Emily, Why do you shoot RAW if you don't want to process the files? Or is it just that you don't want to process them in Photoshop specifically?
The main reason that RAW gives you "Better" quality is that it enables you to shoot and then process yourself.
Like shooting a wide gamut like Adobe RGB 1998, which gives a rather flat image but has everything in it, and then adjust in a RAW UI to get what you want. Then there's sharpening and curves and all the other things you actually NEED to do to RAW files before they are acceptable.
Raw files don't look good till they're "Cooked"
There's no reason to use Photoshop if you don't like it. Phase one make a great product and I hear good things about Aperture too.
But Photoshop does it all. It isn't limited to just a RAW processor.
My 5c worth
herschel
Herschel Mair
Head of the Department of Photography,
Head of the Department of Photography,
Higher College of Technology
Muscat
Sultanate of Oman
Muscat
Sultanate of Oman
Adobe Certified instructor
+ (986) 99899 673
----- Original Message ----
From: Emily L. Ferguson <elf@xxxxxxxx>
To: List for Photo/Imaging Educators - Professionals - Students <photoforum@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Friday, November 3, 2006 8:37:25 AM
Subject: Re: Sharpening, and improving focus, and reducing motion blur
From: Emily L. Ferguson <elf@xxxxxxxx>
To: List for Photo/Imaging Educators - Professionals - Students <photoforum@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Friday, November 3, 2006 8:37:25 AM
Subject: Re: Sharpening, and improving focus, and reducing motion blur
Well, I'm of the opinion that if I can avoid using Photoshop for
image adjustment, being as I start with a RAW file, then I've gotten
the best possible capture.
That's not to say that there aren't times when I must turn to
Photoshop to finish an image. Some dodging and burning is sometimes
inevitably necessary, and I prefer to use the crop tool in Photoshop
to correct my horizon but minimize the loss by fabricating sky or
water or even some more adventurous stuff at the edges than to
discard some of that in PS CS 2. In addition when I should have
taken the camera in for sensor cleaning before I went to the shoot
then I have to use Photoshop to clean up the dirt.
And I'm still using Photoshop to set up the IPTC info that's common
to a whole folder of images, but then batching the insertion of the
info in the browser.
My ideal would be to have a RAW converter that did not pass through
Photoshop on its way to the saved file. As I understand it, PS CS 1
is the closest. PS CS 2 has screwed around with the way the files
are batch processed from Bridge, and Lightroom also dumps the file
into Photoshop before it can be saved.
Maybe when I have the money for an MacIntel, I can find out what
Aperture actually does.
--
Emily L. Ferguson
mailto:elf@xxxxxxxx
508-563-6822
New England landscapes, wooden boats and races
http://www.vsu.cape.com/~elf/
http://e-and-s.instaproofs.com/
image adjustment, being as I start with a RAW file, then I've gotten
the best possible capture.
That's not to say that there aren't times when I must turn to
Photoshop to finish an image. Some dodging and burning is sometimes
inevitably necessary, and I prefer to use the crop tool in Photoshop
to correct my horizon but minimize the loss by fabricating sky or
water or even some more adventurous stuff at the edges than to
discard some of that in PS CS 2. In addition when I should have
taken the camera in for sensor cleaning before I went to the shoot
then I have to use Photoshop to clean up the dirt.
And I'm still using Photoshop to set up the IPTC info that's common
to a whole folder of images, but then batching the insertion of the
info in the browser.
My ideal would be to have a RAW converter that did not pass through
Photoshop on its way to the saved file. As I understand it, PS CS 1
is the closest. PS CS 2 has screwed around with the way the files
are batch processed from Bridge, and Lightroom also dumps the file
into Photoshop before it can be saved.
Maybe when I have the money for an MacIntel, I can find out what
Aperture actually does.
--
Emily L. Ferguson
mailto:elf@xxxxxxxx
508-563-6822
New England landscapes, wooden boats and races
http://www.vsu.cape.com/~elf/
http://e-and-s.instaproofs.com/
