When digital photography first started out most digital cameras produced JPEG files. Slowly however more cameras also gave you the option of shooting in TIFF format. But, then came the real revolution RAW files. While even today many cameras allow you to shoot RAW files, this highly desirable feature is generally reserved for the higher end point and shoot cameras and dSLR cameras (digital SLR).

 

It doesn't matter what camera brand or model you have if it allows you to shoot in RAW then you are going to need some help if you want to get the most from this format. What are RAW files? Well, RAW files are the digital camera worlds equivalent of a film negative. Like with a film negative RAW files are the RAW image captured by the cameras CCD or CMOS sensor. Unlike JPEG or TIF images RAW files are not altered by the cameras software. There are no contrast or sharpening done to the image, even the more basic functions like noise reduction and defringing aren't done either. Think of RAW files as 35mm negatives and JPEG and TIFF images as photographic prints from your 35mm negative. When you take in a 35mm negative to have a print made the machine and technician make adjustments to the image before it is printed. This is what happens with JPEG and TIF images in your camera, the camera is making automatic adjustments to the image. Where 35mm negatives and RAW files have none of this done.

 

One of the big advantages of RAW files is that when it comes to color and exposure correction you have a lot more leeway with them than you do with JPEG or TIF files, there is more data to work with. I have on several occasions been able to save an image because of RAW that had I shot it in JPEG or TIF I wouldn't have been able to.

 

RAW Files have disadvantages as well. You have to process each and every RAW file before you can print it, put it on the web, e-mail it to friends and family, etc. Because of this intense amount of labor involved I only shoot RAW when I know I am going to need the capabilities of RAW. Meaning any time I feel I have a tricky exposure and will need RAW and the extra data to save the image.

 

While most RAW processing programs strive to make RAW processing as easy as possible, there is still a lot to learn if you want to get the most from these files. Since RAW became more main stream we have had a larger selection of books to choose from. Each book is of course different. One of my favorites is The Art of RAW Processing. This full color book is just jam packed with useful information, image samples, screen shots and more. It covers everything you need to know about RAW files and how to get the most from them. But, what sets this book apart from the others is that it covers many different RAW processing programs. The Art of RAW Processing covers Adobe Camera RAW, Photoshop, Pixmantec/Adobe RawShooter, Apple Aperture, Phase One's Capture One Pro, Nikon Capture, Iridient RAW Developer, Canon Digital Photo Professional, Bibble, and even Adobe Lightroom which is current in public beta testing. This is the first book I have found that covers more than one RAW processing application and because of that this book is even more useful.

 

Chapters:

Chapter 1: Introduction to RAW Files or Digital Negatives
Chapter 2: Basic Color Management
Chapter 3: Basic RAW Workflow
Chapter 4: Adobe Camera RAW
Chapter 5: Pixmantec RawShooter
Chapter 6: Apple's Aperture
Chapter 7: More RAW Converters
Chapter 8: Adobe Lightroom
Chapter 9: Perfecting Images
Chapter 10: Batch Processing Techniques for RAW Files
Chapter 11: Digital Negative (DNG) Format
Chapter 12: MetaData
Chapter 13: Profiling Your Camera and Calibrating Your RAW Converter
Chapter 14: Creating B&W Photos From Color Images

As you can see this is a very through book. It is beautifully designed and laid out, easy to read, useful and best of all it covers a wide range of RAW processing programs. This is a must have book for any one that owns a digital camera that supports RAW.