First, if you have problems please don't PM me, as you might not get a reply, and if you do it might refer to your mother in ways you don't like. Please post a new thread in the RAW forum for any questions or problems, please DON'T reply to this thread with questions.
THE SOLUTION TO MOST PROBLEMS
Open bridge, choose help -> updates, update everything, the most important update is ACR/Adobe Camera RAW.
What is CS2/Bridge/ACR?
CS2 is Adobe Photoshop CS2, which is version 9 (it's V7, CS1, then CS2). Bridge is a part of the Adobe creative suite and comes with Photoshop, and is excellent for working with RAW images. ACR is Adobe Camera RAW, it's a component of bridge that lets you work with RAW images.
"I just tried to open a RAW file in CS2/Bridge and it says it's an invalid format or that it doesn't recognise the format. What do I do?"
You need to update to the latest version of camera RAW. Click on this link
, download the camera raw update - beta versions are usually reliable. Follow the instructions carefully to replace the existing camera raw plugin with the new one, including closing bridge/CS2 first and then opening it again. After you open it choose the tools menu, cache submenu, then choose "clear cache for this folder".
You can't use the latest version of ACR on older versions of photoshop. Check the ACR release notes for which cameras are supported by which version of ACR, and the documentation to see which version of ACR will run on which version of PS. In general the 5DII and newer needs CS4.
The thumbnails aren't appearing in Bridge
Clear your cache - it's on the tools. This tells Bridge to regenerate its thumbnails. In CS3 Bridge you have more control over thumbnail generation (full quality, full quality when previewed, always low quality), but clearing the cache is still handy. If this doesn't work make sure you have the latest version of ACR your version of photoshop supports then clear/purge the cache again.
The thumbnails look great in Bridge until I click on them, then they change, what's happening?
Initially Bridge shows the JPG images embedded in the RAW files, which are processed using whatever picture style is active in your camera. This means it's had sharpening, contrast, and saturation added, and the white balance may be different. When you click on an image in bridge it first shows this JPG, but in the background renders a new JPG from the actual RAW data using your default settings. When it's done it updates what you see, this is why the preview changes.
There are two ways to change this:
- Change the bridge preference from "high quality previews when selected" to "high quality previews". This means it will render the JPGs from the RAW as soon as you enter the directory. This can take a little time if you have a slower PC.
- There's a menu option to create high quality previews, use it when you enter the directory.
"I only have CS1/2/3 and want to open a RAW file that's not supported, what can I do?"
Go to this page, download the Adobe DNG convertor, and batch all your RAW/CR2 files to DNG. CS1 will open DNG files fine.
I have a 40D and CS2, or the 5DII and CS2/3. What can I do?
To view 40D files you need ACR 4.x, which only works on CS3. To view 5DII files you need CS4 and ACR 5.x.
- Use DPP (it comes with the camera) to output TIFFs.
- Use the free adobe DNG converter to convert the CR2 files to DNG, then use CS2 to open the DNG files. You don't lose any information in this process, as DNG is still RAW, but unless you choose to "embed the raw file" (or something like that) you won't be able to get it back.
"I have Photoshop 7 (or earlier) and want to do (anything) with RAW, what can I do?"
Nothing. Buy the upgrade to CS2, it's worth it. Or you can use DPP (comes with each Canon camera) or any one of the numerous other RAW convertors available.
My files are 72dpi/240ppi, I need more resolution, what's going on?!
It's just a number, it's mostly irrelevant. Check out the printing FAQ for background information on ppi/dpi. Click on the link below the image in ACR to change the ppi. Most people seem to like the number 300, though it makes no difference 99% of the time.
Go to this page, download the Adobe DNG convertor, and batch all your RAW/CR2 files to DNG. CS1 will open DNG files fine.
"How do I turn off the auto adjustments in camera RAW?"
Open an image in camera raw and turn off all the auto marks. Click on the small right pointing triangle above and right of the exposure slider, choose "save new camera raw defaults". See attached image.
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Leaving "auto" turned on lets the software decide how your image should look, which is counterproductive to the reasons most people buy a DSLR - quality and control. In high contrast situations (eg sunlight and shade) the auto adjustment will mess things up pretty badly.
"What do the sliders do?"
Exposure adjust the right side of the histogram. Brightness move the centre of the histogram. Shadows adjust the black point/left of the histogram. Contrast is hard to describe. Saturation makes the colors more vivid.
"How do I batch convert RAW files to JPG/TIFF/PSD?"
There are two methods:
- If you have just RAW files to convert select them in bridge, right click, open the images. Choose the color profile you want at the bottom left, hit the "select all" button on the top left, then hit the "save" button on the bottom right. Fill out what you want in the next screen and hit ok. You can close ACR and the batch will continue, but you have to keep bridge open.
- The Photoshop Image Processor can convert RAW and all other supported document formats, so is good if you have a mix of RAW and PSD/TIFF files you want converted to JPG. The image processor also lets you resize the images, convert to sRgb, and run any action on each image. You can either:
a) Select them in bridge, find photoshop services in the bridge menu, then choose "image processor". I've never tried this method
b) Open Photoshop, choose the file -> automate -> image processor menu. Set up your input directory, output directory, resize if necessary, and convert to sRgb if you like, then hit ok. This is the method I usually use.
See also this FAQ.
What's an XMP file?
XMP are metadata files that are created by bridge when you change anything about your RAW image. Any changes, like increasing the brightness, reducing the saturation, or using curves, is stored in the XMP file so the settings are there next time you run bridge. If you delete the XMP file the image will revert to camera raw defaults. No changes are ever made to the actual RAW file that you create, just the XMP file.
What are the defaults in CS3?
Exposure, recovery, fill light, clarity, vibrance, and saturation are 0.
Blacks is 5.
Brightness is 50.
Contrast is 25.
If you want to change the defaults use the technique from question "How do I turn off the auto adjustments in camera RAW" above.
Note about ACR on Macs
You have to delete the old ACR plugin, or move it to a different directory, renaming it doesn't help.
More Information
See the tutorial written by Robert Lay.
Any questions just ask, any suggestions for the FAQ post them and i'll edit them into this first post of the thread.
