How to Process RAW Photos in Photoshop

SCOTT KELBY

Once you import RAW photos onto your computer, if you open them in Adobe Photoshop, a totally different dialog appears (like the one shown above). This is a RAW processing window called Adobe Camera Raw, and it was developed by Thomas Knoll, the same man who originally developed Adobe Photoshop in the first place. Adobe Camera Raw is pretty brilliantly designed. It lets you simply and easily process your RAW photo by choosing whichever white balance setting you'd like, and by choosing your exposure, shadow, and midtone settings, along with about a dozen or more other adjustments, so you can tweak your photo just the way you want to (and even fix exposure and lens problems) before you enter regular Photoshop for retouching and finishing touches. And best of allit never changes your original RAW photo, so you can always create new prints from your digital negative anytime you want. Don't forgetthis special dialog only appears when you set your camera to shoot in RAW quality mode.

Where to Learn More About RAW

If you want to learn more about processing your RAW photos in Adobe Photoshop, I have three suggestions: (1) Ben Willmore's Photoshop Training DVD called Photoshop CS2 Mastering Camera Raw, from www.photoshopvideos.com, (2) my book, The Photoshop Book for Digital Photographers, which has an entire chapter on processing RAW images step by step, or (3) Bruce Fraser's book, Real World Camera Raw.