A camera raw file contains unprocessed picture data from a digital camera’s image
sensor. Many digital cameras can save images in camera raw format. The advantage
of camera raw files is that they let the photographer—rather than the camera—
interpret the image data and make adjustments and conversions. (In contrast,
shooting JPEG images with your camera locks you into your camera’s processing.)
Because the camera doesn’t do any image processing when you shoot a camera
raw photo, you can use Adobe Camera Raw to set the white balance, tonal range,
contrast, color saturation, and sharpening. Think of camera raw files as photo negatives.
You can go back and reprocess the file any time you like to achieve the results
you want.
To create camera raw files, set your digital camera to save files in its own, possibly
proprietary, raw file format. When you download the file from your camera, it has
a file extension such as .nef (from Nikon) or .crw (from Canon). In Bridge or
Photoshop, you can process camera raw files from a myriad of supported digital
cameras from Canon, Kodak, Leica, Nikon, and other makers—and even process
multiple images simultaneously. You can then export the proprietary camera raw
files to DNG, JPEG, TIFF, or PSD file format.
You can process camera raw files obtained from supported cameras, but you can
also open TIFF and JPEG images in Camera Raw, which includes some editing
features that aren’t in Photoshop. However, you won’t have the same flexibility with
white balance and other settings if you’re using a TIFF or JPEG image. Although
Camera Raw can open and edit a camera raw image file, it cannot save an image in
camera raw format.
You used Camera Raw to edit the color and lighting in an image in Lesson 2. In this
exercise, you’ll take advantage of more of its features.
