We have described a wide range of RAW converters in this chapter, and Chapter 6 addresses Lightroom, Apple Aperture, and Bibble 5 in more detail. But these aren’t the only options available. This section lists a few alternatives.
We have heard good things about SilverFast’s DCPro (
), BreezeBrowser (
), and the open source DCRAW, which acts as a base for a number of other tools. dc RAW-X is the GUI-based Linux version.
We have restricted our detailed descriptions to RAW converters that we use ourselves. Some of the tools that we have described in less detail simply don’t fit into our workflow, or don’t deliver sufficiently high-quality results. But both points are quite subjective.
Camera manufacturers such as Olympus, Kodak, Fujifilm EX, Pentax, Sigma, Leica, and Sony often include free Photoshop RAW plug-ins with their cameras – usually in both Windows and Mac versions.
There is also a good free RAW converter offered by Hasselblad, supporting not only Hasselblad’s own DNG RAW format but also a number of other RAW formats.
These RAW converters are generally available as standalone programs for use with a separate image browser, or as Photoshop plug-ins. They usually install a plug-in automatically during the installation process.[88] If you want to handle third-party RAW files using ACR when you are browsing in Bridge or Photoshop, you will have to remove the plug-in.
Adobe Photoshop Elements has a limited-functionality version of Adobe Camera Raw () that is great for learning the ACR ropes. You can download and install the latest version of ACR in older versions of Photoshop Elements, whereas you need the latest version of Photoshop in order to install the newest ACR module.
In addition to Uwe’s website [1], the URL in the margin is a great source of information on RAW converters and other RAW imaging tools.
Table 5-1. Comparison of RAW Editors/Converters[89]
Adobe Camera Raw 6.1 | Capture One | Canon DPP | DxO Optics Pro | Nikon Capture NX | RAW Developer | SilkyPix Studio | LightZone | Bibble | Aperture | Lightroom | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Supplier | Adobe www.adobe.com | Phase One www.phaseone.com | Canon www.canon.com | DxO www.dxo.com | Nikon www.capturenx.com | Iridient Digital www.iridient.com | ISL www.silkypix.com | Light Crafts www.lightcrafts.com | Bibble Labs www.bibblelabs.com | Apple www.apple.com | Adobe www.adobe.com |
Platform | |||||||||||
Version | 6.1 | 5.1 | 3.6 | 6.2 | 2.2 | 1.8 | 4.0 | 3.9 | 5.1 | 3.0 | 3.0 Beta |
Supported Cameras | Almost all DSLRs | Almost all DSLRs | Only Canon DSLRs | Many DSLRs + Point and Shoots | Only Nikon DSLRs | Many DSLRs | Many DSLRs | Canon, Nikon, Sony DSLRs | Most DSLRs | Many DSLRs | Almost all DSLRs |
Supported Formats | RAW, DNG, JPEG, TIFF | RAW, JPEG, TIFF | Canon’s RAW, JPEG | RAW, JPEG | NEF, JPEG, TIFF | RAW | RAW, JPEG, TIFF | RAW, DNG, JPEG, TIFF | RAW, DNG, JPEG, TIFF | RAW, DNG, JPEG, TIFF | RAW, DNG, JPEG, TIFF |
RAW Conversion Quality | ++ | +++ | ++ | ++ | ++ | ++ | ++ | ++ | + | + | ++ |
Profiles | Generic + Custom | Generic + Custom | Generic only | Generic only | Generic only | Generic + Custom | Generic + Custom | Generic + Custom | Generic + Custom | Generic only | Generic + Custom |
CMS: Image/Monitor | +/+ | +/+ | +/+ | +/+ | +/+ | +/+ | +/+ | +/+ | +/+ | +/+ | +/+ |
Regional Selective Corrections | + | - | - | - | ++ | - | - | + | + | + | + |
Lens Corrections[a] | CA, Vig., Dist., Perspective | CA, Vig. | CA, Vig., Dist. | CA, Vig., Dist., Perspective | CA, Vig., Dist. | - | CA, Vig., Dist., Perspective | CA, Vig. | CA, Vig., Dist. Perspective | CA, Vig. | CA, Vig., Dist., Perspective |
Profile-based Lens Corrections | + | + (only for a few med. format cameras) | + (some Canon lenses) | + | + (some Nikon lenses) | - | - | - | + | - | + |
Adjustments | ++ | ++ | + (a few) | ++ | ++ + | ++ | ++ | ++ | ++ | ++ | ++ |
Monochrome Conversion | Yes | Profile-based | Using Styles | Filmp ack plug-in | Yes | Channel Mix. + ... | Via plug-in | Yes | Plug-in | Yes | Yes |
File Browser | Bridge | RAW | JPEG + RAW | JPEG + RAW | JPEG + RAW | RAW | JPEG + TIFF + RAW | JPEG + TIFF + RAW | JPEG + TIFF RAW | JPEG + TIFF + RAW | JPEG + TIFF + RAW |
Workflow Integration | Good | Excellent | OK | Good | OK | Good | Good | Good | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent |
Batch Conversion | OK + in Bridge | Good | OK | OK | OK | Good | Good | OK | Excellent | Acceptable | Good |
Interaction (user-friendliness) | Excellent | Excellent | Good | Good | Good, but slow | Good | Good | Excellent | Good | Excellent | Excellent |
GUI Languages | Same as Photoshop | US, DE, ... | US, DE, ... | US, DE, ... | US, DE, ... | US | US, JA, DE | US | US, DE, ... | US, DE, ... | US, DE, ... |
Other | Very good integration with Photoshop | Excellent conversion quality | Free with DSLR bundles | Automatic correction for a wide range of lens errors | U Points, selective adjustments using regions | Excellent color and tonality adjustments | Good corrections, supports many cameras | Fast selective adjustments | All-in-one, various plug-ins available | All-in-one, various plug-ins available | All-in-one, various plug-ins available |
Approximate Price | Part of Photoshop | Pro: $400 | Free | $250 | $150 | $90 | $120 | $100 | $160 | $200 | |
[89] These judgements are, of course, subjective and are based on our personal experience and style of work. [a] CA = chromatic aberrations, Vig. = vignetting, Dist. = distortion | |||||||||||
