folder: AdobeLibrary1.jsx, AdobeLibrary2.jsx, and AdobeLibrary3.jsx. (The file AdobeScriptManger should already be loaded on your computer. If it isn't, use the AdobeScriptManager file that came with the Import Camera download.) Figure 1-21

Figure 1-21:
If you are using the full Creative Suite place the ImportCamera_BR.jsx file in the Workflow Automation Scripts folder, which is a sub folder of the startup scripts folder.
Once you have copied all of the files to their assigned locations, restart Bridge. A new menu item, "Import from Camera…" should appear in the Tools menu.

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Adobe Bridge is roughly analogous to a traditional light table, and is therefore the perfect environment for trashing, editing, and sorting your RAW files. Let's take a look at how to use this stand-alone application to do this, and then, in subsequent chapters, we'll delve more deeply into the actual processing of RAW data using the other two distinct editing/processing environments: Photoshop and Camera Raw.

Chapter Contents

Launching & Viewing Images in Bridge
Editing a Photo Session
Checking for Image Sharpness & Exposure
Editing Based on Metadata
Labeling, Rating & Adding Keywords
Renaming Files

Bridge is a standalone application that launches separately from Photoshop CS2. It shares many of the attributes of the File Browser found in earlier versions of Photoshop, but it has more features and is designed to act as a central hub not only for Photoshop, but also for all of Adobe's Creative Suite products.

To open Bridge from within Photoshop:

Open Photoshop.
Select File > Browse.

You can also open Bridge from within Photoshop by clicking on the Bridge icon found in the Options bar. Figure 2-1

Figure 2-1:

If you want Bridge to launch automatically whenever you launch Photoshop, you must change Photoshop default preferences. To do this:

Open Photoshop Preferences. (On a Mac, choose Photoshop > Preferences > General; on a PC, Edit > Preferences. Or use the shortcut Cmd/Ctrl-K.)
Check the box next to "Automatically Launch Bridge". Figure 2-2

Figure 2-2:

The next time you launch Photoshop, Bridge will launch as well.

Since Bridge is an independent application, it can also be launched at any time directly from your desktop or Start menu.

There are several options for viewing images in Bridge:

You can view images as small thumbnails. For this view, select the indicated icon found at the bottom right of the Bridge window or choose View > Thumbnails.

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Bridge is a standalone application that launches separately from Photoshop CS2. It shares many of the attributes of the File Browser found in earlier versions of Photoshop, but it has more features and is designed to act as a central hub not only for Photoshop, but also for all of Adobe's Creative Suite products.

To open Bridge from within Photoshop:

Open Photoshop.
Select File > Browse.

You can also open Bridge from within Photoshop by clicking on the Bridge icon found in the Options bar. Figure 2-1

Figure 2-1:

If you want Bridge to launch automatically whenever you launch Photoshop, you must change Photoshop default preferences. To do this:

Open Photoshop Preferences. (On a Mac, choose Photoshop > Preferences > General; on a PC, Edit > Preferences. Or use the shortcut Cmd/Ctrl-K.)
Check the box next to "Automatically Launch Bridge". Figure 2-2

Figure 2-2:

The next time you launch Photoshop, Bridge will launch as well.

Since Bridge is an independent application, it can also be launched at any time directly from your desktop or Start menu.

There are several options for viewing images in Bridge:

You can view images as small thumbnails. For this view, select the indicated icon found at the bottom right of the Bridge window or choose View > Thumbnails. Figure 2-3

Figure 2-3:

(You can increase the size of the thumbs incrementally by using the slider found at the bottom of the window, although this will increase the time required to open them. Figure 2-4 )

Figure 2-4:
You can also use Bridge's Filmstrip view. Figure 2-5 Selected images will appear magnified in the top window. For this view, select the indicated icon found at the bottom right of the Bridge window or choose As Filmstrip from the View menu.

