A place to seek advice and answers on those particularly challenging issues.
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I feel like I am starting all over again with shooting raw for the first time. What is the best way to save the files after I have worked on them? In the file where my photos are there are two sets of files for one photo one is a nef and the other xmp, I am so lost. The thumbnails are just white with a number under them. Is there a way to show a thumbnail like the jpg thumbnails so I don't have to click on every one to find the one I want? or am I doing something wrong?
Then I read stuff about dng and tiff and what is that all about? Am I in over my head or is this going to be easy once I get it?
Tina B
Tina, here are some basics:

1. Your RAW image file (NEF extension) will never be modified. It's your permanent "digital negative".

2. The changes you make in ACR are retained in a separate file (XMP extension) that is read together with the companion NEF file each time you re-open the image in ACR. You don't have to worry about having to mess with the XMP file; it's managed for you.

3. If you want to save a single image file encompassing the RAW file and the changes you made in ACR, the best approach is to exit ACR directly into the PSE editor. That's the choice at the lower right corner of the ACR screen that says "Open" (I think...typing on my netbook so no PSE to check). Once you have the image open in PSE, you can save it as a PSD, TIFF, or JPEG.

Does that help?
Chuck
LR2/CS3/PSE6/Canon 450D, G10/Panasonic LX3
Tina, I believe from previous comments that you don't use the organizer. I don't either; I think you and I are doing the same thing: folders within My Documents/My Pictures.

You will soon stumble into a routine that "works for you". For what it's worth, here is what I have evolved into doing.

First off, RAW files are big, real big. I'm a memory miser and even when moving stuff to my EHD, I'm rather ruthless about deleting files. In addition to the obviously no good stuff, I will delete the RAW files if I think it unlikely that I will ever want to re-edit that image (a lot of my church work falls into that classification).

After I bring files from ACR into PSE Edit (just as described by Chuck) I find many that simply aren't keepers. It either doesn't look like what I thought when shooting or it is one or two of three or four versions of the same thing that doesn't make the cut. (I shot 128 frames at a Saturday church function and gave 64 edited images to the website lady today). For the files I intend to delete, I bounce the view up to 100% or so and, with the crop at no restrictions, save a sliver. When I have finished my processing, it is real easy to identify what should be trashed:
To Delete.jpg
To Delete.jpg (72.71 KiB) Viewed 2248 times

The files show up in the folder where I put them in groups of three - all with the same filename, just different extensions as described by Chuck. It is real easy and real fast to just zip thru the folder looking for those tall skinny jpeg images - I delete that plus the NEF and XMP file right next to it.

Now, you can leave your folder just like this if you want to. You don't need to "see" the RAW file (NEF extension) because it is right alongside the Jpeg file which you can see. I'm kinda quirky, I go one more step and create a sub-folder named negatives. Now, after I have deleted all the junk (tall skinny images) I resort the window by changing the View to File Type and I create a sub-folder named "negatives". Now I drag the NEF and XMP files into that sub-folder.
Organize.jpg
Organize.jpg (80.82 KiB) Viewed 2248 times

This leaves just the visible Jpegs in the folder I am viewing.

For my church work I hang on to my negatives for five or six months, then I delete them. Having my files set up this way makes that easy for me.

This works for me only because of my quirks and how I usually do things; you will no doubt develop different methods.

Hope this is some help.

Rusty
There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness" - Dave Barry

If your pictures aren't good enough, you're not close enough. - Robert Capa

www.prestophoto.com/photos/gallery/19932
Tina, what I do also is have my camera set up to do raw+jpeg. That way I can see what the picture is, takes up more space for works the best for me. I like being able to see the original jpeg.
suzib wrote: Tina, what I do also is have my camera set up to do raw+jpeg. That way I can see what the picture is, takes up more space for works the best for me. I like being able to see the original jpeg.

