This is a little off topic but maybe one of you heads can help me.
I recently stepped up to an entry level Digital SLR to take photos of my work. It's a Canon T3 that was on sale. My old point & shoot gave me Camera Raw files that I could open in Photoshop CS4. I love the image quality of Raw files.
Here's my problem. The Canon gives me CR2 Raw files that Photoshop won't recognize. I have to open them in Canon's software and transfer to PS. What a pain. Anyone else encountered this and have an answer?
Posted by Russ McMullin (Member # 5617) on :
I don't have one of those new fangled cameras but I'm guessing there might be a setting to use the older Raw format.
Posted by Brent Logan (Member # 6587) on :
Nope... I also did a search for new plug-ins and downloads, etc. for Photoshop and nothings worked so far. I hope it's not a conspiracy to make me buy CS5.
Posted by Don Coplen (Member # 127) on :
I keep all sorts of manuals on my iPad, completely searchable. Even my car manual is there. Google the item, plus "PDF manual".
Handy. And likely will have the answer to your question.
Posted by Brent Logan (Member # 6587) on :
Hey, thanks for the manual Don! Maybe I should read it before I break something ..haha.
Well, I did some more digging and found a free utility from Adobe called a DNG (Digital Negative) Converter. It will batch convert Canon's or any Raw files to DNG files that can be opened in Photoshop CS4 Raw Editor. The images appear to look better than the ones that come out out of the Canon imaging software...less noise and compression. Still an extra step to take. I think the camera manufacturers are in league with Adobe to get us to part with our money for all the current software. Bastards.
Posted by Mike Pipes (Member # 1573) on :
Here's your problem.
CS4 supports Adobe Camera Raw up to version 5.7 per this link:
That's a real bummer cause Canon's EOS Viewer, Digital Photo Preview or RAW Image converter suck, and ACR is so dang handy, flexible and easy to use right inside of Photoshop.
Posted by Brent Logan (Member # 6587) on :
I read those last night in frustration. I was ready to take my new toy back to the store. I went to an SLR for the larger sensor. I'm taking photos of my paintings and the point & shoot doesn't get the color & texture detail no matter how many megapixels it shoots at. The free Adobe DNG converter works, but like I said it's an extra step in the process to get the CR2 file into PS. Thank God I don't have to cough up the bucks for CS5 (yet). I agree that Canon's converter stinks. It saves as a Tif before it opens in PS and you see compression artifacts and unwanted sharpening. The DNG's aren't bad and open in ACR.
I'll have to see if any of the pixel geeks have an opinion on the DNG converter (it will probably make me depressed LOL).
[ March 02, 2012, 08:52 PM: Message edited by: Brent Logan ]
Posted by Mike Pipes (Member # 1573) on :
You shouldnt get any compression artifacts with TIFF, unless what you're seeing is actually a sharpening artifact or chromatic aberration because of the lens.
You also need to make sure that any sharpening, or any other RAW image adjustments for that matter within the RAW converter software itself are turned off. Then if you see any settings in the software with something like "Use Shot Settings" or "Use Camera Settings", "From Camera", etc. you need to go into the menu in the camera and turn off any sharpening, saturation, contrast, etc. When you run a batch convert, the software is going to use whatever default is already set and if "From Camera" is selected, it will read those tags the camera inserts into the file and process the conversion that way.
DNG is more open, but it's virtually identical to a RAW file in terms of image quality and the adjustments you can make. In fact, the RAW image is actually stored within the DNG image format and can be extracted out for other uses. If your RAW>DNG conversions come in cleaner than RAW-TIFF, I'm betting its a setting in the Canon software or camera itself when you convert to TIFF.
Posted by Brent Logan (Member # 6587) on :
Thanks Mike.
Posted by old paint (Member # 549) on :
we got a FUJI HS20 ERX ..........and this is one of the few non-slr bridge cameras that the sensor in it is so good, you ready for this???? THEY USE THIS CAMERA TO PHOTOGRAPH GHOSTS AND PARANORMAL ACTIVITY!!!!!!!
Posted by Curtis hammond (Member # 2170) on :
quote: THEY USE THIS CAMERA TO PHOTOGRAPH GHOSTS AND PARANORMAL ACTIVITY!!!!!!!
\ ya because it ads in so much aberrations in the image it is impossible to tell from a real ghost from the camera aberration.
Posted by old paint (Member # 549) on :