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Getting from point A (a folder filled with RAW images stored on a photographer's hard drive) to point B (a finished image) requires several incremental steps, the first of which is culling the good shots from the bad. Sometimes this simply means identifying and trashing obvious shooting mistakes; other times it requires confirmation of focus and useable exposure.

To illustrate how to use Bridge to do this, I'll use images I recently took on assignment for Philips Medical systems.

The first thing I'll do before showing the client the images is delete the obviously bad ones; for example, the shot at the top left of the screen containing my wayward assistant. Figure 2-18

Figure 2-18:

To delete images from Bridge and your hard drive:

Select the unwanted image. (Select multiple images by shift-clicking. Select non-adjacent images by Command-clicking.)
Click the trashcan icon found in the upper-right corner of the Bridge window. Alternatively you can hit the Delete key. Figure 2-19

Figure 2-19:

You can also delete images via a contextual menu. Select an image or images, right-click, and select Move to Trash. (In Windows, select Send to Recycle Bin). Figure 2-20 You can retrieve a trashed image from the Trash or Recycle Bin (as long as it hasn't been emptied).

Figure 2-20:

Next I'll check for image sharpness. Sometimes out-of-focus shots are blatantly obvious; other times the unsharpness is a result of subtle camera or subject movement and doesn't show up in standard Bridge viewing options. Figure 2-21 (Sharpness—or edge contrast—as it relates to RAW image processing is another subject, which I cover in Chapter 6.) If possible, it's always best to cull out unacceptable images early on in the editing process, before anyone gets too attached to the image and chooses it above other sharper ones.

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There are many reasons to rename an image file. Digital cameras produce seemingly obscure strings of sequential numbers that have no relationship to the content of an image. Some photographers prefer adding some sort of descriptor to a particular set of images, which is very easy to do from within Bridge.

To rename a batch of image files:

From the Tools menu, select Batch > Rename. Figure 2-42

Figure 2-42:
Under New Filenames, pick your criteria. For example, as you can see in here, I selected "text" from the pop-up menu. In the text field, I typed in "philips". Then, in the next criteria field, I selected "sequence number" from the popup menu. (There will be a next field only if you click the "+" icon.) I left "1" as my starting point and selected "Three Digits" from the adjacent pop-up menu. You can preview the changes at the bottom of the Batch Rename window. Figure 2-43

Figure 2-43:

Although it may seem like one at times, Bridge isn't technically an image asset manager on par with programs such as Extensis Portfolio, Canto Cumulus, ACDSee, iView, etc. Bridge doesn't create a separate image database and is therefore only capable of searching, organizing, and handling online image files. For more on handling your images with an asset management program, see The DAM Book: Digital Asset Management for Photographers by Peter Krogh (O'Reilly 2005).
- If you want to retain a record of the original file name, under Options select "Preserve current file name in XMP Metadata". If you do this, you can always retrieve the data later by selecting "Preserved Filename" in the criteria pop-up window. Keep in mind that Bridge does its best to keep the .xmp file together with the original file, but if either file is moved, renamed, or opened by another application, the XMP data may be unreadable. If you want to use camera EXIF data—such as exposure time or focal length—simply select EXIF Metadata from the criteria pop-up window and then select your choice in the adjacent pop-up window. Again, you can preview the results in the Preview section of the Batch Rename window.

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The heart of CS2's RAW processing is the Adobe Camera RAW plug-in, developed and constantly updated by the eminent Thomas Knoll, one of the original creators of Photoshop. Camera Raw has come a long way in just a short time and has become the RAW processing tool for many photographers. Now in CS2, Camera Raw supports opening and viewing multiple images, making it not only an outstanding RAW processor but a viable editing environment as well. This chapter gives you a general overview of the basic controls and features of Camera Raw. Subsequent chapters expand into more detail on such subjects as tone mapping, white balance, sharpening, and reducing noise.

