- Why use Camera Raw?
- Choosing preferences for opening photos
- Opening photos into Camera Raw
- The Camera Raw tools
- Cropping and straightening photos
- Choosing default workflow settings
- Using the Camera Raw tabs
- Using the Basic tab
- Using the Tone Curve tab
- Using the HSL/Grayscale tab
- Using the Detail tab
- Adding a grain texture
- Using the Adjustment Brush
- Retouching a photo
- Saving and applying Camera Raw settings
- Synchronizing Camera Raw settings
- Converting, opening, and saving Camera Raw files
- Opening and placing photos into Photoshop as Smart Objects
Opening photos into Camera Raw
Below is a summary of the steps you will be following in this chapter. Note: If you shoot JPEG photos, start by following the steps in “To set a preference to have your JPEG or TIFF photos open directly...” on the preceding page.
To open a raw or JPEG digital photo into Camera Raw
- Launch Bridge, display the thumbnail for the raw or JPEG photo to be opened, then do either of the following:
For a raw photo, double-click the thumbnail.
For a raw or JPEG photo, click the thumbnail, then press Ctrl-R/Cmd-R or click the Open in Camera Raw button on the Bridge toolbar.
- The Camera Raw dialog opens. A An alert symbol may display in the upper right corner of the preview window while the image data is reading in, but will
disappear when it’s done.
Information about your photo (taken from the metadata the camera embedded into it) can be found in several locations: the camera model in the title bar at the top of the dialog; the file name below the preview; and the camera settings used to take the photo (aperture, shutter speed, ISO, and focal length) below the histogram.
The image adjustment options are distributed among 10 tabs — Basic, Tone Curve, Detail, HSL/Grayscale, Split Toning, Lens Corrections, Effects, Camera Calibration, Presets, and Snapshots — which you’ll use to correct your photo. Many of these tabs are explored in this chapter.
When you’re done correcting the photo, you can either click Open Image to open the photo into Photoshop or click Done to close Camera Raw without opening the photo. In either case, the Camera Raw settings stick with the photo but the original data is preserved.
- To open a file from Mini Bridge into Camera Raw, right-click the thumbnail and choose Open in Camera Raw.