I have been using the trial version of Raw Shooter Essentials, and I have to say I have not been pleased. When I process an image, even without adding any saturation, I find that when I pull the image up in PS Elements the image is way oversaturated. I am not happy with the sharpening either. I have since downloaded a trial of Capture One LE and so far am very pleased with it. It seems to have better color and sharpening control, and the processed image is much closer to how it appears in the Capture One software. Are there other programs? Which do you recommend? I shoot with a Nikon D70.
Posted by Rob Theoret on March 26, 2006 at 12:24 AM
Hi Alice,
I have been using NIKON CAPTURE 4.4.0 I will not come right out and say it is the best out but speaking from personal experience, I find the program very reliable. I like the features and how they work, and when I open the converted photo in Photoshop CS2 I find that what I saved and converted from the RAW to JPG format is what I see PS CS2
I know the software is a little pricy but well worth the mony.
PS A new upgrade (free to owners of the software) will be available at the end of next month from NIKON
My experience is that the "best" RAW conversion software is something that may be tied to the equipment you're using. e.g. what's best for a Nikon may not be best for Canon, Fuji, etc.
I think you may want to be specific and see what people who are shooting D70's prefer.
I agree with Christian but I will also add that workflow is just as important as the software. The workflow may be different with different converters but most of them have similar controls.
Personally I would not suggest relying on the default settings for any converter, and to leave sharpening and color correction to Photoshop rather than the conversion software.
Guy
Posted by Scott Buckel on March 26, 2006 at 3:06 PM
Alice - I use both Nikon and Adobe Raw for my conversions and I shoot with a D70 as well as a D1X and D2X. I had many issues using Raw Essentials as well. I know lots of people like Capture 1, but I do not have direct experience with it and I am sure there are other software packages out there as well.
I know several people that use capture 1 to edit there raw exposures since it allows for a quick 100% view of their raw files to look for cirtical sharpness. Then they use PSCS2 with Bridge to organize and do their final processing of their images.
It all depends on your work flow. I am in the process of trying to figure out the most efficient work flow for my needs, so I know it is not an easy topic. I am convinced that for me the color correction and sharpening is easiest and most efficient in PSCS2. But your mileage may vary.
I would suggest talking to some one that uses images the same as you do. If for example you primarily post images to web and make a few prints one workflow would likely be better than if you just made prints, or just filed images with a stock agency.
I hope this helps,
Posted by Bill Chambers on March 27, 2006 at 7:25 AM
Hi Alice - I use Capture 1 and have been very pleased with the results, especially with high contrast images or images where banding might be an issue. The difference between C1 and ACR is dramatic in those two instances especially. I find that C1 is NOT as user friendly as ACR and have emailed them on some issues (minor stuff that is just an irritant) that maybe they can address in future versions, but I have no complaints whatsoever with performance.
Posted by Walter Rowe on March 27, 2006 at 5:16 PM
Alice - you will find as many "best" recommendations as there are raw converters.
Most all of them offer a free evaluation period. I recommend trying several and finding the one that is most intuitive to your way of thinking and fits best with the way you process your images. There are several that are very excellent. Adobe Camera Raw comes free with Photoshop and Photoshop Elements. There is also Digital Photo Pro, Capture One, RawShooter, and Bibble. There are also the camera maker offerings from Nikon and Canon, though they only work for the camera models.
All of these offer excellent results when the right person is driving them. It really depends on how you think and what your artistic goal is when processing your images. Does the tool fit with your way of thinking and your "workflow"? Does it produce the image results you are looking for?
As for me, I own a Nikon D100, Nikon D200 and Canon PowerShot G5. I use Photoshop CS2 with Adobe Camera Raw 3.3 (ACR). I am happy with the results, I like the degree of control it affords me, and I am comfortable with the interface.
I have been using RAW Shooter Essentials and RAW Shooter Premium and I have found both to be quite excellent. RAW Shooter Premium is currently my prefered RAW converter. Based on your description I'm wondering if you are calibrating your monitor? A lack of monitor calibration or a skewed/old calibration can cause all kinds of color issues.
