Rebel XT software for RAW Conversion

[Savannah]

I'm having a little difficulty understanding how to use this software. I'm sure its something very simple that I'm just overlooking. Conversion of RAW to .tif is easy enough in the zoom browser, but once its converted I have no idea how and where to adjust white balance, etc.....Sending it to the Arcsoft for editing is easytoo, but I don't know where to go from there. Do I need to change the color bit next? .........I'm so confused....... :p
What would be the ideal work flow after converting anyway?
Thanks

[Bluedog]

Savannah give this program a try: RawShooter | essentials 2005 (http://shop.element5.com/product.html?productid=300013536&languageid=1&cart=1&currencies=EUR,all&noquickbuy=1) and its Free too. The Canon DPP app is very limited as to what you can do. Have you got Photoshop Elements?

And also visit the DSLR Forum for a few threads on shooting RAW ... Its all I do with my XT.

[Savannah]

Hey Bluedog,

Thanks for your reply. I will give the RAWshooter essent a try. I've read so much here lately, I'm still sorting it all out. I took some shots of some shrimpboats the other day, some in RAW and some in JPG. There was an amazing difference in the details of the upper riggings of the boats (all the long ropes and pulls). This convinced me I should shoot in RAW.......but I have so much to learn.

Photoshop elements is on my list. I tried to download a trial and it wouldn't run correctly after installed it, so I deleted it. I hear its very good and sounds like the updates are very promising.

What is your workflow after you convert. Do you crop, then work on white balance, then other adjustments, does it matter?
After converting in RAWshooter do you send it to PSE ?
Obviously, I'm trying to jump in with both feet with little experience

[aparmley]

I have photoshop Elements 3.0 -- Love it to death by the way. When I shoot in Raw I just use PSE3s Raw editor [which I needed to D/L the latest RAW update swap the old RAW file out with the new one, and it works great]. I usually do all the adjustments that I need prior to any crop, save the picture to JPG then crop. I do it this way because sometimes I go back and decide I'd rather have a 5x7 of this or sometimes I just want to readjust my cropping to bring focus elsewhere or to enlarge things. Just how I do it, its probably backasswards but thats me!

= RAW NEWBIE right here! LOL.. I am focusing on remembering my preshot routine to make sure I have ISO and everything else where I want it. Thats hard enough to do! LOL :rolleyes: I haven't been saved by a RAW shot yet which may be why I don't hold a lot of stock in it. But I suppose when I start shooting pictures that have others happiness on the line, I may like that security. LOL. I should have tested it out in a wedding I was just recently in but I was so busy with making sure I had the settings I wanted and making sure the group didn't walk away after the WP was done I didn't even think about it.

[Bluedog]

Usually what I do is upload the images from the CF Card to ZoomBrowser EX and first convert them with the Canon DPP program saving them as a .jpg or on occasion a .tiff file. Open them with Photoshop Elements 2 and make any necessary adjusts I deem necessary and then save for final copy. If I don't like the Canon DPP results I'll instead use Raw Shooter Essentials to make the conversion and use the same PSE 2 path.

[sarcazmo]

I use ACR and quite like it.

After making all my RAW adjustments, I'll always save the file as either a .PSD or .Tiff file (as both are lossless formats) and this now becomes my master copy.

[Bluedog]

After making all my RAW adjustments, I'll always save the file as either a .PSD or .Tiff file (as both are lossless formats) and this now becomes my master copy.

Your correct that is the correct way of doing it and I do too if its something deemed as I might want to print out. Dang .Tiff files are huge though if saving very many.