FR wIIH

Prartiral Prartiral
Pbotograpby
RAN RAN
5H00IING

RAw converter helg

Workow advice

5hargness tgs

White baIance answers

asy exgosure

Contrast skiIIs
on your 0-5IR
Irom tbis...
...to tbis
in 60 secends!
R0N
I0
R0N
I0
Get the best gualty
6 ultmate control
2 Sheeting kAw en yeur Slk 3
WeIcome l|On ||Jc'|cJ| ||O'Oq|Jp|y cd|'O| And|cv Jncs
Choosing a kAw converIer 14
Adobe PhoIosho LlemenIs 5 18
Canon 0igiIal PhoIo ProIessional 20
CaIure 0ne Pro 22
whiIe balance 26
Lxosure 30
ConIrasI 32
SaIuraIion 34
Sharening 36
0wNlN6 A 0l6lIAL SLk and never
shooIing kAw Iles is, l believe, a biI
like never Iaking Ihe camera oII auIo.
Youre simly allowing an inanimaIe
objecI Io conIrol your creaIiviIy. lm
noI suggesIing IhaI you should only
ever shooI kAw, buI l do believe IhaI
when a new Iechnology comes along
iIs u Io us Io make Ihe mosI oI iI. ln
Ihe days when iI was all Ilm, unless
you had Ihe IaciliIy Io develo and
rinI your own icIures, you handed
conIrol oI IhaI rocess over Io a Ihird
arIy. 8uI now Ihe oorIuniIy Io
conIrol Ihe whole imagemaking
rocess, Irom caIure Io rinI, is
easily available Io all. when you sIarI
shooIing kAw you do add in an exIra
layer oI work. lnsIead oI allowing Ihe
camera Io make many oI Ihose
1hIS 6uIf IS
ku6h1 1 u ...

RAW BASlCS
RAW C0NVRSl0N
lMAG NHANCMNI
whaI is kAw! 6
Camera seIIings 8
whaIs ossible wiIh kAw 10
rocessing decisions Ior you and
resenIing you wiIh a |PL6, you can
Iake Ihe kAw Ile and enhance iI Io
your hearIs conIenI. why wouldnI
you wanI Io! lI anyone Ieels IhaI
changing whiIe balance, enhancing
conIrasI or boosIing colours is
cheaIing, Ihen in evidence l submiI
IlIers, darkroom Iechniques, and
even Ihe choice oI Ilms like |uji
Velvia. Anyway, enjoy Ihis bookleI
and have Iun wiIh your hoIograhy.
|^^||| |^w ^| y^o| ||| | ||ou| o ,ou |,
||J:||:J| ||^|^|J|y anc | u||||ec |, ||/| /c|ve
l|m|ec |o a| o || |oo||e can |e |e|ocucec
w||ou |e u||||e| e|m||on |o| mo|e a|ou ||,
v|| www.practcaIphotography.co.uk
|ield guide ediIor: |en |aw||n
|ield guide arI ediIor C||| k||,
AddiIional words/hoIograhy: /nc|ew ame,
C||| kue|, |en u|ne| c |o| |a||n
AddiIional roducIion: S|ane Co|||n
AddiIional design: ko| |o|me
3
anc | u||||ec |, ||/| /c|ve
w||ou |e u||||e| e|m||on |o| mo|e a|ou ||,
FR wIIH
Prartiral Prartiral
Pbotograpby
RAN RAN
5H00IING
RAw converter helg Work ow advice 5hargness tgs White baIance answers asy exgosure Contrast skiIIs
on your 0-5IR
Irom tbis...
...to tbis
in 60 secends!
R0N I0 R0N I0
Get the best gualty
6 ultmate control
XIRA SIIlNGS
Advanced conIrasI adjusImenIs 40
Iheres more... 42
L0NINI5
y sheeting kAw, Andrew was abIe te
give the eriginaI bIuetinted scene a much
warmer appearance by adjusting the
white baIance and beesting saturatien.
RAw bascs
RAW hIes are your gaIevay Io uIImaIe mage quaIIy and
maxmum conIroI. leIs sIarI by veghng up Ihe pros and
cons, and seeng exacIIy vhaI can be acheved and hov...
RAw bascs
5R00IIk6 RAN 0k 0BR 0-5IR
RAw BA5IL5
6 Sheeting kAw en yeur Slk
what youre about to Iearn n ths bookIet couId change your photography forever, as were
gong to show you everythng that you need to know n order to master kAw. 8ut dont jump
nto the deep end just yet. If youre not sure what aII the fuss s about then you need to brng
your knowIedge up to date. heres our n a nutsheII expIanaton of kAw and ts key benehts...
nar i: |!
kAw is Ihe name given Io a whole grou oI image
Ile IormaIs, including Ckw, Ck2 and NL|, which are
roduced by digiIal cameras. unlike normal image
IormaIs, such as |PL6 and Il||, kAws donI conIain Ihe
Inished image ready Ior viewing. lnsIead Ihey conIain
Ihe unrocessed daIa IhaIs read direcIly Irom Ihe
cameras image sensor. AI Ihis sIage iIs noI really an
image, much like a beeI sirloin joinI isnI roasI beeI,
buI Ihe InesI qualiIy raw ingredienIs are Ihere waiIing
Io be Iurned inIo Ihe Inished arIicle Ior all Io enjoy. Io
cook our kAws we use a kAw converIer soIIware
ackage and Ihis gives us loads oI creaIive IexibiliIy
Ior changing Ihe aearance oI our hoIos.
RAw ngredents
L0NIR0L
Its not just the usuaI contrast and whte baIance
settngs that we get to pIay wth on the Pf. Usng a
decent kAw converter package (turn to page 14)
you have a massve amount of controI, from
contrast adjustments wth curves through to nose
smoothng. AIso, some adjustments, such as
sharpenng, are often far more sophstcated than
the methods empIoyed by your camera so the
pctures Iook even better.
A5Y NHANLMNI5
Makng good-Iookng correctons and
enhancements to kAws n a kAw converter s much
easer then the equvaIent enhancement to a [Pf
usng Photoshop or fIements. In just a coupIe of
mnutes you can compIeteIy overhauI an mage to
gve t much more mpact. Most correctons can be
made by draggng a few smpIe sIders.
FIL 5II
ProbabIy the bggest probIem wth kAw s the
saved hIe sze. Jhey are roughIy three to four tmes
Iarger then the equvaIent [Pf, so Iess mages wII
ht on a memory card. however, fompactIIash and
S0 memory cards are becomng cheaper and
cheaper, so a coupIe of 18 cards wII cure ths
probIem for most peopIe.
wRII IIM5
Large hIes take Ionger to wrte to the memory card,
whch means that youII reIy heavIy on your
cameras buffer. Jhe buffer s used to temporarIy
store new shots as others are beng saved.
however, the buffer s Imted and can easIy hII up
when takng Ioads of pctures n quck successon as
you wouId when shootng sports and wIdIfe. If t
does hII up, youII have to wat a few moments
before you can take another shot.
L0MPAIIBILIIY
[Pfs are compatbIe wth most software packages
because they have been around for years and are
strctIy standardsed. kAws arent so accessbIe
however, because every modeI of camera produces
ts own kAw hIe to a dfferent spechcaton.
UnfortunateIy, you need to nstaII a compatbIe kAw
converter on your computer to vew and enhance
the kAw mages.
PR0L55ING IIM
A kAw mage generaIIy needs to be converted nto
a standard JIII or [Pf before you can do much eIse
wth t. Jhs potentaIIy adds an extra step to your
dgtaI workhow and couId hoId up a busy pro
shootng press pctures. however, f you do need to
make any correctons to your mages, youII
probabIy save hours wth kAw because most
enhancements are qucker to make.
|| o|||na| cene |oo| o|a,, |u | hae| |an we |emem|e| | anc
a || ||ue /|| o |e |n|ec|en a|e |e|e |ou|, o a (u|c| wea| |n
|e k/\ conve|e| anc ,ou e |e unc|, |mae on |e |||
|nc bcnc8 r:
|nc draxba:k:
RAw BA5IL5
q0ALIIY
kAw s a IossIess format, unIke [Pf, whch means
that aII mage detaI s preserved. forrectIy
processed kAw mages are sharper, more detaIed,
and contan more accurate coIours. kAws are aIso
recorded n a hgher bt depth, commonIy 12-bt or
14-bt, rather than the usuaI 8-bt. Jhs extra
nformaton can hoId brghter hghIghts and darker
shadow detaIs, and the tonaIty s smoother.