And I agree with Guy I leave sharpening & color correction to Photoshop or in your case to Photoshop Elements. IMHO sharpening should always be last in one's workflow.
Since I always have the latest version of Photoshop when it comes out, (for my reviews) and since I have only been shooting digital for a few years since it is now up there with the same quality as film, I just use what comes with it, (which for Photoshop is Camera Raw.) I believe that the best conversion program will be the one designed for the main imaging program you are using. My second choice would be the one that comes with my Nikon. The majority of the time I have always found that the ones designed by the equipment you are using is the best, just because it was created for that product. After doing years of reviews I have found that third party products are usually never as good as first-hand ones. They almost always are lacking in one way or another, but that doesn't mean that they are not any good. Just that if you want to do top quality work you have to use the top quality products to do it. It's just like you can not do top quality professional studio work in a garage with flood lights and a plywood background.
If you want to do top quality work I'd suggest that you save up some bucks and buy the top line Photoshop, and figure that what you would have paid for a third party converter is now going towards a better Photoshop, and you won't have to pay for converter upgrades all the time either.
Posted by Martin Ziese on April 3, 2006 at 11:38 AM
I use and like BreezeBrowser Pro and CS2's Camera Raw.... With Both of these programs I have auto funtions turned off... Then once converted to TIFF or PSD (16 bit) I make my adjustments.
Posted by Paul McNelis on April 4, 2006 at 8:35 PM
I USE Adobe CS2 Camera Raw. Simply fantastic. Takes all the guess work out of things, saves time, and let's you save the original RAW file into a DNG (Digital Negative) so that you don't need to keep the RAW, plus a conversion, etc. Plus you get all the awesome benefits of owning CS2 as well.
Discussion
11 repliesI have been using NIKON CAPTURE 4.4.0 I will not come right out and say it is the best out but speaking from personal experience, I find the program very reliable. I like the features and how they work, and when I open the converted photo in Photoshop CS2 I find that what I saved and converted from the RAW to JPG format is what I see PS CS2
I know the software is a little pricy but well worth the mony.
PS A new upgrade (free to owners of the software) will be available at the end of next month from NIKON
Best regards,
Rob Theoret
I think you may want to be specific and see what people who are shooting D70's prefer.
Personally I would not suggest relying on the default settings for any converter, and to leave sharpening and color correction to Photoshop rather than the conversion software.
Guy
I know several people that use capture 1 to edit there raw exposures since it allows for a quick 100% view of their raw files to look for cirtical sharpness. Then they use PSCS2 with Bridge to organize and do their final processing of their images.
It all depends on your work flow. I am in the process of trying to figure out the most efficient work flow for my needs, so I know it is not an easy topic. I am convinced that for me the color correction and sharpening is easiest and most efficient in PSCS2. But your mileage may vary.
I would suggest talking to some one that uses images the same as you do. If for example you primarily post images to web and make a few prints one workflow would likely be better than if you just made prints, or just filed images with a stock agency.
I hope this helps,
Most all of them offer a free evaluation period. I recommend trying several and finding the one that is most intuitive to your way of thinking and fits best with the way you process your images. There are several that are very excellent. Adobe Camera Raw comes free with Photoshop and Photoshop Elements. There is also Digital Photo Pro, Capture One, RawShooter, and Bibble. There are also the camera maker offerings from Nikon and Canon, though they only work for the camera models.
All of these offer excellent results when the right person is driving them. It really depends on how you think and what your artistic goal is when processing your images. Does the tool fit with your way of thinking and your "workflow"? Does it produce the image results you are looking for?
As for me, I own a Nikon D100, Nikon D200 and Canon PowerShot G5. I use Photoshop CS2 with Adobe Camera Raw 3.3 (ACR). I am happy with the results, I like the degree of control it affords me, and I am comfortable with the interface.
And I agree with Guy I leave sharpening & color correction to Photoshop or in your case to Photoshop Elements. IMHO sharpening should always be last in one's workflow.
If you want to do top quality work I'd suggest that you save up some bucks and buy the top line Photoshop, and figure that what you would have paid for a third party converter is now going towards a better Photoshop, and you won't have to pay for converter upgrades all the time either.
Martin