Photography Basics Part 4: File Formats & Post-Processing
Photography Basics Part 4: RAW vs. JPEG
There are two basic file types that most advanced point and shoot and DSLR cameras can capture - RAW and JPEG. This article will cover the very basics of how each file type works. I personally shoot in raw 99.9% of the time.
The biggest advantage to RAW files is that they store more data in each file... bear with me as I walk you through it.
When you take a photo with your camera and your camera stores it as a JPEG, there is a lot of stuff that your camera is doing to the file “behind the scenes” before it is stored. When you press the shutter button, data is captured by the digital sensor. This data is then processed by your camera based on a number of settings that you can set in your user menus (or are predefined in the camera software). These settings control things like sharpening, contrast, color tone, white balance, etc. All of these changes are applied to the image by your camera, the data is then compressed, and stored as the JPEG format file. Note: All JPEG images are processed identically unless you change a setting on your camera.
When you shoot in RAW, your camera captures the data and does nothing with it. No additional processing is done within the camera "behind the scenes" like it does with JPEG files. These files are very large compared to compressed JPEGs because they contain much more raw data. For this reason, every photo must then be post-processed and then converted to JPEG.
So why shoot in RAW? Seems like a lot of work?
I’m sure you have been in a situation where you`re photographing a black car on a very bright day and according to your camera, the optimum exposure is set so that the car looks WAY too dark (assuming you are not using spot metering)… this is to adjust for the bright background. This is an example of extreme dynamic range where the environment is bright but your subject is dark, so that is too much for your camera to handle. RAW files capture that data, and you can then bring out the details that appeared to be lost in the shadows to make it truly appear as what you saw in real life (Pro Tip: Expose your images so that highlights are not clipped. It is much easier to bring back detail from the shadows. If highlights are blown out, the detail may be completely lost.) The human eye can process a MUCH larger dynamic range than a camera sensor, so RAW files help to make images more realistic by allowing you to tweak the image to display a closer representation to what you saw when you were standing next to the perfectly polished vehicle.... that is just a detailing related example. RAW files are also great for landscapes and portraits for similar reasons. They also allow you to very accurately adjust your white balance to make the colors truer to the real life representation (proper white balance makes a HUGE difference!). I`m sure you`ve taken a photo and seen that it had a blueish or yellowish color to it? That is your camera`s white balance setting that is essentially guessing on how the colors should appear.
Processing Software
I use Adobe Lightroom 4 to import my RAW files from my camera`s memory card, I then sort through my photos to determine which ones I want to keep, I then apply general sharpening to all photos (a preset I have created), and if needed, I make adjustments to each photo with the ultimate goal of producing the most realistic representation of what I saw in person. All in all, I maybe spend 15-45 minutes processing ~100 detailing photos... it is a relatively quick process and IMO makes a world of difference in accurately displaying your work. When I do "photo shoot" type of after pictures I spend more time on processing to really tailor the look of the photo to make it more "pretty", but for the majority of my detailing shots, they are just ‘advanced snap shots’ for lack of a better term.
Post Processing
Here is an example of a Nissan GT-R I worked on (Full Write Up Here). In this particular case, the lighting was less than ideal. There was sunlight coming through the trees, but part of the car was also in the shade. This uneven lighting is another example of high dynamic range that your camera simply cannot handle on its own. This first file is the RAW image that was converted straight to JPEG without any modifications. Key areas to notice – Blown out highlights (over exposed areas): Driveway, tail light, exhaust tips, tree & house in background. White Balance: Too cool (at least for my taste) Shadows: Lacking some detail in wheels
http://i979.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps4190d426.jpg
After applying some quick tweaks, I was able to reduce the highlights (overexposed areas) by simply dragging the ‘highlight bar’ in lightroom, bring out a bit of detail in the shadows using the ‘shadows bar’ in lightroom, warm up the white balance using the white balance bar, add some sharpening (not really noticeable when viewed at this size), and I typically add a bit of contrast. This process takes maybe 1-2 minutes (depending on how picky you are). If you have many images that were taken in the same scene, they can then be batch processed with the same adjustments you made to the first image. This saves a great deal of time.
http://i979.photobucket.com/albums/a...psffe85557.jpg
This was done many months ago so I cannot remember the exact details, but you can see the images are not drastically different. The differences, however, do make the image much more appealing and are a truer representation of what was visible in person.
Post Processing vs "Photoshopping"
Many people who are unfamiliar with these processes consider post-processing to be “photoshopping” or “editing”. This gives a negative association for many of us photo enthusiasts whose photos may stand out because they appear ‘different’. I will again reiterate that for detailing purposes, the idea of post-processing should be to provide an accurate representation of what was seen in person.
Here is another example that will help to explain the difference between post-processing and “editing” or “photoshopping”. This Audi S4 belongs to a friend of mine. He wanted some photos taken right after he bought it, so of course I was happy to help. YES – there are swirls everywhere! It was detailed later that year… click here to view the thread to see it after polishing.
This first image shows the RAW file straight out of the camera. The image is not too bad, but you will notice the white balance is off (too cool - set to ‘auto’ on the camera) and the photo is underexposed (oops :) ).
https://scontent-a-ord.xx.fbcdn.net/...80578659_n.jpg
Simply tweaking the exposure a bit, adding some contrast, and warming up the white balance, the photo looks TONS better! Again, these minor adjustments take no time at all but make a huge difference in the overall quality of the photo. These are necessary processing steps to produce a realistic photo.
https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.n...08497817_n.jpg
This is an example of what “photoshopping” or “editing” entails. This image was heavily edited to remove the nasty glare from one of my flashes, remove unwanted reflections on the front of the vehicle, darken the foreground, etc. This process takes a great deal of time compared to basic post-processing tweaks. I believe this “simple” photoshop took me about 1.5 hours (I am not an expert!).
https://scontent-a-ord.xx.fbcdn.net/...13444958_n.jpg
For more information, check out these articles:
File Formats
White Balance
Hopefully this has helped shed some light on the pros/cons of shooting in RAW & Post-Processing vs. “Photoshopping”. I will put together a more detailed write up on my post-processing workflow sometime in the future.