Chapter Contents

Updating Camera Raw
Workflow Options
Editing with Camera Raw
An Overview of Camera Raw Tools
Camera Raw Preview and Analysis Tools
Camera Raw Tabs

Before you do anything, you'll want to have the most recent version of Camera Raw. Note that the Adobe Camera Raw plug-in is a work in progress. Every few months or so, it is updated to support new digital cameras that come online. Minor, behind the scenes improvements, are also sometimes made. It's therefore best to periodically check the Adobe web site and download the latest version of Camera Raw. It's free.

At the Adobe site, you can also sign up to receive email notices informing you when new versions of Camera Raw (and the Adobe DNG Converter) become available. You can sign up at various locations on the Adobe site. Use the Adobe Search option and enter the keywords: notify camera raw updates. Figure 3-1

Figure 3-1:

You can tell which version of Camera Raw you are using by selecting Photoshop > About Plug-In > Camera Raw… from the main Photoshop menu. In Windows, the "About Plug-In" location is under the Help menu. A dialog box containing the version number will appear. Figure 3-2

Figure 3-2:

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Before you do anything, you'll want to have the most recent version of Camera Raw. Note that the Adobe Camera Raw plug-in is a work in progress. Every few months or so, it is updated to support new digital cameras that come online. Minor, behind the scenes improvements, are also sometimes made. It's therefore best to periodically check the Adobe web site and download the latest version of Camera Raw. It's free.

At the Adobe site, you can also sign up to receive email notices informing you when new versions of Camera Raw (and the Adobe DNG Converter) become available. You can sign up at various locations on the Adobe site. Use the Adobe Search option and enter the keywords: notify camera raw updates. Figure 3-1

Figure 3-1:

You can tell which version of Camera Raw you are using by selecting Photoshop > About Plug-In > Camera Raw… from the main Photoshop menu. In Windows, the "About Plug-In" location is under the Help menu. A dialog box containing the version number will appear. Figure 3-2

Figure 3-2:

From Bridge, you can find the Camera Raw version number by selecting Bridge > Camera Raw Preferences from the main menu bar. (With Windows, Camera Raw Preferences are under the Edit menu.) The version number will be at the top of the Preferences dialog box. Figure 3-3

Figure 3-3:

After you download the Camera Raw plug-in file from the Adobe site, do the following:

Close Photoshop.
On a Mac, go to the Finder, in Windows open My Computer and double-click Local Disk (C).
On a Mac, navigate to Library/Application Support/Adobe/Plug-Ins/CS2/File Formats. Figure 3-4

Figure 3-4:

In Windows, navigate to Program Files\Common Files\Adobe\Plug-Ins\CS2\File Formats. Figure 3-5

Figure 3-5:
Move the existing plug-in to another location. Keep this version in case you need to revert.

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At the bottom of the Camera Raw workspace is a Show Workflow Options check box. It's easy to overlook the options provided here—Space, Depth, Size, and Resolution—but they are key to getting the most out of your RAW images. (Note that Chapter 10 will specifically address the issues of workflow and processing multiple RAW images with Camera Raw, Bridge, and Photoshop.)

When you select Show Workflow Options, a small portion of your bottom viewing area is used to present various options. Let's take a look at each one. Figure 3-6

Figure 3-6:

Here you can choose from a variety of color spaces, including the ones you see here. Figure 3-7 In Chapter 4, I'll go over the arguments for choosing each; for now, just keep in mind that since we are working with RAW files, you can apply any color space of choice (at any time) without actually changing the underlying image data.

Figure 3-7:

In Camera Raw, you can choose between two depths: 8 Bits/Channel and 16 Bits/Channel. Figure 3-8

Figure 3-8:

Most digital cameras save approximately 12 Bits/Channel of color data. To get the most out the RAW data when it is opened from Camera Raw into Photoshop, I work with 16 Bits/Channel for as long as possible, even though it results in larger file sizes. (As you will see in Chapter 10, if you are working on multiple RAW images, there may be times when 8 Bits/Channel is more efficient.)

