Processing JPEG image in PS CS

[Redbird_xo]

I'm absolutely new in the post processing world. I shoot JPEG and hadn't been doing much post processing. Since switching from point-and-shoot digital camera to DSLR, the need to post process has become apparent. That's how I get to where I am now. My question is that is it true that some user faults, such as overexposure and extreme off in color balance, can't be corrected to where they should be for JPEG files? I am aware of the RAW option but am inclined not going down that route to minimize huge file size and the need to convert to JPEG from RAW.

Any thoughts and comments will be much appreciated. :oops:

[Scottes]

It's not that they can't be corrected, it's that it gets tougher the worse the problem is. And you lose image data when doing so - again, you lose more info the worse the problem is. It's quite possible that you can't recover gracefully from a very faulty JPG. Maybe a PS guru can...

With RAW many problems are easy to recover. Wrong white balance? One click fix with no harm to the image at all. Underexposed a stop? No problem, very very little degradation seen. 2 stops under? Again no problem, but you'll start seeing noise and loss of detail in the darker sections. Overexposed? Well, no problem as long as you didn't totally blow out any colors. You may still be able to recover the image with a little work.

If you shoot perfect or very good pictures then you might never see a reason to shoot RAW. But if you occasionally mess up, or if you want the best possible image quality, then you will shoot RAW. If you shoot perfectly in RAW you will not lose time in post-processing, but if mess up it could save your butt.

RAW images will *always* look better than JPGs. The difference might not be noticable but it's there.

[Redbird_xo]

Scottes, great help there, thanks.
I don't mean to be pain in the butt, which RAW conversion software would you recommend?
Shooting RAW is probably the way to go for me as I primarily shoot pictures of my baby daughter. Not like shooting landscape where the mountain and river will probably be there for second attempt. Babies grow up fast and I already messed up a few good pictures with nice composition and all but with terribly wrong color balance and/or I don't even know how many stops overexposed. Thanks again.

[Scottes]

PS CS has a great RAW converter and it's free. I would recommend the book on it, "Real World Camera Raw with Adobe Photoshop CS" by Bruce Fraser. Amazon link (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/032127878X/qid=1107193592/sr=8-1/ref=pd_csp_1/102-6412478-2865734?v=glance&s=books&n=507846)

Personally I like Capture 1, but the PS one is free and is my second choice. DPP is also free - this should have come with your camera but there's a better update available online. I have no idea of the link though. But that's also quite good.

Be prepared - it takes a little bit of time to get used to converting RAW, and it is a little bit more work. Then again, it will take only a few seconds to only adjust the exposure and then it's just using PS after that. But with some experience you'll find RAW to be quite easy to convert.

[scottbergerphoto]

I am 1/2 way through reading Real World Camera Raw. It's a big help.
Scott

[Jesper]

PS CS has a great RAW converter and it's free.Yes, but PS CS itself isn't exactly free!

Photoshop Elements 3.0 also has Adobe Camera Raw built-in, and is much cheaper than the full Photoshop CS.

You've already got RAW conversion software for free with your camera: Canon File Viewer Utility (abbreviated FVU), EOS Viewer Utility (EVU) or Digital Photo Professional (DPP). Lookup the CD-ROMs you got with your camera and install them on your computer. If you only have FVU or EVU, you can download DPP version 1.5 from Canon's website (http://www.canoneos.com) (click on your camera model, choose "Support", "Download Library", click on the link below "Software updates" and follow the instructions in the popup window).

Other choices for RAW conversion are: Capture One (http://www.phaseone.com), BreezeBrowser (http://www.breezesys.com), Bibble (http://www.bibblelabs.com) - but they all cost money. You can download try-before-you-buy versions, however.

[Scottes]

Yes, but PS CS itself isn't exactly free!

But the title of this topic is "Processing JPEG image in PS CS" so I'm assuming he already had PS CS...

PS CS Free? Heck no! It's cost me a total of $1600 so far (original purchase of ver 3 and all the updates since...) OUCH, I wish I hadn't thought about that....

[tim]

This (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0735714118/qid=1107206467/sr=8-3/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i2_xgl14/002-0646820-1596862?v=glance&s=books&n=507846) is a great book too.

[Redbird_xo]

Scottes, I recall reading about changes from PS 7.0.1 to PS CS, and RAW support was one of the new features. Thanks for bringing that up. A book devoted to RAW in PS CS sounds like a steep learning curve. A book cost less than $30 is a no brainer, I'll give it a try.

Jasper, thanks for bringing up more software choices. Would you by chance know how close are Elements 3.0's features comparing to PS CS? I think I can get my hands on Element 3.0 and am wondering if I should start with the easier one.

Scott, good to get confirmation from you on the quality of the RAW book.

Tim, place an order with Amazon on two books at once makes perfect sense logistically. Thanks. Btw, are you using the same book?

Ken

[Scottes]

Actually the book isn't that bad. Half of it is on the Camera RAW, half on the File Broswer. And it's a small book. You only have to read about 100 pages or so, and you'll be doing some processing pretty quickly.

[Redbird_xo]

Man oh man, shooting in RAW opens a new playing field for me. It doesn't make me a better photographer, but it gives me better pictures.

Thanks again for taking me to that door.

P.S. Now I need another 1 Gig CF card which is not an issue at all.