How do you view your .raw files.

Since I started (xti to 40d to 50d tomorrow :lol I always shot .raw + .jpeg. My review process was.

• Take the pictures off the CF card and put them on a hard drive in designated folders.
  
• Open up the .jpegs with Microsoft Office Picture Manager and go through the photos. When I found one I really liked wrote down the file #.
  
• From there I would go into windows explorer and find the .raw file, open up in ACR, do as many changes as I can, then bring it into CS3.
  
• After I was done save it as a .psd file and move on.

• I tried Canon zoombrowser. Works great except I can't zoom in on a .raw file? This is disappointing becuase I generally zoom to 100% to ensure its sharp.
  
• So I moved on to DPP. Again, works great except for I can't just hit an arrow to go to the next file when its opened full screen. It sounds petty but I got really use to clicking the arrows back and forth. It proves very usefull when you take multiple shots in a row and you want to compare sharpness.
  
• So now I am on to Adobe Bridge CS3. The slideshow is great but it takes forever to load a picture.

If you have vista, down load the codecs and then Windows will display them natively. You will be able to browse them as thumbnails just like jpgs. You can then open them in the native "Picture gallery" by double clicking. If you like it just right click and "open with" and chose your editor. This is way more simple than what you were doing. I have the 50D and it works fine.

Sorry, I should have mentioned that I have XP. However I am open to getting Vista if that makes it faster.
So when you right click "open with" what program do you point it to? When your in that program can you just hit an arrow and go to the next raw file or do you have to close and reopen?

There are codecs for XP as well. I had no problems when I had XP.

Right click--> open as...there should be a list of programs that are regestered to windows that can handle the type of file. For me, it is Elements or Irfanview. If you chose elements ACR will automaticaly open.

As far as the search for a specific file it is very simple. In windows explorer just navigate to the folder with the images. They will apear as thumbnails. ( you can change the folder view style if you need to) If you think you see a good one. Just double click it. It will open in picture viewer. The PV will have a forward and backward button. as well as a zoom function. If yo find one you want to edit... see above.

Here is what you need...
http://www.microsoft.c​om …oto/downloads/c​odecs.aspx


Canon has something as well, but cant find it real fast.

In Zoom Browser highlight the image and click on the "View Image" icon at the top.

When the image opens in the viewer click on "Display Original Image" bar at the bottom.

I use Bridge most of the time, sometimes DPP, but this is for my 30D files. For my G10 RAW files I either use DPP or run them through the DNG converter and then use Bridge.

Shellback wrote in post #6973736
In Zoom Browser highlight the image and click on the "View Image" icon at the top.

When the image opens in the viewer click on "Display Original Image" bar at the bottom.

I use Bridge most of the time, sometimes DPP, but this is for my 30D files. For my G10 RAW files I either use DPP or run them through the DNG converter and then use Bridge.

ahhhh, that worked! I can highlight two files at once open in split view, click display original image and ureka ! It still takes some time but I think I could get use to it.

I gonna download the codec and see how that goes, thanks for the help...Jeff

Codec didn't do anything . For now I am gonna use the Zoombrowser. If any body else has ideas please keep them coming...Jeff

Mmmm, The codecs solved all of my problems. XP, and now Vista for me, treats cr2 files like jpegs.

it can be done in DPP also, but it only makes sense to use it if you're actually editing the file. But it is very fast. Select all your images. Ctrl right arrow to open the first in edit window. Then use the arrow keys to navigate back & forth between images. If you want to check mark the images leave the thumbnail window open. Otherwise close it. Close the tool palette if you aren't editing. Use alt 1, 2, 3 to zoom.

Alternate method in DPP (faster). Select all, open Tools/Quick Check, click Full Screen, scroll through photos with the right and left keyboard arrows, with right mouse click zoom in and rank. Zoom amount, 50% or 100% is set in Preferences. Afterwards, select all the photos with the rank you want to edit, open them in Edit Image window (Button at left end of tool bar.)

I use Adobe Bridge CS3

I have the Adobe Creative Suite 3 Design Premium which I purchased at the unbeliveably low price of $300.

The Adobe Brige works very well for opening RAW images and for doing preliminary post processing.

In fact, you can also open a JPEG image and process it with RAW controls in Bridge by selecting the image and pressing alt-R.

I had exactly the same problem as you, then I suddenly discovered Adobe Bridge and I'm not looking back. It can take a bit for the thumbnails to pop up, especially in large folders, but it is a pretty slick program. I just need to get my default program in bridge for jpeg's to be photoshop and not illustrator.

Thanks to everybody for your help. I guess dpp and zoombrowser are pretty neat, I just didn't know how to use it. Thanks again...Jeff

Yeah, I just installed the codec. The thumbnails look like the icon for Windows Picture and Fax Viewer but it doesn't open up in it. (Win XP)