FLXIBILIIY
Jhe kAw data s hardIy touched by the cameras
mage processors before t s saved to the memory
card, whch aIIows our computer to perform a Iot of
the cameras usuaI correctons post-capture. So f
we dont get the whte baIance, contrast or
sharpness settngs rght when we take the shot, we
can correct ths on the Pf (turn to page 10). fven
poor exposures can be sorted, to a pont.
OPlGlNAL PAW
LNHANCLD PAW
8 Sheeting kAw en yeur Slk 9
8efore you can start to expIore the creatve potentaI
of kAw hIes you need to set your camera to shoot the
rght mage format. fvery dgtaI SLk and even some
compact cameras gve you the choce of kAw mode n
the hIe format menu. Jhs snt a compIcated process,
but ts stII worth checkng the optons avaIabIe on
your camera. heres how to set the fanon f0S 4000,
Nkon 080 and 0Iympus f-400 to shoot kAw hIes.
amcra :crrin:
5IIP 1: 8eIore you can seI Ihe kAw IormaI on Ihe
L0S 40 you musI be in one oI Ihe creaIive
exosure modes such as aerIurerioriIy, shuIIer
rioriIy, rogram or manual. lI doesnI allow you Io
use kAw in Ihe auIomaIic scene modes or Ihe Iully
auIomaIic green mode.
5tep 2: 0nce youve seI Ihe exosure mode, ress
Ihe Venu buIIon on Ihe back oI Ihe camera Io bring
u Ihe IrsI camera seIIings screen. 6o Io Ihe qualiIy
menu and use Ihe Iour navigaIion buIIons Io scroll
Ihrough Io highlighI Ihe kAw oIion, and Ihen ress
Ihe righIhand buIIon Io conIrm Ihe seIIing.
5IIP 1: All Nikon cameras allow you Io use kAw in
any oI Ihe exosure modes, buI Ihere are Iwo ways
oI seIIing Ihe Ile IormaI. Ihe quickesI way is Io ress
and hold Ihe quAL buIIon on Ihe boIIom leII oI Ihe
back oI Ihe camera.
5IIP 2: while holding Ihe quAL buIIon Iurn Ihe rear
inuI dial Io scroll Ihrough Ihe IormaI oIions on Ihe
Io LC0 screen (shown in Ihe boIIom leII corner)
unIil kAw is dislayed, Ihen release Ihe quAL buIIon.
RAwTl|
5tep 1: Ihe easiesI way Io access Ihe Ile IormaIs on
Ihe L4 is Io ress Ihe 0K buIIon while in any
shooIing mode. Ihis will acIivaIe Ihe camera seIIings
on Ihe rear LC0 screen. using Ihe Iourway navigaIion
buIIons, highlighI Ihe Ile seIIings aI Ihe boIIom oI
Ihe screen and Ihen ress 0K again.
5tep 2: Ihis will oen Ihe Ile IormaI oIions on Ihe
rear LC0 wiIh Ihe currenI IormaI highlighIed. Io
change Ihese you can scroll Ihrough Ihe oIions
using Ihe main inuI dial or Ihe Iourway navigaIion
buIIons. highlighIing Ihe kAw seIIing Ihen ressing
Ihe 0K buIIon will seI Ihe camera Io kAw mode.
NIK0N
080
LAN0N
4000
0LYMP05
-400
eu dent have te sacrihce the cenvenience ef sheeting jPf6
images when yeu want te use kAw hIes. Mest cameras aIIew
yeu te sheet beth hIe fermats simuItaneeusIy by setting
the apprepriate eptien in the hIe fermat menu.
ut why weuId yeu want te recerd dupIicate
hIes ef the same images? whiIe there is ne
deubt that kAw effers many mere eptiens
and petentiaIIy impreved quaIity ever jPf6,
yeu need the right seftware and extra
time te view and precess kAw hIes. y
sheeting jPf6 images as weII yeu can
quickIy sert threugh yeur images, share
them with friends and famiIy er even
get prints directIy frem yeur camera {er
memery cardJ. Sheeting twe hIes fer
each image dees mean that yeuII need
mere memery, but many cameras aIIew
yeu te cheese a Iew quaIity jPf6 eptien
te make these hIes as smaII as pessibIe.
whiIe these hIes went give yeu the
best images they wiII stiII be ekay fer
smaII prints er screen use.
RAw BA5IL5
!0 Sheeting kAw en yeur Slk !!
Shootng kAw opens up a huge range of exctng correctons and
enhancements that you can appIy to your pctures post-capture. You can
saIvage pctures wth poor coIours and brng hat shots to Ife, but kAw
converters cant perform mracIes. Jhere are stII many thngs that you
must get rght whIe youre takng the shot to ensure your mages are of
the hghest quaIty. So what must you get rght n-camera and what can
you get away wth sortng back on the computer Ind out here.
nar: pa::ib|c
xirn |
Aperture
You canI change deIhoIIeld
once youve Iaken Ihe shoI. lI you
wanI boIh close and disIanI objecIs
Io be in shar Iocus Ihen youve no
oIion buI Io use a small aerIure
(I/22). 0n Ihe Ii side, a wide
aerIure (I/2.8) is needed iI you
wanI jusI a Ihin band in your image
Io be in shar Iocus.
5butter speed
|reeting quick subjecIs wiIh a IasI
shuIIer seed or blurring moving
subjecIs wiIh a slow shuIIer seed
are oIher eIIecIs IhaI are imossible
Io accuraIely recreaIe using a kAw
conversion soIIware ackage.
I50
using a IasI lS0 creaIes a grainy
eIIecI known as noise. AlIhough
many kAw converIers have Iools Io
suress Ihe levels oI noise, Ihere
really is no subsIiIuIe Ior using a
slow lS0 (such as lS0 1) Ior really
smooIh Iones.
Ixposure
6eI Ihe exosure as close as
ossible incamera. lI you
overexose a sIo or so Ihen your
highlighIs may blockouI Io ure
whiIe and Ihe deIail will be
obliIeraIed - noI good! 0rasIically
underexosed shoIs will be Ioo
noisy Io be useIul once brighIened.
Iorus
You canI make a soII image shar.
0nce Ihe deIail has been blurred, iIs
losI Iorever. lI youve Iocused oorly
or have visible camera shake in your
shoIs, Ihen IorgeI iI.
OPlGlNAL PAW
LNHANCLD PAW
| 8 |c: a||ax yau ra :nanc
xnirc ba|an:c pa:r-:aprurc
[ar impra.cd :a|aur:.
RAw BA5IL5
Nbite balanre/tint
lI doesnI maIIer whaI whiIe
balance you have selecIed when
you Iake Ihe shoI, you can always
override iI in Ihe kAw converIer.
whiIe balance is a soIIware eIIecI,
so oIing Io change iI wonI
degrade Ihe image aI all.
Iine-tune exposure
Small adjusImenIs Io Ihe exosure
wonI degrade Ihe qualiIy much aI
all so you can Iweak Ihe exosure
Io geI your shoIs jusI righI.
0arkening a Iouch may even
reduce noise levels.
tontrast
0onI boIher wiIh any conIrasI
seIIings in your camera. use Ihe
conIrasI sliders, along wiIh Ihe
Levels and Curves Iools, Io geI Ihe
erIecI conIrasI osIcaIure.
5barpness
Ihe sharening conIrols oIIered in
kAw converIers are Iar suerior Io
Ihe oIions oIIered by your camera.
|usI ignore your cameras seIIings
as Ihe kAw converIer can override
Ihis wiIhouI degrading Ihe qualiIy.
tolour saturation
wheIher you wanI Io Ione down a
colourIul scene or give a IaI shoI
more imacI, iI makes sense Io
make colour adjusImenIs in Ihe
kAw converIer where you can
really see whaI youre doing.
