Raw Photo Management Software Options for Your Digital SLR Shots
All dSLR photo-editing and management players offer raw development. In terms of image editing, you’re missing out on a lot of high-end management tools, but even Photoshop Elements and Corel PaintShop Pro have basic organization tools built in. Conversely, neither Lightroom nor Aperture (two of the leading preprocessors) rely on third-party photo editors for some tasks.
Adobe integrates raw development into the two editing applications via Adobe Camera Raw (ACR). Lightroom uses the same basic functionality as ACR but with slightly different tools and capabilities.
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom
Adobe Lightroom is a joy to work with. It offers great image management and preprocessing tools. The latter is placed in the development module, which appears on the right side of the screen. When you switch to the development module, you can make any adjustments you want to the image. The original is preserved.
Please refer to the software manual for a more comprehensive explanation of how to use the software. Meanwhile, the Develop module contains the following panels:
1. Histogram: The histogram panel shows a live graph (it’s even draggable) as well as the exposure settings for the camera. Click the triangles above the graph to turn the shadow on and off and the clipping highlight.
2. Tools: There are five important tools at the bottom of the graph. The tools go beyond what you might expect from a raw processor. They are:
Crop Overlay lets you drag a box to select the crop window on the image. It also has a cocking tool.
The spot removal feature removes specks of dust and other small impurities. You can change between Heal and Clone modes, increase the radius, and decrease the opacity of the tool.
Red eye correction removes eye redness.
Gradient Filter applies one or more gradient filters to an image. You have quite a few filters to choose from, from saturation to exposure.
Adjustment brush “brushes” when adjusting operations. Choose from the same list of effects as Graduated Filter. You can change the brush.
3. Basic: Contains white balance, exposure, contrast, and presence controls – basic development settings.
4. Tone curve: A tool that enables you to change the exposure based on specific tonal areas.
5. HSL/Color/B&W: To enhance, decrease, or change the hue, saturation, and lightness values according to the selected hues. You can also convert to grayscale on the panel.
6. Divide the hue: Change the hue or increase the saturation of the highlights or shadows. You can also move the blend point by changing the Balance setting.
7. Details: It has sharpening and noise reduction controls.
8. Lens corrections: chromatic aberration correction, lens shading and vignette properties.
9. Effects: Turn on and set up post-crop shaders and grain effects.
10. Camera Calibration: Change the process (the inner workings of Lightroom changes over time with software update) that you want Lightroom to use on the photo; There is a camera color profile picker as well. This panel also allows you to change the color of the overall shade and set the base colors.
When you are done editing, export the image. You should see consistently good results from Lightroom, no matter what camera you have or other workflow needs.
Adobe Camera Raw
The Adobe Camera Raw (ACR) plug-in (ACR does not work on its own) works within Adobe Photoshop and Photoshop Elements. The popular ACR has a clean and professional look.
ACR works differently within Adobe Photoshop Elements than in Photoshop. The Elements version has fewer options, bells, whistles, and doodads. The main differences between the Photoshop and Photoshop Element instances of ACR are described in this list:
1. Photoshop: Photoshop includes the entire ACR package. The effect is lightening, increasing contrast and enhancing saturation. For most of your work, choose from ten tabs that essentially match the panels in Lightroom. ACR also contains tools like Crop, Targeted Adjustment, and Rotate.
2. Photoshop Elements: Adobe Camera Raw from within Photoshop Elements has only three tabs: Basic, Detail, and Camera Calibration. The tabs work exactly like those in Photoshop. ACR in Elements also has fewer tools, such as Zoom, Hand, White Balance, Crop, Straighten, Red Eye, Preferences, and Rotate.
Apple Aperture
Aperture is a Mac-only image-management and editing application that works, overall, like Adobe Lightroom. Apple Aperture is fun to use; it has great compatibility with the Mac OS, nice raw editing capability, and good access to EXIF data (non-picture information stored in the photo file); and you can export images to HDR applications. It can do everything except mix drinks while you wait.
Corel PaintShop Pro X5
Corel PaintShop Pro X5 is a full-featured raster (pixel-based images) and vector graphics (defined by points and lines) editor. PaintShop Pro comes with a bevy of photo editing tools and features, including a raw editor and high dynamic range (HDR) capability.
The PaintShop Pro Camera RAW Lab covers the basics: exposure, brightness, saturation, shadow, sharpness, white balance, and noise reduction controls. The program’s Adjust tab also works with raw files.