Your digital camera is capable of a specific maximum image size. You can either reduce that size via camera settings or better yet, do it later in Camera Raw and Photoshop. Figure 3-9

Figure 3-9:

Any size under the actual set by your camera is marked with a minus sign at the end. Any size over the actual size is marked with a plus sign at the end. Figure 3-10 The actual size of your camera has no markings at the end. When should you go over or under the native size set by your camera? The fact is, this setting doesn't actually "resize" the RAW file. It only tells Photoshop how to size the RAW file when it's opened. I'll get into more detail about resizing in Chapter 10, but in short, I generally recommend resizing incrementally in Photoshop when quality is an issue, and using the different Camera Raw Size settings if they are appropriate and a speedy workflow is the main concern.

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In the previous chapter we saw how to edit, select, and tag RAW files in Adobe Bridge. We also saw that Bridge has its limitations. Magnifying an image large enough to examine for noise and sharpness, for example, is not really a viable option in Bridge. Now that Camera Raw is capable of opening more than one image at a time, it has become a workable editing environment and a good adjunct to Bridge.

Photographer Martin Sundberg, for example, uses Camera Raw to edit his photo shoots. Martin is best known as a photographer specializing in extreme outdoor sports. His subjects often move fast—very fast—and Martin often shoots several frames per second to maximize the chances of getting the perfect frame. However, shooting this way also increases the chances of an image being out of focus or blurred from camera or subject movement. One frame may be perfectly sharp and the next not. Examining for sharpness is therefore a critical component in Martin's editing process. In this section, we'll join Martin as he imports and edits a freestyle biking shoot.

To Edit a photo shoot in Camera Raw, Martin performs some preliminary steps:

Import the RAW files from the memory card into Bridge. Here Martin imports the shots from his Canon 1D Mark II. Figure 3-12

Figure 3-12:
Next, select all the images in Bridge (Command/Ctrl+A). (If no images are selected, Bridge assumes all visible images are to be renamed.) Then apply a Batch Rename using Tools > Batch Rename from the menu bar. Martin creates a starting numerical identifier and the descriptive text: bike_ramp. Figure 3-13

Figure 3-13:
After batch renaming, select all the files again. Now use File Info (File > File Info) to apply a copyright notice, your name, and URL. The data entered in File Info will apply to all the selected images. Figure 3-14

Figure 3-14:

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Many of Camera Raw tools will seem familiar to seasoned Photoshop users. There are navigation tools, zoom tools, color sample tools, and a crop tool, to name a few. In this section, we'll take a brief overlook at all of them. I think you'll find it particularly interesting to see how the Crop tool can be used creatively to make large-scale panoramas.

Some processing decisions—such as color and exposure corrections—are more easily made when the entire image is visible in the viewing area. Other tasks, such as sharpening and noise reduction, benefit from enlarging or magnifying an image so details are readily discernable. The key to getting the views you want is knowing how to use the Zoom and Hand tools.

To select the zoom level in Camera Raw:

Click on the pop-up window on the lower left side of the viewing area. Figure 3-22

Figure 3-22:
Choose Fit in View to make the entire image visible in the viewing area. (The Fit in View option will set different files to different zoom amounts, depending on the original file size.) Double-clicking on the Hand tool (found in the toolbar at the top of the viewing area) also makes the entire image visible in the viewing area. The keyboard command Cmd/Ctrl-0 will also set the image to Fit in Window size. Use higher magnification percentages to zoom in. You can also use the Cmd/Ctrl-(+) and Cmd/Ctrl-(–) keystrokes to zoom in or out. Standard Photoshop magnifying keyboard commands also work. Place your cursor over the area you wish centered and then Cmd/Ctrl-click to zoom in, or Cmd/Ctrl+Option/Alt-click to zoom out.
You can also use the Zoom tool (found in the toolbox at the top of the viewing area). Select it by clicking on the icon, or using the keyboard Cmd/Ctrl-Z. Hold your cursor over the area you wish to zoom in or zoom out. Use Option/Alt-click to zoom out, or just click if you want to zoom in. You can also simply drag the cursor over the area of interest and release to zoom in. Figure 3-23

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Before you manipulate a RAW image, you need to take moment to analyze what needs to be done. First, Camera Raw generates a large preview reflecting the current Camera Raw settings. It also provides other ways to analyze an image, including a histogram and Shadow/Highlights warnings. Let's take a look at these features.

