Dijitaal Ink

With your G9 ready to capture your photos in RAW format, now, would be a good time for us to go over one way to process G9 RAW files into a more universal format such as .TIFF or .JPEG There are many ways to process these RAW files and would love any input on the workflow that personally use. For the following workflow, (my apologies in advanced for those of you who do not have these applications) I will be using Adobe CS3 (Creative Suite 3) and the G9 Software (the CD that came with your G9) Also, (my apologies to my PC readers) I will be outlining my workflow from a Mac OSX perspective. So, now that you’ve taken some photos with the RAW setting, let’s get are hands dirty and process these guys into .TIFFs or .JPEGs Some of you may be wondering, why wouldn’t I just shoot in JPEG format then? The purpose of shooting in the RAW file format is for total control over the end product that the camera captures. You will be massaging the RAW data into your own creation - unfiltered and untouched by the computer within your G9. It is a personal choice, convenience over quality. If the quality of the JPEG photos are sufficient for your needs, then shooting in JPEG would be the best choice for you to work with. For those of you who Got RAW, you are about to embark on a journey that will take you to the next level.

Again, this is simply my personal workflow. I invite all feedback and comments. If you are following along, please ensure that you have Adobe CS3 and have installed the software from the CD that came with your G9. For those of you unable to follow, my apologies.

1. 1. Take the SD card from your G9
   2. Insert the SD card into USB SD card reader
   3. Plug USB SD card reader (with SD card already inserted) into laptop or computer
   4. In Mac OSX, I use Image Capture (found within Applications) to Download All to a specified Folder (Please remember to note where this folder is located)
   5. I then drag this Folder (newly filled with RAW files denoted by the .CR2 extension) into the Adobe Bridge icon that I have on my Dock (Adobe Bridge icon is not automatically added to your Dock)
   6. It then launches Adobe Bridge (this is an application that facilitates reviewing your photos)
   7. From within Adobe Bridge, you can see a Preview of all your RAW files
   8. While holding down the ‘ctrl’ button, select a file that you would like to work with (any file for testing purposes)
   9. This will cause a pop-up menu to appear. From within this menu, please select Copy To…
   10. When prompted for the destination of the Copy To…, I select Desktop for super convenience - no searching around.
   11. By copying the RAW(.CR2) file to Desktop, we leave the original RAW file where it is - untouched and unprocessed. Early on, I worked directly with these original files and quickly learned why this practice was destructive to the original RAW file. Avoid at all costs.
   12. By double clicking on the RAW file located on the Desktop, you will have launched Adobe Photoshop.
   13. You will now see your photo on the screen with a number of attributes that you can adjust on the right panel. This is where all the fun lies. Initially, you may want to slide the value ruler to the extremes to see what each attribute does to your photo. Once you find a value that inspires the emotion intended, move on to the next attribute. You can get lost in this process, as one does during meditation. Some call it being, “In the Zone”
   14. Once you are satisfied with your adjustments to the attributes, click the ‘Save As…’ button located in the bottom left corner of the window.
   15. I usually try to save in the .TIFF format whenever possible (better quality, larger file). You can select .JPEG if you prefer.
   16. Click Save. You now have your RAW file processed into a .TIFF or .JPEG file. Congrats!

If any of this was confusing, please let me know via Comment and I will clarify and re-word as soon as I can. Nobody should feel lost if you have these applications and were attempting to follow along. I want this workflow be clear and concise. At first, you may find this process arduous and frustrating. It took me about 15 hours of working with this workflow to get comfortable enough to process a photo in about 3-5 minutes. Again, I want to remind everyone that it is fine to shoot in JPEG format. I am simply here to make all possibilities known for every G9 owner to come to their own informed choice of RAW vs. JPEG, or RAW + JPEG. I still shoot in JPEG when appropriate (for my needs) but, my heart belongs to the RAW file format for its beauty and grace.