Get t rght n-camera
here are the major thngs that you
need to get rght n-camera - f you
forget to pay attenton to any of ths
then kAw wont heIp you at aII.
Ihe
gossbltes
of RAw
AIthough wed aIways
recommend that you get the
shot as cIose as possbIe n-
camera, you can actuaIIy controI
qute a Iot of settngs back n the
kAw converter. Lets take a quck
Iook at your post-capture optons.
RAw converson
Ior Ihe besI possbIe resuIIs youII need a RAW
converIer IhaI o!!ers conIroI and quaIIy. leIs
Iake a Iook aI Ihe besI opIons and Ihe basc
!eaIures needed Io converI your hrsI RAW hIe.
RAw converson
5R00IIk6 RAN 0k 0BR 0-5IR
RAw L0NVR5I0N
! Sheeting kAw en yeur Slk !'
when you hnaIIy swtch to shootng kAw nstead of
[Pf, you wII need to adjust your workhow sIghtIy.
UnfortunateIy, ths does mean addng one more step
earIy on but thankfuIIy t wII save you some tme Iater
n the process and mprove the end resuIts too. Jo
make ths step easer you need to choose the rght
pece of software. here are the best bundIed - pIus
one downIoad-onIy software - kAw converters, and
over the page what we consder to be the best kAw
converter software packages out there.
RAwTl|
If yeu buy a new Slk seen
after its reIease, its IikeIy that
yeur kAw cenverter went
suppert it straight away. New
cameras eften have different
kAw hIes te ether medeIs, se
yeur seftware wiII need updating.
Check its website fer updates er
cIick en the 'Search fer updates
eptiens in yeur seftwares menu.
RAw L0NVR5I0N
naa:in a | :an.crrcr
LAN0N
0IGIIAL PH0I0
PR0F55I0NAL
Canons sIandard soIIware is one oI Ihe mosI
comrehensive ackages sulied wiIh any
0SLk. Iheres a comleIe
range oI oIions available,
Ihe workIow is easy Io use
and Ihere are some really
nice Iouches. lI oIIers you
Ihe oIion oI selecIing Ihe
PicIureSIyle, which can
roduce some good resulIs.
0verall, 0PP is a reIIy
damn good ackage.
B0N0L0
50FIwAR
PR05 Ak0 t0k5
ery cemprehensive
fer free seftware.
fnabIes yeu te make
the best use ef
PictureStyIes.
Net very intuitive
editing views.
NIK0N
PILI0R PR0jLI
Pcture Project s suppIed wth aII Nkon
0-SLks (even the pro modeIs) but t offers
IttIe more than basc kAw adjustments. Its
usefuI for organsng your mages but kAw
conversons can be a
pan n the backsde. Jhe
man reason for ths s
that Nkon wants you to
nvest n fapture NX
(turn the page for
detaIs), whch s ther
exceIIent commercaIIy
avaIabIe software.
B0N0L0
50FIwAR
PR05 Ak0 t0k5
Cemes free with
every Niken Slk.
fxceIIent fer
erganising yeur hIes.
Cenverting kAws is a
bit ef a struggIe.
50NY IMAG
0AIA L0NVRIR
5R
whIe the name may sound Iess
than appeaIng, the software that
Sony bundIes wth the 100 s
one of the best you can get. AII of
the optons are accessbIe from the
JooIs paIette, so theres no huntng
around for optons. Its not brIIant
for hrst-tme users but youd
struggIe to thnk of any optons
that are mssng - t even has a
Send to Photoshop command,
whch speeds up workhow.
PR05 Ak0 t0k5
ne cIick wiII send
the image te Pheteshep.
SimpIe te navigate
Iayeut, with pIenty ef
usefuI shertcuts.
CeuId be cenfusing
fer new users.
BIBBL LII
S (J|Ound L:)
0nly available as a download Irom www.
bibblelabs.com 8ibble LiIe has a loI Io oIIer.
Ihe main window may look a liIIle on Ihe
cluIIered side buI Ihe
range oI oIions is
second Io none. ln IacI,
iI even uIs some oI Ihe
more exensive
soIIware Io shame.
0ownload Ihe Irial
version and give iI a go
- we were quiIe
imressed by iI.
PR05 Ak0 t0k5
Amazing range ef extra
features such as NeiseNinja.
has a setup wizard te heIp
yeu custemise the seftware fer
yeur needs.
1he Iayeut is quite cIuttered
with the muItitude ef eptiens.
whIe the name may sound Iess
than appeaIng, the software that
B0N0L0
50FIwAR
00wNL0A0
0NLY
!6 Sheeting kAw en yeur Slk !
RAw L0NVR5I0N
naa:in a | :an.crrcr
|nc bc:r | :an.crrcr :a[rxarc pa:kac:
A00B PH0I05H0P LMNI5 5 L/
You can converI mosI
Iyes oI kAw Ile using
LlemenIs and iIs
acIually reIIy
comrehensive. A
kAw converIer os
u when you Iry Io
oen a kAw Ile,
where you can make
your adjusImenIs and
Ihen oen Ihe image
sIraighI inIo PhoIosho.
Ihe conIrols are
exIremely
comrehensive and
are laid ouI in a very
simle and inIuiIive
manner.
PR05 Ak0 t0k5
eu prebabIy
aIready have
fIements instaIIed.
Massive range ef
kAw centreIs.
Net great fer
cenverting batch Ieads
ef kAws.
APPL
APRI0R L21
Ihe quesIion wiIh AerIure was can
Ale do Ior kAw workIow whaI iI
did Ior Ihe VP3 layer!. well,
AerIure is cerIainly a good sIab aI iI.
lI is one oI Ihe mosI sIylish, well
IhoughIouI kAw converIers on Ihe
markeI righI now buI iIs doubIIul IhaI
many amaIeurs will beneII Irom iIs
many awesome IeaIures. lIs also
aimed rimarily aI Vacusing ro
hoIograhers.
LAPI0R
0N PR0 299
Perhaps the most comprehensve
kAw converter avaIabIe, fapture
0ne Pro offers just about
everythng you couId want. Jheres
an exceIIent browser, and a whoIe
host of edtng and adjustment
optons that wII reaIIy heIp you get
the best from your kAw hIes. Its
not the smpIest package to use
but once you master t, youII be
Ioathed to use anythng eIse.
PR05 Ak0 t0k5
ffers exceIIent
werkhew fer mest
phetegraphers.
ne ef the mest
cemprehensive kAw
cenverters avaiIabIe.
Can be very cenfusing
fer new users.
A00B
PH0I05H0P
L52 L
lI youre really inIo digiIal hoIograhy,
no doubI you will already have CS2 and
Iheres no surrise IhaI iIs good Ior
converIing kAw Iles. Ihe layouI and
oIions are reIIy much Ihe same as
Ihose in LlemenIs buI Ihere are a
coule oI advanced exIra oIions.
wheIher or noI youll use oIions such
as Lens CorrecIion is a diIIerenI maIIer.
PR05 Ak0 t0k5
PIenty ef
adjustment eptiens.
Preduces great
resuIts with geed IeveIs
ef sharpness.
fxpensive but the
extra features make it
mere than werthwhiIe.
PR05 Ak0 t0k5
ffers seme cIever
features, such as the
virtuaI Ieupe.
latest versien can
brewse muItipIe
sterage devices.
werkhew is mere
suited fer prefessienaIs.
NIK0N LAPI0R NX 119
fapture NX s
somethng of a
revoIuton as kAw
converters go. Jhe
man reasons for ths
are controI ponts -
we thnk they are the
next bg thng where
kAw converters are
concerned. Jhey offer
precse controI over
any part of your
mage and aIIow you
unequaIIed edtng
capacty. If onIy t
couId convert hIes
from non-Nkon
cameras...
PR05 Ak0 t0k5
CentreI peints have
te be seen te be fuIIy
appreciated.
ffers just abeut
everything yeu ceuId
want frem a kAw
cenverter.
nIy cenverts
Niken kAw hIes.
