quick question about RAW

[Tadhg]

If i shoot in RAW, im a removing any reason to mess with white balance before shooting? In other words, is the white balance decided when i upload the photo instead of while shooting? I ask, as i was taking some photos today, and started in JPEG than moved to RAW, and when i uploaded them, the RAW photos were MUCH better quality.

[NBEast]

If i shoot in RAW, im a removing any reason to mess with white balance before shooting? In other words, is the white balance decided when i upload the photo instead of while shooting? I ask, as i was taking some photos today, and started in JPEG than moved to RAW, and when i uploaded them, the RAW photos were MUCH better quality.
First; JPEG is "lossy" (looses info unrecoverably with each compression). Second; RAW is 12 bit color (JPEG 8 ). If you later compress the RAW into JPEG, you'll see a loss, but not until after many of your adjustments are made. This explains the better look.

The RAW processor program will need a starting point to begin your edits. This is "as shot". The color balance is extreemly important and difficult to reconstruct after the fact, unless you took color reference shots.

In RSE and RSP (RAW file processors) there is an "AS SHOT" color balance button. It really helps matters if you have taken some kind of reference shot to see what it should be for each lighting situation. Not always practical, but useful.

[tim]

Tadhd, your message is very hard to read, i'm not 100% sure you're talking about. I'll answer what I think you're answering.

If you shoot RAW you can set the white ballance later with no penalty. If you shoot JPG you need to get it right in the camera. A JPG shot properly will look just as good as a straight RAW conversion.

[Tlee05]

by the way what raw programs do you use to auto WB the image the way it should look?

[tim]

CS2. Personally I tend to use what the camera sets it to, but occasionally I use a preset, auto, or I drag the slider until the image looks right (I have a color calibrated monitor).

[SkipD]

If i shoot in RAW, im a removing any reason to mess with white balance before shooting? In other words, is the white balance decided when i upload the photo instead of while shooting? I ask, as i was taking some photos today, and started in JPEG than moved to RAW, and when i uploaded them, the RAW photos were MUCH better quality.Regarding white balance - even if you are using RAW mode (and I shoot everything in RAW+Large/Fine JPG) it is best if you have the camera set for the best white balance choice up front. Doing so minimizes the work you have to do later.

In my case, setting the white balance correctly in the camera lets me use the JPG files from the camera - with fairly correct white balance - to show folks what I have done prior to my detailed processing of some of my work using the RAW files. My wife will often take the JPG files from what I shot and do whatever she needs to do without editing (except for size, etc).

As others have stated, using the RAW file allows you to work with uncompressed data and not lose in the process of editing and saving your work. That plus the ability to easily correct a wrong white balance choice in the camera is why I use RAW mode for everything I shoot.

[dietcookie]

So shooting will shooting in RAW enable me to adjust WB after the shot in lets say.. Raw Shooter with no quality loss or anything? Just as if I was setting the WB before the shot?

[tim]

Yes :)

[Tadhg]

lol, sorry, that was badly written. You got what i meant though. So with RAW, white balance will still need to be adjusted prior to shooting?

I think i'll shoot only RAW from now on. It seems to get fffffaaaaarrrr better results.

[SkipD]

lol, sorry, that was badly written. You got what i meant though. So with RAW, white balance will still need to be adjusted prior to shooting?

I think i'll shoot only RAW from now on. It seems to get fffffaaaaarrrr better results.You don't NEED to adjust the white balance in the camera properly when shooting RAW mode, as white balance can be easily adjusted during the RAW conversion process.

However, if you do select the appropriate white balance properly in the camera at shoot time, then you don't have to do that step during the RAW conversion process.

Selecting the white balance before shooting does not preclude your making additional changes during the RAW conversion process, of course.

[PhotosGuy]

If you shoot RAW you can set the white ballance later with no penalty. If you're already close, it's true. But color channels can be clipped individually as Curtis found out in the middle of this thread (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=93712). So then you might have a problem. It only takes a minute, so why not try to get close first?

[PacAce]

For the most part, WB can be corrected on the fly when shooting RAW. However, no one mentioned anything about getting accurate white balance (if that is desired and no everybody does) and that can only be done using custom white balancing (or shooting a reference gray or white card in one of the images) at the time the pictures are taken. You won't be able to do that during raw file processing unless, by chance, there is already a gray or white reference somewhere in the images.

[Curtis N]

If you're already close, it's true. But color channels can be clipped individually as Curtis found out in the middle of this thread (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=93712).Let's be careful not to confuse two issues here.

The photo in that thread was overexposed. The red channel is clipped because of the color of the overexposed area (subject's skin).

In my understanding, the RAW file contains the light data captured by the sensor. The WB setting only determines how this data is converted to an image file. Since the WB setting does not change the RAW data, I don't think setting it ahead of time will prevent clipping a channel.

[PhotosGuy]

I don't think setting it ahead of time will prevent clipping a channel. I don't think about it either. I just set it which takes far less time to do than a lot of these guys spend on wondering if they should bother or not. ;)