At the top of the Camera Raw window is a Preview check box. Figure 3-44 Use this to toggle between current and original Camera Raw settings. Unchecked means you are viewing your image at original Camera Raw settings, checked means you are viewing the image with current settings. (Toggle the keystroke "P" for checked and unchecked.)

Figure 3-44:

If you haven't touched any of the Camera Raw controls, the Preview checked version will look exactly like the Preview unchecked version.

New to the latest version of Camera Raw are easy-to-find-and-use Shadow and Highlight clipping warnings. (In earlier versions, you had to use a keyboard command while selecting the Exposure and Shadow controls.) These warnings take any tonal or color adjustments you make in Camera Raw into consideration, so the RAW file itself might be fine, but show clipping warnings after an adjustment.

If you select Highlight, anything that falls beyond the range of 255, or pure white, is shown in red. Figure 3-45 You can also use the keystroke "O".

Figure 3-45:

If you select Shadow, anything that falls below the range of 0, or pure black, is shown in purple. Figure 3-46 You can also use the keystroke "U".

Figure 3-46:

In Chapter 4, I'll get into more on using the Shadow and Highlight clipping warnings.

The histogram found in the top right of the Camera Raw window displays red, green, and blue values visually. As you change Adjust settings, the histogram adjusts accordingly. I use the histogram more in Chapter 4. Figure 3-47

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Camera Raw has five tabs, and each tab is a gateway to controlling the look and feel of your RAW image. Under the Adjust and Curve tabs, for example, you can control the way the tonal values are mapped and how the white balance is set. Under the Detail and Lens tabs, you can control how much sharpening is applied and correct any image anomalies. The Calibrate tab provides fine-tuning over the way color is interpreted. Let's look at the tabs, one by one.

The Adjust controls, found under the Adjust tab, control white balance, tint, Exposure, Shadows, Brightness, Contrast, and Saturation. By default, the Auto checkboxes are selected. Figure 3-48

Figure 3-48:

As I mentioned in the previous chapter, you may want to change the default so the Use Auto Adjustments setting isn't automatically applied. (Thumbs created for Bridge may be misleading if Use Auto Adjustments is selected.) You can do this via the pop-up menu (found by clicking on the arrow to the right of the Settings options). Deselect Use Auto Adjustments or use the keyboard shortcut Cmd/Ctrl-U. You may want to set it permanently off by deselecting Use Auto Adjustments and then selecting Save New Camera Raw Defaults.

I'll get into the proper use of these Adjust tab settings in Chapter 4.

Detail controls, found under the Detail tab, control Sharpness, Luminance Smoothing, and Color Noise Reduction. Chapter 6 is devoted to using Sharpness controls, and in Chapter 7, I discuss how to use the Luminance Smoothing and Color Noise Reduction controls. Figure 3-49

Figure 3-49:

The Lens controls, found under the Lens tab, provide tools to overcome Chromatic Aberrations and Vignetting. I go into great detail on this subject in Chapter 7. Figure 3-50

Figure 3-50:

New to Camera Raw is the Curve control, found under the Curve tab. Like Exposure in the Adjust tab, Curve lets you adjust the entire tonal range of an image. However, with Curve, you adjust up to 14 different points throughout an image's tonal range (from shadows to highlights). You can also save Curve settings for use in another image. I'll get into using Curve controls in more detail in Chapter 4.