!8 Sheeting kAw en yeur Slk !9
0PN... 0II...
5AV...
0nce youve hnshed makng
adjustments dont be
tempted to cIck the Save
button as aII ths wII do s
save a copy of the mage n
Adobes dgtaI negatve
format. Instead cIck 0k to
open the converted kAw
straght nto Photoshop - ths
s great f you want to do
some more work on the
mage, whch s usuaIIy the
case. when youre ready, save
the pcture as you wouId any
other by gong to lile>5ove
As. Irom the Iormat menu
seIect one of the foIIowng -
JIII for maxmum quaIty, PS0
f youve used Iayers and
want to keep them ntact, or
[Pf to compress the mages
so t takes up Iess dsk space.
If you do decde to use [Pf
ensure that you use the
maxmum quaIty settng and
try to onIy use t for mages
that are ready for prnt as
re-savng [Pfs as [Pfs can
degrade the quaIty.
In fIements aII you need to do
to brng your mage nto the
kAw converter s open t up as
you wouId any other mage. Jhs
can be done by hrst mportng
them nto the 0rganzer, or by
openng them drectIy, whch s
what weII Iook at here.
0pen fIements and go nto
the fdtor by cIckng on fdt and
fnhance Photos from the
weIcome screen. Now aII you
need to do s go to the IIe
menu at the top of the screen
and cIck 0pen. 8rowse through
to hnd your kAw hIes, as
normaI, and doubIe cIck on the
pcture you want to open once
youve Iocated t. In wndows
XP, you may be abIe to see a
prevew of the seIected mage
at the bottom of the wndow,
whch wII heIp you determne
whether or not youve got the
rght pcture.
workng on your kAw hIes n
fIements s very smpIe as aII of
the controIs are pretty much on
the one screen. 0own the rght-
hand sde youII see the man
controIs, whch adjust the
appearance of your mage.
8efore changng anythng,
however, wed aIways
recommend that you uncheck
the Auto boxes as these seIdom
gve good resuIts.
1 Jhese controIs affect your
mages whte baIance. Jhe
whte baIance eyedropper s
Iocated n the top-Ieft corner of
the wndow.
|c|cs yOu| |cq|nnc|s qu|dc 'O Opcn|nq, cd|'|nq Jnd
sJv|nq yOu| lA\ l|cs |n AdO|c ||O'Os|Op ||cncn's
RAw L0NVR5I0N
an.crrin yaur 8 r:r |
IN A00B PH0I05H0P LMNI5 5
|.:| :rc |c:a.| :a| :c c.ca|
a ;ca cc :|.cc:, ar.:r
rauc|c :rc uc cc:a.| .u :rc
.ac. ?c;cc ,cu c.c au,
c; :rc:c cu:uc ,cuc
..ca.u ,cu .ac a: :::.
2 Jhe fxposure and 8rghtness
sIders are used for hne-tunng
the exposure of the photo. Jhe
Shadows and fontrast sIders are
manIy used for gettng the
contrast of your shot just rght.
Saturaton s used to adjust the
strength of the coIours.
3 At the top rght s the Ioom
tooI, whch aIIows you to vew the
hne detaI. 0oubIe-cIck t to vew
the mage at 100% so every
mage pxeI s vsbIe. hoId AIt and
cIck on the mage to zoom out.
4 when zoomed n, use the hand
tooI to pan around the mage to
nspect other areas.
5 Jhe Shadows and hghIghts
boxes show you areas of the
mage that are so brght, dark or
overIy saturated that detaI s
beng Iost.
6 Jhs can be used to change the
defauIt postons for the sIders
and can aIso Ioad the settngs
from your prevous converson.
|[ yaurc :a.in yaur
:nar: a: )/6:,
:c|c:r rnc mazimum
qua|iry :crrin.
|.:| :rc |c:a.| :a| :c c.ca|
3 4 5
6
1
2
20 Sheeting kAw en yeur Slk 2!
A qOOd uJ||'y lA\ cOnvc|'c| nccd nO' cOs' '|c vO||d |c|cs Jn |n'|Oduc'|On
'O CJnOns D|q|'J| ||O'O ||Olcss|OnJ|, v||c| cOncs l|cc v|'| |'s DSlls
RAw L0NVR5I0N
an.crrin yaur 8 r:r |
RAwTl|
1e reset the kAw sIiders
and settings if yeuve
make a mistake, ge te
Adjustment>Revert te
shet settings.
IN 0IGIIAL PH0I0 PR0F55I0NAL
|.:| :rc ? .ac
ac;u::cu: :a| :c ..ca
cc :cu:c|: :c curau:c
:rc :cu.c:cc -. -cc
,cu a.u a::c:: :c a ca:
:u.c: :cc| auc a|:c :rc
c;:.cu :c acc cc :c|cu
:a:ua:.cu :c ,cu .ac -
:rc c:rc c;:.cu: rcc ac
cuca||, |c:: .uccc.
Jc|c:r yaur imac: and
rncn :|i:k ar:n /ra:c:: ra
:a.c yaur cdircd |J a:
||||: ar )/6:.
3
4 5
1
2
0PN...
when you Ioad 0gtaI Photo
ProfessonaI (0PP) your screen
shouId be separated nto two
wndows. 0n the Ieft s the
drectory tree (cIck the foIders
con f you cant see t) and on
the rght s a Ist of thumbnaI
mages dspIayng aII of the
kAw and [Pf hIes Iocated n
the seIected foIder. Irst, use
the drectory tree to hnd the
foIder contanng your kAw
mages and, once the
thumbnaIs have Ioaded up,
doubIe-cIck one to open t nto
a separate edtor wndow.
0II...
0PP s not the most ntutve package but
ts aII there f you know where to Iook. If
you cant see the tooIs and optons at hrst
gIance, then go to the man menu and
seIect view>Icclbot to brng them up. Its
aIso heIpfuI to remember that you can
ether have a hoatng paIette or a docked
one, as we have here - to acheve ths go
to Iccls>Pte|etences, cIck the JooIs
paIette tab and seIect 0ockng dspIay.
1 At the top of the JooIs paIette s a
8rghtness adjustment sIder to change
the exposure of the mage and beIow
ths are optons for settng the whte
baIance. You can ether use the drop-
down menu of presets or cIck where t
says fIck to drectIy seIect a neutraI tone
n the mage.
2 Jhe Pcture StyIe menu changes the
Iook and coIours n the mage to optmse
t for dfferent stuatons such as
Iandscapes and portrats - they dont
aIways work though, so use your own
judgement. Jry the Iandscape settng f
theres Iots of bIue sky n your shot.
3 8eIow the hstogram, next to where t
says Lner, you can set the contrast of the
mage. At the bottom of the daIogue box
are optons to change the tone, coIour
saturaton and sharpness.
4 Jhere s no zoom tooI, so to zoom n on
your mage use the optons found under
the ew menu or use these shortcuts -
ftrI+1 to zoom 50%, ftrI+2 to zoom
100%, ftrI+3 to zoom 200% and ftrI+4 to
ht the mage to the wndow.
5 Under the JooIs menu are optons to
trm (crop) your mage or to use the
Stamp tooI, whch heIps remove marks
and bIemshes from your kAws. however,
ths s not as effectve as the heaIng
8rush JooI and fIone Stamp JooI n
Photoshop fIements.
5AV...
when youre done edtng,
cIck the cross at the top-rght
of the mage to cIose the
wndow - dont worry, your
changes have aIready been
saved. 8ack n 0PPs browser,
seIect the mage or mages
you want to process and cIck
the 8atch process con at the
top rght of the screen. YouII
now see a new wndow that
Iets you decde the batch
settngs. Irom the top, cIck
8rowse to choose a save
Iocaton for the mages. Ior
the IIe format seIect ether
JIII or [Pf and tck fmbed
Iff prohIe to ensure coIour
accuracy. Now you have the
opton of gvng your batched
mages a new name by
tckng New hIe name. when
youre ready, cIck fxecute to
save your mage, whch may
take a few mnutes.
