
- #Best free raw image processing software how to
- #Best free raw image processing software manual
- #Best free raw image processing software software
You could also achieve a similar effect by moving the temperature adjustment slider. For outdoor situations, the cloudy white balance preset adds a more warmth to the scene. The image still looks a bit cool, so I'm going to change the white balance option to warm things up a bit. I have also brought up the contrast a bit. It looks OK, but could use a bit of work to make it look even better.įirst, let's brighten things up a bit by increasing the exposure.
#Best free raw image processing software how to
Here is how to make an image pop with a few simple tweaks to the raw file.īelow is an image taken on the camera's metered exposure. Sometimes, there may be nothing wrong with your image at all but it looks a bit dull. The examples above have mostly been working with images with quite obvious faults.
#Best free raw image processing software manual
This is exactly the same as taking a manual white balance reading in-camera. Then, Camera Raw will automatically adjust the colour temperature to make that component a true white. At the top of the window, simply select the white balance tool, and click on the part of the image that should be white. There is another tool available in Camera Raw that provides white balance adjustment - the white balance dropper. From the Camera Raw interface, choose an option from the drop-down menu that best suits your needs. Rather than setting a white balance value in the camera, when you shoot raw you can use any white balance setting and then adjust it in post-processing. Simply move the slider until you see detail appearing again. To recover shadow detail, use the same technique as for recovering highlights. This image has a lot of detail in the underexposed shadow areas that can be brought back with a bit of tweaking. The same process can be used to bring back shadow detail in underexposed areas. Extra image detail can be recovered by adjusting the exposure slider as well. The highlights slider is the key here moving it further to the left will bring back detail that was lost from the blown out highlights. If you need help reading your histogram, this article explains more. In the example below, you can see from the histogram that there are clipped highlights in the sky. Blown out your exposure so there are white patches of highlights everywhere? You probably will be able to bring some of this detail back thanks to the raw file. One of the most important reasons for shooting in raw is to be able to recover image detail in case something goes wrong. Notice that as you adjust most of these settings, the histogram will also change. The results will be automatically reflected in the image. Move the exposure slider to simulate the effect of adjusting your exposure in-camera. The window will look something like this:įrom here, you can adjust values such as the exposure and temperature. When you open up the raw image in Photoshop, Adobe Camera Raw will automatically start. If you don't have access to raw editing software, there are also a few web-based tools that can help, such as WebRaw and Pics.io.įor this tutorial we will be using Adobe Camera Raw and Photoshop CC, but the principles should be very similar for whichever editing program you use. Pentax generally uses the more open DNG format. Remember that not all raw files are created equal, as different manufacturers will more than likely use their own proprietary file formats.
#Best free raw image processing software software


Want the best of both worlds? Some digital cameras will let you shoot in raw + JPEG mode, capturing the raw image while simultaneously processing a JPEG image for easy use. Rather than letting the camera process the image for you, turning it into a JPEG image, shooting in raw allows you to process the image to your liking.Īpplying adjustments to a raw image is a non-destructive method of editing your photos, unlike editing a JPEG. Shooting in raw is one of the best ways to have total control over your images in post-processing.Ī raw file is the image as seen by the camera's sensor.
