Adobe Creative Cloud Photography Plan subscribers gain access to Camera Raw, which allows them to use alongside Photoshop for editing their images in a nondestructive manner with unparalleled image control.
This software contains everything you need to work with raw files, from local adjustments and tone sliders/curves, clone brushes and retouching options to local adjustments and local color controls.
What is Camera Raw?
Adobe Camera Raw is a photo editing program that reads and interprets raw image data, before converting it to more commonly-used file formats such as JPEG or TIFF. Unfortunately, however, Adobe Camera Raw cannot perform any further editing; to accomplish that task it must first be opened in another program like Photoshop or Lightroom.
Both Lightroom and Camera Raw can open Raw images, but each have distinct features. Lightroom offers modules for organizing and exporting photos while Camera Raw offers tools for fixing lens distortion and aberration. Both programs allow nondestructive editing so you can undo them any time if they become necessary – Lightroom works particularly well with layers.
What separates Camera Raw from jpeg files is their respective image processing mechanisms. With jpeg images, data passes through an analog-to-digital converter which modifies it – potentially including sharpening, compression, color processing or noise reduction before writing out onto memory card. However, when saving raw files directly to memory cards in their raw format without further adjustments from an ADC or converter.
Camera Raw stores changes you make in an XMP file (also known as sidecar file). This means that if you move an image file between locations without impacting its function – also known as non-destructive editing as its original pixels remain undisturbed by editing.
Camera Raw stands out among other photo programs by being capable of working with raw files from multiple camera models, and Adobe issues updates for it so it can understand any newer raw formats as they arise. Furthermore, Adobe updates programs using it so they can also recognize these formats more readily.
Adobe Camera Raw can be used independently, but for maximum results it should be combined with other programs like Adobe Bridge and Photoshop to form part of an editing workflow. For example, using Camera Raw as part of this process enables initial edits on an image before exporting as JPG, TIFF or PSD for further edits in Photoshop.
Importing RAW files
Your digital camera likely produces RAW files, which contain all of the image data including color information and brightness levels that can be edited without altering or distorting its original form. These raw image data files can be accessed using Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom and other photo editing programs; unlike JPEGs which use lossy compression methods.
Different camera models create camera raw files in various formats. Adobe’s Camera Raw software interprets these formats to enable nondestructive edits to adjust highlights and shadows without damaging your photos.
Adobe Bridge can be used to select multiple images and open them all using File > Open With > Camera Raw, while its Synchronize Settings button enables you to apply uniform adjustments across them all.
When opening a Camera Raw file, a film strip of thumbnail images will be presented along the bottom. You can select any one or multiple photos by holding down Shift and clicking each thumbnail; depending on your preferences you may also be able to choose only those rated by people, or all edited by you or others.
If you prefer, you can convert your Camera Raw file to JPEG or TIFF image format instead. This will preserve its original look while providing less editing flexibility than RAW files do.
An alternative way is to utilize an image converter service to transform your Camera Raw file. These services may be free or paid; either way, however, processing times for large images could take some time – especially if multiple conversions are involved.
Adobe Lightroom is an ideal program to organize and edit large numbers of files while also being an efficient image management solution. Although more expensive than Camera Raw, Lightroom goes far beyond simply managing images files.
Editing RAW files
Camera Raw is an integral component of Adobe Photoshop, After Effects and Bridge that enables you to work with raw image files. Specifically designed for photography with an emphasis on editing workflows. The program contains panels and tools tailored for raw image processing like curves for color correction, lens distortion corrections and geometric changes as well as color gradients – as well as sharpening, noise reduction features as well as an advanced calibration tool so you can manage how images are processed.
Camera Raw’s primary advantage lies in its non-destructive nature. When making adjustments, these modifications don’t directly alter the original file; rather, an extra XMP sidecar file is created with all of the information necessary for making that adjustment, sparing the raw image itself from having its adjustments made by hand. Should your opinion or needs change later on, simply delete this additional XMP sidecar file and your original photo will remain untouched!
Camera Raw offers many advantages beyond non-destructiveness, including access to more data than can be obtained with JPG or TIFF formats. This data can help enhance shadows and highlights for more realistic appearance, or for performing more advanced editing such as correcting white balance issues or performing complex black and white conversions.
Though Photoshop and Camera Raw offer similar editing functions, Camera Raw tends to be faster and simpler for photographers due to being tailored specifically towards photographers’ needs. For example, adding a vignette in Photoshop often involves complicated layers and masks; in Camera Raw this task is as straightforward as dragging a slider. Furthermore, applying presets – preprocessed images created with Camera Raw – may also be quicker and simpler than Photoshop.
Exporting RAW files
Camera Raw is an invaluable tool for working with digital images. It enables you to perform many forms of processing that would otherwise be impossible with JPEG files, since their automatic processing takes place inside a camera itself – from reducing noise in an image to altering contrast levels of specific shots.
JPEG files tend to offer lower quality than RAW files due to camera processing that reduces file sizes, making them harder to work with. While this shouldn’t be a concern for amateur photographers, this may become an issue for professional photographers who require high-resolution images.
Raw files contain unprocessed information from the camera sensor. As such, they tend to have larger file sizes and require additional computing power for processing; however, this gives greater freedom in final result editing; for example if an accidently underexposed shot, Camera Raw makes it simple and effective in correcting this quickly by expanding shadows or compressing highlights for greater detail restoration in darker areas while maintaining integrity of brighter areas.
Once your photo editing session is over, Camera Raw allows you to export them in various formats for sharing. This is particularly beneficial for photographers who must share their images with clients or partners; JPEG and TIFF support are among them. To export files from Filmstrip or Library Pane select files and click File menu > Export in Save As dialog box then choose desired file format with location as needed in Save As dialog box.
If you need to apply the same settings across multiple images, use the Synchronize settings button in Filmstrip or Library pane to synchronize their edits. This will copy any changes made in one photo onto all other selected photos; the only drawback would be any star ratings that were applied separately to each individual photo being lost in this process.