22 Sheeting kAw en yeur Slk 23
0PN... 0II...
5AV...
Jo save your mage, you must
hrst cIck the Process tab.
fnter a ttIe for the mage and
then seIect ether JIII of [Pf
from the IIe format menu.
Now cIck on the con, whch
Iooks Ike an open foIder - ts
the second con from the Ieft
under the 8atch fdtor
headng. Jhs wII brng up a
daIogue box that aIIows you
to choose where you want to
save your mages. fther cIck
on the SeIect foIder and
browse to choose your own
save Iocaton, or just cIck
Insde actve coIIecton, whch
wII create a 0eveIops foIder
n the same Iocaton as your
orgnaI kAw hIes. fIck 0k to
go back and cIck the con on
the Ieft, whch Iooks Ike a red
cross hoverng above a
rectangIe. Your mage wII
begn processng and wII be
saved nto the chosen foIder.
lcJ|n '|c |Js|cs Ol CJp'u|c Onc ||O, Onc Ol '|c nOs' pOvc|lu| lA\ pJc|Jqcs
JvJ||J||c, Jnd cnOy unpJ|J||c|cd cOn'|O| Jnd |cJdJc|cl|cc vO||lOv
RAw L0NVR5I0N
an.crrin yaur 8 r:r |
IN LAPI0R 0N PR0
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:ra;cu.u :rc uc cc:a.|. -:
:rc :c; ,cu :au :cc a :|c:c-u;
;c..ca c; au aca c; ,cu
.ac a.:r :rc :ra;uc::
c;;c:: a;;|.cc. |.:| cu ,cu
.ac :c :rauc :rc ;c..ca
aca. rc -cuu: :|.cc .: u:cc
:c :rauc :rc .u:cu:.:, c; :rc
:ra;cu.u, auc rc:rc|c .:
u:cc :c ccu:c :ra;cu.u cu
:cc:rc aca: :c ccu:c
..:.||c uc.:c.
2 Jhe fxposure tab contans the
aII-mportant contrast and coIour
saturaton controIs, ncIudng
furve and LeveIs. Jhe three
sIders seen at the top are for
exposure compensaton (ff),
contrast (ff) and coIour
saturaton (fS or Sat).
3 Above the man mage
prevew you have controIs for
rotatng your mage, zoomng n
and out of your mage, and
croppng them down. Jhe
majorty of the other cons here
are used for toggIng varous
prevew modes on and off so are
not as mportant - hover over
these to reveaI a bref nsght nto
what they do.
3
6
1
2
fapture 0ne contans ts own hIe
browser, whch makes the
workhow amazngIy efhcent.
Irst cIck on the yeIIow foIder
con found at the top rght
above the thumbnaI mages.
Jhs wII brng up the drectory
tree shown on the Ieft-hand sde
of the screen (see beIow).
Navgate through the foIders
and hghIght the one that
contans your kAw mages.
fapture 0ne wII then Iook
through t and brng up a Ist of
prevew thumbnaIs. SmpIy cIck
on a thumbnaI mage to start
workng on t.
Jhe majorty of fapture 0nes
mage edtng tooIs are found
under the tabs Iocated at the
rght of the screen. fIck onto
these to see a whoIe bunch of
addtonaI optons and sIders n
the grey pane on the far rght
of the screen. here weve
cIcked on the fxposure tab...
1 fIck the whte 8aIance tab
to vew a comprehensve set of
controIs for hne-tunng and
removng coIour casts. wth ths
opton seIected you can use the
eyedropper con, found just
above the mage, to seIect a
neutraI tone for a quck whte
baIance correcton.
c[arc yau :an pra:c:: yaur
pi:: makc :urc yau :naa:c a
[a|dcr ra :a.c rncm in. |i:k an
rnc rccn [a|dcr i:an ra da rni:.
c[arc yau :an pra:c:: yaur
c[arc yau :an pra:c:: yaur
pi:: makc :urc yau :naa:c a
rc c:u: :a| .: u:cc ;c
:ra;cu.u :rc uc cc:a.|. -:
:rc :c; ,cu :au :cc a :|c:c-u;
;c..ca c; au aca c; ,cu
IMAG NHANLMNI
Image
enhancement
1o maxmse Ihe poIenIaI o! every mage youII need Io
!amIarse yourseI! vIh Ihe vhIe baIance, exposure and
conIrasI, saIuraIon and sharpenng conIroIs. Heres hov...
5R00IIk6 RAN 0k 0BR 0-5IR
lu||. lrab. |i[c|c::. ur ir:
narnin a [cx rxcak: an a |
:an.cr:ian :a[rxarc pa:kac
:anr :a|.c. |irr|c :arurarian
cnnan:cmcnr ncrc, a qui:k
czpa:urc rxcak rncrc and, ncy
prc:ra, a brand ncx :nar.
26 Sheeting kAw en yeur Slk 2
Jhe abIty to hne-tune the coIour of your mages s
one of the man advantages of shootng kAw. Jhs
gves you the opton of ether gettng a resuIt that
accurateIy matches the coIour of the orgnaI scene or,
just Ike usng warm-up and cooIng-down hIters, to
create a partcuIar mood or feeI to your mage.
AImost aII kAw processng software gves you three
man ways of adjustng the whte baIance. As wth
your camera, you can seIect from a range of preset
optons such as dayIght or cIoudy, but unIess you
forget to set t on your camera when you take the
shot, these dont offer many advantages over shootng
[Pf. Jhe two other optons are to seIect a coIour
temperature and tnt usng sIders, or usng an
eyedropper to take a measurement from a neutraI
area of your mage.
Jhere are pros and cons for aII three optons, but the
great thng about ths s that you can aIways use a
combnaton of optons to get the resuIt you want. Jhe
presets are the smpIest to use, but offer few of the
creatve or subtIe adjustments of the ndvduaI sIders.
Usng the coIor temperature sIders offers fuII controI
and creatvty, but reIes on your judgment (and an
accurate montor) to get the rght resuIts. And to make
use of the eyedropper you need a neutraI tone n your
mage to take a readng from. Lets take a Iook at the
best way to use whte baIance to produce both neutraI
and more creatve resuIts.
nirc ba|an:c
RAwTl|
IMAG NHANLMNI
Neutral or correct whte balance
Matchng the whte baIance to
the Ight source s the key to
gettng neutraI resuIts. Usng the
pre-set optons wII usuaIIy get
you cIose to the rght coIours,
aIthough youII hnd that hne-
tunng the coIour temperature
and tnt sIders wII aIIow you to
further hne-tune the resuIts. Jhs
does reIy on your judgement and
an accurate screen though.
A better opton, assumng
theres a neutraI grey or whte
area n your mage, s to use the
eyedropper tooI. Jhs s more
accurate and controIIabIe than
usng a basc automatc functon,
as you can choose the area that
the software sampIes from. You
smpIy cIck the eyedropper on a
neutraI area n the mage and the
software does the rest.
Jhs technque reIes on
seIectng the rght area to take a
readng from, and even areas
that Iook neutraI can contan
dfferent coIoured pxeIs, so you
wII often hnd t easer f you
zoom n on the neutraI area to
make sure that you cIck on the
rght tone. It wont aIways get t
rght hrst tme, so dont be afrad
to cIck on the area a few tmes.
when using Iight er dark
neutraI areas with the
eyedrepper make sure that
the tenes are within the
expesure Iimits ef the image.
eu cant take readings frem
burnteut highIights er
shadews witheut any detaiI.
euII get the best resuIts frem
grey subjects, er white enes
that stiII centain seme detaiI.
ncn u:in rnc xnirc ba|an:c
cycdrappcr makc :urc rnar yau
:naa:c an arca rnar yau xanr ra
appcar ncurra| in yaur imac.
cycdrappcr makc :urc rnar yau
:naa:c an arca rnar yau xanr ra
cycdrappcr makc :urc rnar yau
:naa:c an arca rnar yau xanr ra
cycdrappcr makc :urc rnar yau
ura xnirc ba|an:c :an xark xirn
:amc :ubjc:r:, bur in rni: :a:c rnc
|arc arca a[ b|uc na: :au:cd rnc
:a|aur a[ rnc imac ra bc raa xarm.