Thanks for reading. Please let me know if you`ve got any other questions
*excuse any typos / bad grammer... I put this together rather quickly*
-Zach McGovern
Re: Photography Basics Part 4: File Formats & Post-Processing
Shoot raw... always..
Ebay + 64GB card = a very good shoot ;)
Also one thing in general, photos are alot like polishing. You have to dial in an find the right mix of exposure, iso and of course F stop. Think of them like pad, polish and speed. Keep playing until you get the right result. If dial in properly you wont want to edit anything!
http://media02.hongkiat.com/cheetshe...hotography.jpg
http://media02.hongkiat.com/cheetshe...cal-length.jpg
Photography Basics Part 4: File Formats & Post-Processing
I disagree with some of that info... Keeping your light meter at "0" only works when photographing scenes with even lighting and a perfect balance of tones from shadows to highlights. If you are photographing a scene that is backlit heavily or is full of whites or bright objects, your light meter will read "over exposed" even though the image looks correct. Or, if you are taking a photo of a black door, your camera will tell you it is underexposed because the scene is all black. If you were to put your light meter at "0" it would be too bright, or at least brighter than it needs to be. Learning to use the histogram is very important.
Also, there are many situations where you simply cannot make it perfect in camera without many off camera lights so this is just not practical.
In any case, processing images to add sharpening and adjust white balance at a minimum should be done when shooting raw.
Re: Photography Basics Part 4: File Formats & Post-Processing
I agree with the zeroing in part for sure, especially when your limited on light and depending on how many focus points you have, it can be a bit tricky. However, if your trying to do the best photography you should always have access to adequate lighting or at the very least a tripod.
Re: Photography Basics Part 4: File Formats & Post-Processing
I always shoot raw now. It is not that much effort to export to jpg. I just have not gone the next step to convert Nikon .NEF files to DNG in Lightroom. I do not use Nikon`s software to actually take advantage of the info in NEF files that Lightroom does not use or know about.
Re: Photography Basics Part 4: File Formats & Post-Processing
Quote:
Originally Posted by
zmcgovern45
Lightroom supports all raw files. There is no converting to a "Lightroom format". I simply insert my memory card into my computer and upload the nikon files directly into Lightroom.
... Unless you are saying something different?
Adobe supports native camera format`s such as Nikon`s proprietary NEF but they also support DNG (Digital Negative Format). For example, if you want to view Nikon D610 NEF files you need to upgrade Lightroom since it is not a universal format.
They tend to encourage DNG. You can choose to convert to convert when you import into Lightroom. If you convert your NEF files to DNG you do lose some Nikon proprietary information. I have seen some videos showing how NEF rendered in Nikon software can look better than Adobe viewers. They just promote DNG as an open (Adobe architected) format.
Digital Negative - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For now, I do no convert to DNG but I also do not use Nikon software. I have experimented and Nikon software does show more metadata and such details as focus points plus it can pick up D-Lightng options. Adobe knows nothing about these. Adobe does knows the pure RAW.
Re: Photography Basics Part 4: File Formats & Post-Processing
Too much effort! Shops to busy! I point and shoot with my Iphone :) Although this is awesome knowledge that if I was to ever drop the shop and just roll solo. I`d be all over this stuff because I know the value and importance it is online. Thanks for sharing!
Re: Photography Basics Part 4: File Formats & Post-Processing
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Bunky
Adobe supports native camera format`s such as Nikon`s proprietary NEF but they also support DNG (Digital Negative Format). For example, if you want to view Nikon D610 NEF files you need to upgrade Lightroom since it is not a universal format.
They tend to encourage DNG. You can choose to convert to convert when you import into Lightroom. If you convert your NEF files to DNG you do lose some Nikon proprietary information. I have seen some videos showing how NEF rendered in Nikon software can look better than Adobe viewers. They just promote DNG as an open (Adobe architected) format.
Digital Negative - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For now, I do no convert to DNG but I also do not use Nikon software. I have experimented and Nikon software does show more metadata and such details as focus points plus it can pick up D-Lightng options. Adobe knows nothing about these. Adobe does knows the pure RAW.
Good info, thanks!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Jsmooth
Too much effort! Shops to busy! I point and shoot with my Iphone :) Although this is awesome knowledge that if I was to ever drop the shop and just roll solo. I`d be all over this stuff because I know the value and importance it is online. Thanks for sharing!
Being "too busy" for photos is never a bad thing!!!!
Re: Photography Basics Part 4: File Formats & Post-Processing
Quote:
Originally Posted by
XxBoostinxX
Thank you for this. One thing I have struggled with since buying my Nikon DSLR is figuring out how to take good photos. This is the first article I have read of yours and will find the others.
The Driver.... Thank you for the cheat sheet! Definitely can come in handy for a noobie. ;)
Can anyone recommend a decent photo editing software that isn`t an arm and a leg? It doesn`t have to be super complex, just enough to do the basics really.
I would recommend Adobe Lightroom 5... $75 is a great price. The software is easy to use and a great way to organize and process your raw photos.
My other photography related articles:
http://www.autopiaforums.com/forums/...-exposure.html
http://www.autopiaforums.com/forums/...pth-field.html
http://www.autopiaforums.com/forums/...ure-modes.html