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All RAW files require extensive processing to produce an image pleasing to the eye. As we saw in the previous chapter, Adobe Camera Raw provides many ways to do this. You can the Adjust or Curve tab controls to automatically set the look and feel of a particular image. Or, if you prefer, you can manually change the white balance or tweak the Adjust or Curve tab controls to make an image more contrasty, cooler, or more saturated. Some of these same controls can also be used to redistribute tonal values to compensate for a less-than-perfect exposure. I'll cover all these topics in detail and more in this chapter.

Chapter Contents

Using Camera Raw Auto Adjustments
Customizing Camera Raw Default
Evaluating an Image in Camera Raw
Manually Adjusting White Balance
Manually Mapping Tone
Using Camera Raw Curve for More Control
Useful Keyboard Commands for Adjust & Curve Tabs
Creating Custom Camera Profiles with the Calibrate Tab
Finishing Up Adjustments with Photoshop

When you open a RAW file in Camera Raw for the first time—and your Settings menu is set to out-of-the box Camera Raw Defaults—use Auto Adjustments is enabled and all the Auto checkboxes in the Adjust tab are checked.

With Use Auto Adjustments enabled, Camera Raw applies a made-to-order tone map based on the individual characteristics of a particular image. This often produces satisfactory results, and it's a good place to start. Figure 4-1

Figure 4-1:

When Use Auto Adjustments is deselected, the preview window shows a behind-the-scene interpretation of the RAW data determined by image data, camera model, and camera white balance settings, without any attempt to "optimize" the tonal map. Figure 4-2

Figure 4-2:

You can easily turn auto settings off by deselecting Use Auto Adjustments in the Settings pop-up menu. To toggle Use Auto Adjustments on and off , you can use the keyboard shortcut Cmd/Ctrl-U. (You can also create a custom Camera Raw Default with Use Auto Adjustments deselected. See the following section, "Customizing Camera Raw Default.")

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When you open a RAW file in Camera Raw for the first time—and your Settings menu is set to out-of-the box Camera Raw Defaults—use Auto Adjustments is enabled and all the Auto checkboxes in the Adjust tab are checked.

With Use Auto Adjustments enabled, Camera Raw applies a made-to-order tone map based on the individual characteristics of a particular image. This often produces satisfactory results, and it's a good place to start. Figure 4-1

Figure 4-1:

When Use Auto Adjustments is deselected, the preview window shows a behind-the-scene interpretation of the RAW data determined by image data, camera model, and camera white balance settings, without any attempt to "optimize" the tonal map. Figure 4-2

Figure 4-2:

You can easily turn auto settings off by deselecting Use Auto Adjustments in the Settings pop-up menu. To toggle Use Auto Adjustments on and off , you can use the keyboard shortcut Cmd/Ctrl-U. (You can also create a custom Camera Raw Default with Use Auto Adjustments deselected. See the following section, "Customizing Camera Raw Default.")

The auto adjustments work well for many images, but not all. The earlier photo in Figure 4-1, for example, was shot under even lighting conditions and the auto adjustments worked very well. This example, however, shows an image shot under strong backlit conditions. Here it is with Auto Adjustments off. Figure 4-3

Figure 4-3:

In this case, auto adjustments improved things slightly, but didn't go far enough to open the darker areas in the foreground. Figure 4-4

Figure 4-4:

Actually, this image is a perfect candidate for manual tweaking of the Adjust tonal controls, which I'll get into shortly.

As I said in Chapter 2, selecting Use Auto Adjustments as part of your Camera Raw Default setting can cause confusion when you use Bridge to view and edit images. Say you shot one image frame at f/5.6 and another of the same scene at f/8 using the same shutter speed. Clearly there should be tonal differences between the two shots, and these differences should be reflected in Bridge's thumbnails. However, if Use Auto Adjustments is selected in Camera Raw, the two Bridge thumbnails will likely look the same because Camera Raw generates the thumbs and auto adjustments will make each thumb look the same or very similar

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If you consistently don't like the way the Camera Raw Default setting makes your images look, or if you don't want Use Auto Adjustments as part of the Camera Raw Default, you can easily customize the default setting.