Ok I saw a settng on the camera for Raw plus basic and one for just Raw. Are you talking about that raw plus setting ? I wondered what that was for.
Tina
You guys are just a wealth of information. It is starting to sink in a little so just hang in there with me for a while longer.
Thanks :thanks:
Rusty wrote: Tina, I believe from previous comments that you don't use the organizer. I don't either; I think you and I are doing the same thing: folders within My Documents/My Pictures.

You will soon stumble into a routine that "works for you". For what it's worth, here is what I have evolved into doing.

First off, RAW files are big, real big. I'm a memory miser and even when moving stuff to my EHD, I'm rather ruthless about deleting files. In addition to the obviously no good stuff, I will delete the RAW files if I think it unlikely that I will ever want to re-edit that image (a lot of my church work falls into that classification).

After I bring files from ACR into PSE Edit (just as described by Chuck) I find many that simply aren't keepers. It either doesn't look like what I thought when shooting or it is one or two of three or four versions of the same thing that doesn't make the cut. (I shot 128 frames at a Saturday church function and gave 64 edited images to the website lady today). For the files I intend to delete, I bounce the view up to 100% or so and, with the crop at no restrictions, save a sliver. When I have finished my processing, it is real easy to identify what should be trashed:
To Delete.jpg

The files show up in the folder where I put them in groups of three - all with the same filename, just different extensions as described by Chuck. It is real easy and real fast to just zip thru the folder looking for those tall skinny jpeg images - I delete that plus the NEF and XMP file right next to it.

Now, you can leave your folder just like this if you want to. You don't need to "see" the RAW file (NEF extension) because it is right alongside the Jpeg file which you can see. I'm kinda quirky, I go one more step and create a sub-folder named negatives. Now, after I have deleted all the junk (tall skinny images) I resort the window by changing the View to File Type and I create a sub-folder named "negatives". Now I drag the NEF and XMP files into that sub-folder.
Organize.jpg

This leaves just the visible Jpegs in the folder I am viewing.

For my church work I hang on to my negatives for five or six months, then I delete them. Having my files set up this way makes that easy for me.

This works for me only because of my quirks and how I usually do things; you will no doubt develop different methods.

Hope this is some help.

Rusty

Rusty your little system makes sense to me since I do not usually use the orgnizer. I will just have to experiment and see what works best. Thanks for showing me how you save things.
Tina
I forgot one question
When I save the files to a cd/dvd do I save all three jpg,NEF and xmp ?
Tina B
Tina_B wrote: I forgot one question
When I save the files to a cd/dvd do I save all three jpg,NEF and xmp ?
Tina B


Yes you do. Remember: the NEF is your untouched original; the XMP holds the changes you've made to the NEF; and the JPEG displays the adjusted image (NEF with XMP changes) along with any further changes you may have made in PSE.
Chuck
LR2/CS3/PSE6/Canon 450D, G10/Panasonic LX3
suzib wrote: Tina, what I do also is have my camera set up to do raw+jpeg. That way I can see what the picture is, takes up more space for works the best for me. I like being able to see the original jpeg.


RAW + JPEG can be very valuable when one first starts out and is not sure whether RAW is worth the hassle. The JPEG can be processed directly in PSE, a familiar routine. The RAW can be just left in the folder, to be processed later as time permits. For some folks, the differences in the processed RAW image vs. the JPEG aren't significant enough to justify the time commitment for RAW processing. This is particularly true for images destined for the Web or small prints as part of a scrapbook project. Extra-large prints may benefit from using a processed RAW image, but a well-exposed JPEG will enlarge quite nicely in 90+% of the cases.
Chuck
LR2/CS3/PSE6/Canon 450D, G10/Panasonic LX3
Suzi, Tina

Lightroom should show the raw images, but there is an other option - free from Arcsoft and available here - http://www.arcsoft.com/products/rawviewer/

Works for my Canon 30D and the 40D. Not sure about later models, but for those occasions where I use explorer of PS File Open, it is a great help.
John
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