REALLY CONFUSED...RAW IMAGES

[bruin70]

okay, so now i'm really perplexed. first off, i could never get a handle on this, pixel, dpi, print size etc thing. but that's ok. here's where i'm now very confused....

i've been experimenting with file sizes and formats with my G3. i took a series of pics at the highest resolution i could. the highest i could go was 2272x1704 at superfine, and this gave me a jpg that was several hundred kb. this didn't seem too large to me.

anyway, so i took a RAW image file as well.

now, here's where i get confused.....

the RAWimage converted to high compression Exif-jpeg is about 370kb, about the same as hi res. the RAWimage converted to high quality Exif-jpeg is about 2.5mg. when i pull either into my image editor, they're pretty good size,,,about 20x30(72dpi) print size.

BUT when i convert the RAWimage to TIF(16bit/ch), although the file size is a whopping 22mg, image i pull up in my image editor is 1x2"(72dpi) print size!!!!!! it looks like a postage stamp!

why is this, and what is happening? i know i'm not real good at all this conversion stuff, but this all seems not right to me......confused and thanks

[Guillermo Freige]

This is because the TIFF in fact is a multipage TIFF(2 images, first one is the thumbnail, second one is the full size image), and you are viewing the thumbnail :)
Or your editor don't support multipage TIFFs, or you are viewing the first page. If supported, check the second one.

[bruin70]

i'm using the canon software, zoom browser. i don't know if my image editor(paint shop pro) supports a double file.

anyway,,,when i download the RAW from my camera, there are three files.... Zb thumbnail.info, *****.CRW. and *****.THM

i click "process RAW images" in the main menu, hilite the *****.CRW(it is the only file), then click "process RAW images. another window pops up showing a thumbnail of the RAW. i hilite it, convert and save. i also tried converting in preview mode rather than the thumbnail.

i still get the thumbnail image you refer to. everything tells me that it is the ***.CRW(this is the RAWfile, yes) that is being converted. but it is a thumbnail, as you say, that i get in the end. i would expect that the canon software shows two files, it allows me to convert the .CRT not the .THM

[Guillermo Freige]

You aren't doint nothing wrong. The ZoomBrowser creates a "one file" multipage TIFF. It's part of the TIFF format, but some softs don't support it. You end with a single TIFF file per RAW one, but with 2 images inside. The PSP is using only the first one (the thumbnail).
If you will be using RAW a lot (as me) I recomend you stay away from Canon software, and use BreezeBrowser, Adobe CameraRAW plugin or CaptureOne DSLR. As my camera is only supported by BB, I'm using it. You can download a trial version from:
http://www.breezesys.com
BB has no problems with TIFF because it creates a single image TIFF, and the EXIF info created is more compatible with Photoshop, for example. Also is WAY faster and flexible.

[bruin70]

thank you, and thanks again

although why the canon software is lacking is beyond me,,,,i mean, what's the point if they don't provide the whole package. now that you mention it, mu sony cybershot always saved two files in tiff.