Rawshooter vs. DPP

[aam1234]

What do people who used both think of the comparison. Does one have a big advantage over the other.

Thanks

[DReb-MO]

RSE is my preference. Faster and more intuitive.

[mbze430]

I really wanted to try DPP, and I got a chance to play for it for a few hours at a friend's house. I couldn't get use to it. Bibble Pro and RSE are my #1s choice. But I am starting to lean towards RSE more and more.

[ejwebb]

I really prefer the interface and speed of RSE over DPP and ACR. However, the more I play with all three, the more I am convinced that they all have their strenghths - which I have not quite identified.

To me, well exposed people pictures have processed best on DPP - accurate, natural colors, low noise, etc. However, the controls are clunky and difficult to achieve desired results on other types of photos that need more exposure/contrast manipulation. Not to mention the fact that the software is slow and not very intuitive.

I get consistently good results on all photos using ACR - low noise and very good color rendition - even on people pictures (although not as good with these as DPP). Photos do often need some additional curve or level manipulation in PSE 3 but since they are integrated it is not that big a deal. ACR controls are relatively easy to use but the major limitation is a workflow issue (with my version in PSE 3) in that you have to do each photo one at a time and wait for it to convert.

RSE has the best and fastest workflow of the three - and very intuitive controls - I like the interface best of the three. I have gotten great results on RSE - but the color does not seem quite right - especially with people shots. Also, photos appear a little differently in the software than they do after conversion when I open them in PSE 3 for further manipulation or printing. Additionally, RSE seems to introduce a "grain" or noise into the converted photos that the other programs do not. While not necessarily noticeable in the prints, it is troublesome to me. RSE does excel in saving photos that otherwise might not be useable - the shadow and highlight adjustments are tremendous.

I am no pro and these are just my simple observations. They are pretty unscientific and will likely cause a lot of dissension - especially since there seem to be a lot of RSE converts these days. I am not saying that any of these are better than the others in all respects - just that they all have strengths/weaknesses. I will probably use ACR more than the others due to its relative ease of use, integration with PSE 3 and consistently good results (color, noise, etc.). DPP will likely be my choice for important people photos in good lighting and RSE my choice for quick or batch conversions or for saving problem photographs. However, these conclusions are likely to change again over time as I continue learning the software!!

It would be nice to have one tool to do it all but just like we have different lenses for different subjects - it seems we may need different software for different situations. Have fun.

[aam1234]

Thank you guys for the help.

EJ, that was quite a comprehensive review. It will be appreciated by many people. Thanks.

[PhotosGuy]

Additionally, RSE seems to introduce a "grain" or noise into the converted photos that the other programs do not. RSE has some default sharpening turned on. You can turn it off. I leave a little bit "ON", & if there's some noise, I use the noise reduction sliders to remove some before conversion. By the time I get the pics into PS, there isn't much left to do!

[ejwebb]

RSE has some default sharpening turned on. You can turn it off. I leave a little bit "ON", & if there's some noise, I use the noise reduction sliders to remove some before conversion. By the time I get the pics into PS, there isn't much left to do!


I hear you on this and agree that RSE does a nice job and many photos require little or no tweaking in PS after conversion. But I do have trouble with the color - and sometimes retaining the detail in the highlights - with RSE, especially in people photos where color is more of an issue. The grain I am referring to is there even when I have all of the sharpening turned off. Again - I don't think this is a serious issue that affects final prints but it does bug me - maybe just a personal thing. I have not played with the noise reduction much in RSE and should probably give it a shot as it does have a better reputation than the filter in PS. I imagine I could get better results in RSE with more practice...