Jimi|ar ra :crrin rnc xnirc ba|an:c
an yaur :amcra, | :an.crrcr:
a[[cr prc:cr aprian: bur yau :an
adju:r rncm ra :uir yaur imac.
AU1O WB
DAYLlGH1 WB
29 28 Sheeting kAw en yeur Slk
IMAG NHANLMNI
IIm photographers have been
manpuIatng coIour by ther
choce of hIm and hIters for
years. So whIe neutraI mages
are techncaIIy correct, they
arent aIways rght for the
subject or resuIt that you want.
Adjustng the whte baIance of
your kAw hIes gves you the
opton of warmng up or cooIng
down the coIour of your mages
wthout havng to worry about
usng hIters.
Jhe smpIest way to acheve
ths s to use the preset whte
baIance settngs. So for a sunset
or sunrse choose the cIoudy
preset to add a IttIe extra
warmth or shade for a more
pronounced effect. whIe these
presets offer a good startng
pont, you can get even greater
controI by usng the coIour
temperature and tnt sIders to
precseIy adjust the coIour of
your mages.
wth the coIour temperature
sIder, ncreasng the coIour
temperature wII produce
warmer resuIts, and reducng t
wII gve cooIer Iookng mages.
Jhe tnt sIder s used to adjust
the amount of green or magenta
n the mage - movng t to the
rght adds magenta that can be
usefuI for some sunrse or sunset
mages, whIe movng t to the
Ieft adds green.
Mxed lght
sources
0ne oI Ihe mosI diIIculI
siIuaIions Io deal wiIh is when
you are shooIing under lighIing
wiIh diIIerenI colour
IemeraIures. Ihe auIomaIic
seIIing can oIIen give acceIable
resulIs, buI Iaking a samle Irom
a neuIral or whiIe area using Ihe
eyedroer Iool gives you more
conIrol and more convincing
resulIs. Choose an area IhaI is liI
by all or as many lighI sources as
ossible and click Ihe
eyedroer Io Ind Ihe mosI
convincing colour ossible.
Lreatve whte balance
nirc ba|an:c
naa:in rnc :arrc:r prc:cr
xnirc ba|an:c [ar a ncurra|
rc:u|r dac:nr a|xay: i.c
rnc bc:r rc:u|r.
|:in a nincr :a|aur
rcmpcrarurc na: a :imi|ar
c[[c:r ra addin an s
xarm-up 8|rcr.
|ar a :aa|cr |aak :c|c:r a
|axcr :a|aur rcmpcrarurc
:crrin ra i.c yaur imac
a b|uc ranc.
DAYLlGH1 WB WAPNLP COOLLP
LYLDPOPPLP AU1O WB
RAwTl|
After adjusting the white baIance make
sure that yeu check the expesure, as it can
affect the distributien ef tenes in yeur
image. 1his can mean highIights that stiII
retained detaiI at ene white baIance
setting can be pushed inte everexpesure
when yeu change the ceIeur temperature.
|cd :nax:
rnc burnr-aur
nin|inr:, xni|c
b|uc :nax: rnc
:nadax arca:
|a:kin dcrai|.
30 Sheeting kAw en yeur Slk 3!
Jhe exposure controIs avaIabIe n your kAw converter
are reaIIy a means of hne-tunng your mages, rather
than a repIacement for gettng t rght n-camera. Jhs
s because there are Imts to the range of adjustments
that you can appIy to the exposure before you start to
affect the quaIty of the mage. AIso, aIthough you can
retreve more shadow and hghIght detaI than you
can from a [Pf mage, ts stII Imted, especaIIy n
the hghIghts. So aIthough you stII need to get the
exposure as cIose as possbIe when shootng, heres
what you can acheve wth most kAw converters.
Jhe hrst and most obvous controI for adjustng the
exposure s usuaIIy an exposure compensaton (or just
exposure) sIder. Jhs works n a smIar way to
changng the exposure n-camera - sIde the marker to
the rght to make the mage brghter or to the Ieft to
make t darker. Many are aIso marked n stops just Ike
the exposure compensaton on your camera.
Jhe other controIs avaIabIe vary between software
packages, but are manIy there to controI your mages
shadow detaI, contrast and overaII tonaI dstrbuton.
Jhese controIs wII ether take the form of sIders for
most adjustments, or curves for adjustng the contrast
and tones.
zpa:urc
IMAG NHANLMNI
BA5IL XP050R A0j05IMNI
1he kAN renverter in Adebe Pheteshep lements 5 uses sliders fer all
adjustments, and werks mest effertively when used in the fellewing erder:
1 Ixposure
IrstIy, carefuIIy adjust the fxposure
sIder to get the hghIghts correctIy
exposed. Jo do ths move the sIder
to the Ieft or rght untI you can just
make out detaI n the brghtest
areas of your mage.
2 5badows
0nce the hghIghts are correct you
can then move the Shadows sIder
to the rght to darken the shadows
f necessary. Agan, ts usuaIIy best
to move ths untI you can just make
out detaI n the darkest areas of
your mage.
3 Brigbtness
SmIar to the fxposure sIder, the
8rghtness controI Ightens or
darkens your mage when moved to
the Ieft or rght. Jhe dfference s
that unIke the fxposure controI t
compresses ether the hghIghts or
shadows to retan as much detaI n
these as possbIe.
4 tontrast
Jhs sIder controIs the contrast of
your mage by adjustng the
mdtone contrast. Movng t to the
rght ncreases contrast, whIe
movng t to the Ieft reduces t.
AIthough you can get an exceIIent dea of the exposure adjustments
needed on the prevew mage, most kAw converters aIso feature
warnng facItes to ensure that you dont Iose hghIght or shadow
detaI. In Adobe Photoshop fIements 5 you can swtch these on by usng
the tck boxes at the top of the screen. Jhese then dspIay Iost hghIghts
n red and shadows n bIue. kather than have these dspIays on aII the
tme, you can aIso hoId down the AIt key whIe adjustng the exposure
or shadow sIders, and onIy the warnngs wII appear on the prevew.
5HA00w AN0 HIGHLIGHI LLIPPING
LNHANCLD LXPOSUPL
OPlGlNAL LXPOSUPL
32 Sheeting kAw en yeur Slk 33
Most correctIy exposed shots wont need much
adjustment n your kAw converter. Jhe exposure
controIs come nto ther own when you want to make
the most of hgh or Iow contrast scenes that are aImost
mpossbIe to get rght n-camera. heres how to use
the adjustments to deaI wth these types of shots.
anrra:r
IMAG NHANLMNI
0ALING wIIH HIGH
L0NIRA5I 5LN5
kAN les ran rentain murh mere highlight and
shadew detail than jP6s, se they ran predure murh
better results when the brightness range ef the srene
exreeds the tenal range available frem yeur digital
ramera. Iellew these steps te enhanre yeur images...
1 Rigbligbts
and sbadows
Jhe hrst steps to
makng the most of
hgh contrast subjects
s to adjust the
fxposure and Shadow
sIders so that the
maxmum amount of
detaI s shown n the mage. YouII usuaIIy hnd that you
have to reduce the fxposure sIder, and ths wII often
mean that the Shadow sIder can be set to zero as the
exposure adjustment wII naturaIIy gve dark shadows.
2 tontrast
0nce youve got the maxmum hghIght and shadow
detaI you can then use the 8rghtness and fontrast
sIders to adjust the mage. If most of the mage s too
dark you can ncrease the 8rghtness sIder to
compensate. You wII
aIso hnd that reducng
the fontrast sIder wII
heIp you to get the
maxmum detaI
through the whoIe
tonaI range (reducng
t too much can make
your mage Iook hat).
PPOCLSSLD PAW
UNPPOCLSSLD PAW
RAwTl|
kAw hIes are much better at retaining shadew
detaiI than highIights, se many peepIe tend te
underexpese their digitaI images te err en the
safe side. 1his is generaIIy a geed idea, but be
carefuI net te underexpese yeur shets tee much,
as the mere yeu try te Iighten the image the mere
neise wiII be visibIe in the image. 1his becemes
even mere visibIe if yeu beest the saturatien and
appIy high ameunts ef sharpening te yeur resuIts.
