Archive 2017 · Why Are RAW Processors Making Photos Look Bad?

AmbientMike
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Why Are RAW Processors Making Photos Look Bad?

I have noticed this on more than one RAW processor, when I first start looking at a photo, it looks nice. Good enough, probably the same thing I'm seeing in camera.

Then, after a few seconds or less, the RAW processor apparently gets ahold of it and it's like it hit the image with a baseball bat. The colors look bad, contrast is raised, or something.

Any idea what is going on here? Any solution?

DPP does NOT do this, perhaps it's one of the best? Not much point in improved NR and sharpening, etc, if the colors look bad.

Feb 22, 2017 at 10:05 AM

rdeloe
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Why Are RAW Processors Making Photos Look Bad?

Sounds like normal behaviour to me. The RAW file you see in your processing software should be as close to "raw" (undeveloped) as possible.

It depends on the tool you're using, but when I bring RAW files into LightRoom I see the JPEG version based on the camera settings, and then those settings are tossed and I see the RAW file. Remember the JPEG has been processed and sharpened, whereas the RAW has not (except for whatever basic sharpening your software applies by default).

I'm not familiar with DPP but I'd say that if the image doesn't look fuzzy and low contrast then DPP is applying all kinds of processing (which defeats the purpose of RAW files in my view).

Feb 22, 2017 at 10:21 AM

chez
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Why Are RAW Processors Making Photos Look Bad?

rdeloe wrote:
Sounds like normal behaviour to me. The RAW file you see in your processing software should be as close to "raw" (undeveloped) as possible.

It depends on the tool you're using, but when I bring RAW files into LightRoom I see the JPEG version based on the camera settings, and then those settings are tossed and I see the RAW file. Remember the JPEG has been processed and sharpened, whereas the RAW has not (except for whatever basic sharpening your software applies by default).

I'm not familiar with DPP but I'd say that if the image doesn't look fuzzy and low...Show more →

I think DPP uses whstever settings you had in your camera as a start so the image gets processed before it's displayed.

Feb 22, 2017 at 10:27 AM

AmbientMike
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Why Are RAW Processors Making Photos Look Bad?

Yeah, I mean, with both DPP and body being Canon, I'm not surprised that the software hangs on to the camera settings, which I use and adjust to get the image how I want it, to some degree. (Although, I suppose I mostly just switch back and forth between B&W and color anymore)

But I'd rather start with the image looking good, and go from there. And one image, I just couldn't get the highlights and colors as good as DPP, in a different processor, though I tried for several minutes, using different adjustments

Feb 22, 2017 at 10:58 AM

howardm4
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Why Are RAW Processors Making Photos Look Bad?

consider making your own camera color profiles.

Much of the 'magic' tone mapping is hidden/encrypted so that most 3rd party processors cannot read it.

I'm currently shooting FujiX and Adobe & Fuji worked together to create very good profiles (the demosaic'ing is different story)

Feb 22, 2017 at 12:11 PM

AmbientMike
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Why Are RAW Processors Making Photos Look Bad?

howardm4 wrote:
consider making your own camera color profiles.

Much of the 'magic' tone mapping is hidden/encrypted so that most 3rd party processors cannot read it.

I'm currently shooting FujiX and Adobe & Fuji worked together to create very good profiles (the demosaic'ing is different story)

How do I do that? Any tips?

FWIW I tried using the on-board ICC profiles for the various canon bodies on one m4/3 image. I suppose that was a tough image, though. Maybe helped, but idk if it was better than the one I processed in the camera makers software.

Also I saw one website, and the guy was having problems in the other direction: too much saturation for his taste/subject, using Adobe DNG 8.2, vs Olympus Viewer 3.

Wondering if I should get several RAW converters and try images in each, every time I process, to see what works better with each individual image. Although I doubt I'll do that.

Feb 22, 2017 at 01:28 PM

arbitrage
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Why Are RAW Processors Making Photos Look Bad?

If you are using LR, for a new image that isn't looking all that good you should first go down to the Camera Calibration and click on the different profiles to see what looks best. There will usually be an Adobe Standard (default) and then a bunch based off of the camera makers Picture Styles.

I create custom profiles for all my cameras with the ColorCheckerPassport and its included LR plugin. Then all my cameras look the same (or very close) on import and it gives a more contrasty punchy look to start with. You take a photo of the physical CCP that you purchase from X-rite and then you use the software that creates the profile in a couple seconds. Some people will shoot a shot every time they are out. I usually just shoot one under cloudy light at ISO 1250 (my most common ISO) and use that all the time. LR applies it on import as my default.

Another totally different thing you can try is using the Auto button in LR and see where that gets you as a starting point.

But DPP is using the Picture Profile settings in the camera. The image you see on the rear LCD of the camera is based on those settings. When importing to LR, LR uses that embedded jpeg as its initial preview and then will create its own preview based on whatever default settings you have set for that particular camera in LR.

One final thing you could do is shoot RAW+Jpeg and then if the jpegs are always looking good just use them....if the jpeg from the camera isn't great then work with the RAW file.

Feb 23, 2017 at 08:39 AM

Alan321
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Why Are RAW Processors Making Photos Look Bad?

Unless you have it ruled it out, the problem could be one of colour management. Camera profiles have some effect but the biggest effect is likely caused by a mismatch between what colour space the software is using and what the monitor is capable of displaying. Chances are that the previews built into your raw files use the sRGB or perhaps Adobe RGB colour space, but the screen may be very different. Lr is aware of colour management but you may not have the right profile to match the monitor colours to your image colours. Adobe RGB images look rather saturated on sRGB monitors unless colour management is enabled, in which case the colours of each pixel are converted for output that looks "right" on your screen - without affecting the values stored in your image files.

Aside from that it may be that Lr has some lousy automatic conversion preset that messes up your image colours as the images are imported. That can be changed in the Lr preferences.

Feb 23, 2017 at 09:59 AM


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