The Camera Raw Default setting is always applied when you open a RAW image for the first time in Camera Raw. To change the Camera Raw Default so that Use Auto Adjustments is deselected, and to generally make your images say, more saturated and "Fujichrome film-like:"

Open a RAW file in Camera Raw.
Deselect Use Auto Adjustments. Figure 4-5

Figure 4-5:
Slightly increase the saturation values with the Saturation slider, to taste. Figure 4-6

Figure 4-6:

If you make any changes to an image in Camera Raw, and select Open or Done from the bottom of the Camera Raw window, the next time you open the RAW file, the Settings menu will display Image Settings and the saved settings will be applied. The settings are also reflected in the Bridge thumbnails. You can always revert to the factory Camera Raw Default in the Settings menu.
Select Save New Camera Raw Defaults from the pop-up menu. Figure 4-7

Figure 4-7:

The next time you open an image and Camera Raw Default is displayed in the Settings menu, your altered default settings will apply. To revert back to the original, out-of-the-box Camera Raw Defaults, select Reset Camera Raw Defaults from the pop-up menu. Figure 4-8

Figure 4-8:

Of course, this is a very simple example of what you can do. In fact, you can use any of Camera Raw's controls to create a quite different Camera Raw Default. In many cases, however, it might be more useful to simply make a user-defined custom setting instead of radically changing your Camera Raw Default. For example, you might make a custom setting that applies only to files from one particular digital camera, or that applies to indoor images, or to backlit images, etc.

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How do you know if or when an image is adjusted correctly? From a technical point of view, just looking at Camera Raw's preview window can be deceptive, even if your monitor is perfectly calibrated. Our visual system is extremely adaptive, and what may look good on screen may in fact have serious technical shortfalls which will become especially evident when you click Camera Raw's Open or Done buttons, render the RAW file, and go to print.

Let's take a look at how this deception can occur. For example, this image may look fine at first glance. Figure 4-14

Figure 4-14:

While an image preview is being generated, a yellow caution icon appears in the preview window. Wait until the caution is gone before evaluating the image.

But click on the boxes at the top of the image window to activate Camera Raw's Shadows and Highlights warnings, and you'll see several highlight areas lacking in detail, which are represented in red. (Shadow areas lacking detail—which this particular image doesn't have—would be represented in blue.) Figure 4-15

Figure 4-15:

Normally, it's not useful to rely on just one or even two tools or methods when evaluating an image. For example, the Shadows and Highlights warnings in the previous image can be confirmed by looking at the histogram or by using Camera Raw's Exposure and Shadows clipping display. I'll explain both in more detail shortly.

Here is an evaluation procedure that'll highlight most of Camera Raw's evaluation tools and give you a good grip on the state of a particular image, such as the one shown here. Figure 4-16

Figure 4-16:

Once you've determined what needs to be done—if indeed anything needs to be done at all—you can then proceed to apply the necessary changes using Camera Raw's Adjust or Curve controls. (The procedure, as written, may seem laborious, but stretching it out this way, gives me a chance to delve into Camera Raw features that are useful for you to know.)

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I begin my work on an image by setting white balance. Some may find issue with this order and suggest doing tonal corrections first, but both affect each other. Regardless of which you do first, you may want to go back and fine-tune either adjustment. I use a couple approaches to manually adjusting white balance.

In the White Balance pop-up menu, you have the following choices: As Shot, Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Shade, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Flash, and Custom. You also have a Temperature and Tint slider for fine-tuning. Figure 4-36

Figure 4-36:

If you select As Shot, Camera Raw will apply the white balance setting that was recorded at the time of exposure. In my experience, when lighting conditions are simple—i.e. light comes from a single light source—I am generally happy with the As Shot preset. Figure 4-37

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