Se when expesing yeur kAw images try te sheet
se that the highIights just retain detaiI rather than
simpIy underexpesing every shet.
0ALING wIIH L0w
L0NIRA5I 5LN5
Many average scenes can Ieek a IittIe hat and Iew
centrast when sheeting in kAw. euII hnd that yeu
can beest the centrast a IittIe te give yeur shets mere
punch by adjusting them in yeur kAw cenverter. 1his
is where the fxpesure, Shadew and Centrast sIiders
reaIIy preve their werth. feIIew these simpIe steps...
1 Bighlights and shadews
wiIh low conIrasI scenes youll Ind
IhaI you need Io boosI boIh Ihe
highlighIs and Ihe shadows Io geI
resulIs wiIh more imacI. Vove Ihe
Lxosure slider unIil Ihe brighIesI
highlighIs jusI reIain some deIail,
Ihen move Ihe Shadow slider Io
Ihe righI unIil Ihe darkesI areas jusI
sIarI Io lose deIail.
2 tentrast
Ihe 8righIness slider generally
doesnI need much adjusImenI
wiIh low conIrasI images, buI you
may wanI Io give Ihe image
more unch by increasing Ihe
ConIrasI slider unIil you are hay
wiIh Ihe image in Ihe review
window. how Iar you go wiIh
Ihese adjusImenIs is very much
down Io ersonal reIerence,
alIhough waIch ouI Ior noise iI
your original image was
underexosed.
UNPPOCLSSLD PAW
PPOCLSSLD PAW
3 Sheeting kAw en yeur Slk 3'
As the mage s taken straght from the
sensor wthout any n-camera processng,
even the most perfectIy exposed kAw mage
of a brghtIy coIoured subject can Iook a IttIe
hat and duII. Lke most other aspects of kAw
processng the soIuton s smpIe, and can
produce hgher quaIty resuIts than tryng to
boost the saturaton of [Pf mages.
A saturaton sIder s the most common
controI for ths n kAw converson software.
Jhe adjustments that you make to the
saturaton of your mages are IargeIy down to
personaI preference. You can move the sIder
to the rght for punchy, hghIy saturated
mages, or you can move the sIder to the Ieft
to remove saturaton, and even produce
mono resuIts n most software packages.
8e aware that there are some ptfaIIs to
watch out for when ncreasng the saturaton
of your mages. SmIar to adjustng the
exposure, ncreasng the saturaton too much
wII mean youII start to Iose detaI n the
brghtest areas. Jryng to boost the coIour of a
Iow saturaton orgnaI too much can aIso
cause nose n the hnaI mage.
Jhese probIems asde, ts stII a better
quaIty opton than boostng the saturaton of
a [Pf, so heres how to get the most out of
the saturaton controIs n Adobe Photoshop
fIements 5.
RAwTl|
IMAG NHANLMNI
Jarurarian
1 Adjust the
expesure,
rentrast and
white balanre
lI you adjusI Ihe
saIuraIion IrsI youll
Ind iI diIIculI Io geI
your colours righI, so
beIore you change Ihe
saIuraIion make sure
Ihe conIrasI, exosure
and whiIe balance are
correcI. Ihey donI
have Io be recisely
righI, buI ensure IhaI
Ihe image conIains a
Iull range oI Iones
wiIh no blown
highlighIs or shadows.
2 Adjust the saturatien
0nce youve adjusIed Ihe
exosure you can sIarI adjusIing
Ihe colour saIuraIion. |or mosI
images youll Ind a value oI
beIween -5 and -3 will be
enough Io give Ihe colours a
boosI. lncreasing Ihe saIuraIion
can cause changes Io Ihe overall
exosure, so iIs also useIul Io
Iick Ihe highlighI cliing
warning box aI Ihe Io oI Ihe
screen which shows when Ihe
colours have gone Ioo Iar.
kemember that the appearance ef the
end resuIt isnt just dewn te saturatien.
Its aIse a cembinatien ef using the
expesure, centrast and saturatien
centreIs. 1heres ne peint simpIy
beesting the saturatien witheut
adjusting the ether centreIs te get the
mest eut ef yeur image. Se ence yeuve
made the initiaI saturatien adjustments
ge back and check the expesure and
centrast again.
|lNAL lNAGL
Jake care not to go too far
when ncreasng saturaton n
your kAw hIes. wth brghtIy
coIoured subjects ts easy for
certan areas to go over the top
and Iose detaI. In ths exampIe
some of the red areas n
partcuIar have become
unsghtIy bIocks of coIour.
0VR-
5AI0RAI0
L0L00R5
B005IING L0L00R
6etting the saturatien right in yeur kAN renverter gives
yeu better quality than later adjustments in Pheteshep.
S1AP1 lNAGL
|aa mu:n :arurarian
:an rc:u|r in b|a:kin.
|aa mu:n :arurarian
36 Sheeting kAw en yeur Slk 3
Lke many of the adjustments avaIabIe wth kAw,
sharpenng can be appIed n mage-edtng software
such as Photoshop. 8ut appIyng t durng the kAw
converson stage produces sharper-Iookng mages and
better quaIty resuIts wthout ncreasng nose when
compared to [Pf or JIII hIes. fven so, ts aIways best
to appIy the mnmum amount of sharpenng to your
mages necessary to brng out detaI, otherwse youII
stII end up wth nosy, over-sharpened resuIts. Most
kAw converson software packages offer a choce of
sharpenng settngs that use ether presets such as
Iow, medum and hgh, or a sIder controI. heres how
to use the sharpenng controIs n Adobe Photoshop
fIements 5.
IMAG NHANLMNI
Jnarpcnin
Usng hgh vaIues of
sharpenng can
cause haIos around
the detaI and
ncreased nose, so
dont overdo t. Its
temptng to use
these settngs, but
usng vaIues above
50 on the Sharpness
sIder n fIements 5
can Iead to nose
and mage quaIty
probIems.
I00 M0LH 5HARPN55
APPLYING 5HARPN55
kAN images ran leek a little seft when yeu reme te print them,
but yeu need te get the settings right te aveid inrreased neise.
Jhe controIs n fIements 5 use a
smpIe sIder to appIy the
amount of sharpenng to your
mage. Ior most kAw mages a
vaIue of between 20 and 40
wII gve your shots enough
sharpenng wthout ntroducng
too much nose.
Jhe Lumnance Smoothng
and foIor Nose keducton
sIders can normaIIy be Ieft on
ther defauIt settngs of 0 and
25 for most mages shot at Iow
IS0 settngs. You can ncrease
these for mages shot at hgher
IS0 settngs on your camera,
but the Lumnance Smoothng
sIder n partcuIar tends to bIur
hne detaI. Jhs means that you
have to appIy more sharpenng
to try to overcome ths, whch
ntroduces more nose, so they
canceI each other out and youII
stII get Iess actuaI detaI n your
hnaI mage.
NO SHAPPLNlNG Wl1H SHAPPLNlNG
OVLP-SHAPPLNlNG
|lNlSHLD lNAGL
XIRA 5IIING5
xtra settngs
IIs Ime Io dscover a !ev more advanced seIIngs IhaI
vII mprove vorkov, heIp you exIracI a greaIer range
o! Iones and hnd even more deIaI n your RAW hIes...
xtra settngs
5R00IIk6 RAN 0k 0BR 0-5IR
Jnaarin inra rnc |inr xa: a|xay:
ain ra rc:u|r in raa mu:n :anrra:r.
ur xc :an u:c rnc marc ad.an:cd
| :an.crrcr [carurc: ra :arr rni:.
