Point and Shoot

[Yvonne]

Wouldn't you just use the same software you use to process raw out of your SLR? Or do you shoot JPEG there too? RAW is a huge advantage, you should invest in Lightroom or Aperture ASAP if you're not using it.

I also shoot JPEG with my SRL
The reason is I have no idea how to process a picture with software.

Eventually I switch in the further future, because I'm taking a photography class this fall semester. And hopefully they also show us there how to process pictures with software.

 

[Bill]

same here

Do you all process your pictures in RAW? I know the S95 can do it, but I've never tried it, because I have no software to process any pictures.
So far I've always taken my pictures in JPEG

are you kidding?
what have you been using to process your images?

 

[Yvonne]

are you kidding?
what have you been using to process your images?

I use Picasa

and sometimes I did fake HDR pictures with JPEGs, but the fake HDRs look awful
now and then I just left the pics the way they came out of my camera

 

[Bill]

I use Picasa
and sometimes I did fake HDR pictures with JPEGs, but the fake HDRs look awful
now and then I just left the pics the way they came out of my camera

Im just going to be blunt (not rude) and say that you need to star shooting RAW right now. Even if its RAW + jpg at least you will have the RAW ready to process once you "see the light". After this happens, you're going to be pretty upset that your entire catalog from this point back is all jpeg.

Picasa is ok for snap shots but if you want to take your photograph to the next level buy Lightroom or Apurture today. You already have the hardware... so why keep procrastinating?

 

[Aldaron]

I recently bought Photoshop Elements to fix the fact I evidently didn't know how to stand straight when I took pictures in New Zealand. But I still don't know what to do with it to make pictures even remotely as good as what you guys are doing. I mean, I was able to fix my lopsidedness, but nothing else makes my pictures pop the way others do.

I know I need to take a class (work is crazy right now, and I'm trying to get this Master's finished...), but should I invest in a different program than Elements?

 

[Dan]

certainly, there are some skills that have to be learned when actually capturing the image. but, the most important thing AFTER what happens in the camera is shooting RAW and developing in lightroom. lightroom is a fairly straight forward program, pretty easy to master. i've never used elements, does it have adobe camera raw? if so, that might be all you need.

 

[IntrepidXJ]

Forget classes...there are tons of free tutorials and videos online to teach you. I would guess everyone on this site is self-taught. It's intimidating at first, but gets easier as you learn and experiment.

 

[Yvonne]

Im just going to be blunt (not rude) and say that you need to star shooting RAW right now. Even if its RAW + jpg at least you will have the RAW ready to process once you "see the light". After this happens, you're going to be pretty upset that your entire catalog from this point back is all jpeg.

Picasa is ok for snap shots but if you want to take your photograph to the next level buy Lightroom or Apurture today. You already have the hardware... so why keep procrastinating?

one day I would like to improve my skills beyond the actual snapshot level.
Picasa always was a good excuse because it is so easy to use.
So hopefully the photography class will help a bit to take the next step.
The other thing is the lack of time due to my packed semester schedule....

 

[IntrepidXJ]

...and to echo what Summit said, if you have the capability to shoot RAW and aren't, you need to start immediately...simply for the fact that when you do learn to post-process down the road, you can come back to your RAW files from now.

 

[Aldaron]

...and to echo what Summit said, if you have the capability to shoot RAW and aren't, you need to start immediately...simply for the fact that when you do learn to post-process down the road, you can come back to your RAW files from now.

I was convinced of that from this discussion a few days ago and changed my camera settings. We'll see how that goes.

 

[Yvonne]

...and to echo what Summit said, if you have the capability to shoot RAW and aren't, you need to start immediately...simply for the fact that when you do learn to post-process down the road, you can come back to your RAW files from now.

I'll try next time. But first of all I need the software. Maybe I can get a student version or something like that at my university bookstore

 

[Dan]

I'll try next time. But first of all I need the software. Maybe I can get a student version or something like that at my university bookstore

you should be able to, quite affordably too.

 

[Bill]

At least install the free 30day fully functional trial for now. Youtube has videos that will cover anything and everything that you can think of.

 

[Aldaron]

i've never used elements, does it have adobe camera raw? if so, that might be all you need.

Evidently it does have Camera Raw. I took some pictures this weekend with a D70 in raw format, and I can't make them look like anything. But I'll be patient and try to learn! The camera that I use is a Panasonic FZ100...hopefully I can learn to get decent results from it.

 

[Bill]

Evidently it does have Camera Raw. I took some pictures this weekend with a D70 in raw format, and I can't make them look like anything. But I'll be patient and try to learn! The camera that I use is a Panasonic FZ100...hopefully I can learn to get decent results from it.

check out lightroom or aperture if you're a mac man