0 Sheeting kAw en yeur Slk !
0ne of the most exctng thngs about kAw s that you
have access to extra hghIght and shadow detaI
thats not avaIabIe n the equvaIent [Pf mage. 8ut
thats not the end of the story because the knock-on
affect of ths s that there s a greater range of tones
avaIabIe n the mdtones too. wth aII ths extra
pcture nformaton avaIabIe to us t wouId be a
shame not to make the most of t. So ts tme to brng
out the bg guns. when t comes to contrast, you may
not be restrcted to just movng a coupIe of smpIe
sIders. Packages such as fanon 0gtaI Photo
ProfessonaI and fapture 0ne Pro offer more advanced
LeveIs and furves controIs that aIIow us to baIance the
contrast n even the most chaIIengng scenes.
d.an:cd
:anrra:r
adju:rmcnr:
Probably Ihe easier oI Ihe Iwo Iools Io geI Io gris
wiIh, Levels is mainly used Ior seIIing Ihe black
and whiIe oinIs in Ihe image. Ihis means IhaI
were ensuring our darkesI Iones are black and
Ihe brighIesI Iones are whiIe, raIher Ihen varying
Iones oI grey as Ihey oIIen are in low conIrasI
scenes. Ihe eIIecI oI Ihis is one IhaI youll never
geI Iired oI. Ihe conIrasI will be liIIed and youll
have much more clariIy and unch in your shoIs -
colours and shaes become much sIronger as Ihe
diIIerence beIween Iones is exaggeraIed.
Io gauge where Io seI Ihe black and whiIe
oinIs we use Ihe hisIogram, which is essenIially
jusI a Iancy bar charI. Look Ior gas beIween Ihe
body oI Ihe grah and edges oI Ihe bounding
box, like Ihe one shown here. lI you soI any,
Ihen all you need Io do is drag Ihe sliders aI Ihe
boIIom corners oI Ihe hisIogram in Io meeI Ihe
edges oI Ihe mounIain range. wiIh some
soIIware Ihere is also a Ihird slider Iound in Ihe
middle, which seIs Ihe brighIness oI Ihe mid
Iones. 0rag iI Io Ihe leII Io make Ihem lighIer or
Io Ihe righI Io darken Ihem.
OPlGlNAL PAW
LNHANCLD PAW
turve
up/
down
A simle
curve like
Ihis will
brighIen
Ihe midIones wiIhouI aIIecIing
Ihe very dark Iones or highlighIs
Ioo much. Conversely, dragging
Ihe line down Io creaIe Ihe
oosiIe curve will darken Ihe
midIones and make Ihem richer.
'5' rurve
Ihis is
robably
Ihe mosI
useIul
shae. A
simle S
will darken Ihe dark Iones and
brighIen Ihe lighIer Iones,
increasing Ihe midIone conIrasI.
Ihe deeer Ihe S Ihe sIronger
Ihe eIIecI.
Inverse
'5' rurve
6reaI Ior
conIrasIy
shoIs.
Pulling u
Ihe boIIom
oI Ihe grah brighIens Ihe
shadows, while Ihe Io anchor
oinI ensures Ihe highlighIs are
noI aIIecIed. Vake sure Ihe curve
doesnI IaIIen ouI in Ihe middle.
RAwTl|
If yeu have a Iandscape with a
bright sky and dark feregreund
yeu can cenvert twe versiens
ef the same image, ene
expesed fer the sky and the
ether fer the feregreund, and
merge them in Pheteshep
using a Iarge seftedged fraser.
XIRA 5IIING5
LVL5
|in rnc :|idcr:
xirn rnc cdc: a[
rnc ni:raram [ar
impra.cd :anrra:r.
L0RV5
using Curves is more oI an arI
Ihan a science and masIering iI
Iakes a biI oI racIice, buI once
you have youll have access Io
one oI Ihe mosI owerIul conIrasI
Iools available. Curves enables
you Io change Ihe brighIness oI
diIIerenI Iones in your image by
changing Ihe shae oI Ihe
curve. Ihis is done by
simly clicking and
dragging on Ihe diagonal
line Io add in liIIle
anchor oinIs. Ihe besI
way Io learn whaIs
going on is Io Iry iI ouI
Ior yourselI, buI Io geI
you sIarIed here are a
Iew oI Ihe mosI useIul
shaes Io Iry ouI.
LNHANCLD PAW
OPlGlNAL PAW
2 Sheeting kAw en yeur Slk 3
here are just a handfuI of the more advanced controIs, optons and
features that the Ieadng kAw converters offer. Master these and youII
gan even more controI over your mages.
|ncrc: marc...
VosI converIers give you Ihe
oIion oI saving your images as
8biI or 16biI Il||s, while
PhoIosho leIs you choose Ihe biI
deIh beIore oening. 0n direcI
comarison you robably wonI
noIice any diIIerence, buI you jusI
have Io know whaI Io look Ior.
You may already know IhaI
sIandard colour images oIIer 256
levels oI brighIness Ior each
channel - ked, 6reen and 8lue.
Ihis equaIes Io 256 diIIerenI
shades oI grey. Ihis is Ine Ior Ihe
majoriIy oI images because Ihe
diIIerence beIween Iones is so
minimal IhaI Ihe icIures aear
erIecIly smooIh Io Ihe naked
eye. Problems arise, however, iI
you wanI Io make radical conIrasI
adjusImenIs in PhoIosho. Ihe
diIIerence beIween Ihe grey
Iones is exaggeraIed and Ihe
smooIh gradaIed areas Iurn inIo
obvious blocks oI discreIe colour -
Ihis is known as banding.
16biI Iles coe wiIh Ihis
much beIIer. Ihey conIain double
Ihe amounI oI inIormaIion and
oIIer a whoing 65,536 shades
oI grey. wiIh a IonaliIy Ihis
smooIh, youre much less likely Io
exerience roblems wiIh
banding. 16biI is ideal Ior any
images IhaI you really wanI Io
ush Io Ihe limiIs in PhoIosho,
or Ior black 6 whiIe conversions
where Ihe Ional qualiIy is much
more imorIanI. Ihere are
drawbacks Ihough. 16biI Iles are
Iwice Ihe site oI 8biI Iles and
Iheres a limiI Io whaI you can
acIually do Io a 16biI icIure.
You wonI be able Io access many
oI Ihe IlIers in PhoIosho unIil
you converI back Io 8biI.
Preserve your
rolours
Ne matter what ceIeur space
yeu use, yeu need te make sure
that Pheteshep is Ieeking at
yeur prehIe se its dispIaying
accurate ceIeurs. If yeu get a
warning when epening a picture
that says semething aIeng the
Iines ef 'fmbedded PrehIe
Mismatch, seIect use the
embedded prehIe and cIick k.
XIRA 5IIING5
Colour sace is a subjecI IhaI will
leave all buI Ihe mosI enIhusiasIic
and Iechnical hoIograhers sIone
cold. however, iI is imorIanI Io
know Ihe basics because accuraIe
and aIIracIive colours hang in Ihe
balance. Ihere are loads oI diIIerenI
colour saces Io choose Irom (also
known as roIles) buI Ihere are
only Iwo you really need Io know.
Adebe 1998
Ihis is mainly Ior Ihe roIessionals
among us. VosI image libraries
require Ihis sIandard, as iI conIains
a wider range oI colours. lIs also
useIul iI you wanI Io do a loI oI
ediIing Io your images in
PhoIosho, as iIll hel Io reserve
colour accuracy.
sR6B IIt61966-2.1
lIs noI Ihe mosI caIchy name Io
remember, admiIIedly, buI sk68 is
Ihe besI oIion Ior Ihe majoriIy oI
us. lIs arIicularly useIul iI Ihe
image is Ior web use or is ready Io
be rinIed.
16-bt or 8-bt
Lhoosng the
rght colour sgace
IAG Y00R
B5I IMAG5
VosI browsers allow you Io
Iag, Iag or check your
IavouriIe images as youre
looking Ihrough Ihem. Ihis
allows you Io quickly see
which ones you wanI Io work
on and save. Iheres usually an
icon or menu iIem IhaI will Iag
any icIures IhaI you have
selecIed. lI you wanI Io rocess
Ihe Iagged images all aI once,
Iheres usually a menu oIion
IhaI will auIomaIically selecI
all Iagged images so you can
click Io baIch rocess Ihem.