learn how to open images, including raw files, JPEGs and TIFFs, directly into an amazingly powerful editing plugin Photoshop images, known as Camera Raw.

So far in this series on getting our images into Photoshop, we've learned how to set Photoshop as the default image editor on both Windows and Mac. We have learned how to open images from within Photoshop. And we learned how to open images in Photoshop using Adobe Bridge.

While Photoshop is still the most powerful and popular image editor in the world, times have changed. These days, especially if you're a photographer, you're less likely to open your images in Photoshop itself (at least initially) and more likely to open them in Photoshop's image editing plugin, Camera Raw.

Camera Raw was originally designed to allow us to process raw files. That is, images that were captured using your camera's raw file format. But Camera Raw also includes support JPEG images and TIFF.

Unlike Photoshop, which is used by people in just about every creative profession, Camera Raw was built with photographers in mind, using a simple layout that follows the normal photo editing process from start to finish. This makes editing images in Camera Raw more natural and intuitive. And, Camera Raw is completely non-destructive, which means that we don't do anything to the image all the time. We can make any changes we like at any time, and we can even restore the original, unedited version at any time.

we're going to cover Camera Raw in great detail in our own tutorial series. Now let's learn how to open our images directly in Camera Raw. We'll start with raw files since they're the easiest to open. Then we will learn how to open JPEG and TIFF.

The best way to open images in RAW, you can use Adobe Bridge so I will use here. If you're not already familiar with Adobe Bridge, I covered the basics, including how to install Bridge, in the previous How to Open Images From Adobe Bridge tutorial. Be sure to check it out before proceeding.

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In the standard converter included with Photoshop, Adobe Camera Raw, it is possible to create custom presets with various settings processing. These presets are called presets, just like in Lightroom.

Essentially, a saved preset is text file in the format XMP with the values ​​\u200b\u200bof the converter parameters marked for recording written in it Camera Raw. If desired, the file opens with a regular notepad or free Notepad ++.

When you click on the corresponding saved preset, the converter reads the parameter values ​​and applies them to the RAW file.

What are presets used for? First of all, for batch processing a large number of images when you need to make a series in a single tonal and color scheme. Also, the most successful processing options are saved in presets, in order to then apply them as desired to other photos.

There are presets in the tab Presets. You can switch to it with the mouse or press a key combination CTRL+ALT+9.

By default, there are no presets there, that is, your tab will be empty. What you see in the picture above are the presets created earlier.

In order to create a preset, you need to click on the sheet icon with a folded corner at the very bottom of the tab, or press the key combination SHIFT+CTRL+P.

The dialog box for creating a new preset will open.

By default, it enables recording of all image processing settings. You can optionally disable or enable specific presets by selecting them from the Subset drop-down list. It's also a good idea to give a meaningful name to the preset so that you can easily remember what it does later on. Write down only those settings that are necessary. For example, it is undesirable to write down the white balance settings, since the white balance always differs from series to series.

To delete an unwanted preset, click on the trash can icon at the very bottom of the tab Sets.

Presets are stored in the system folder C:\Users\Username\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\CameraRaw\Settings for Windows and Users\Username\Libraries\Application Support\Adobe\CameraRaw\Settings for Mac. When presets are placed there, they appear in Camera Raw upon restart. Also, if you need to delete a lot of presets, it's better to do it in the folder itself.

If you do not have this folder, then you need to enable the visibility of hidden and system folders in the operating system settings.

Presets can be applied in batches via Adobe Bridge. To do this, select the images to which you want to apply the settings. The selection is made in the standard way, as in any program, by holding down the SHIFT key and clicking with the mouse if you want to select images in a row, and with the CTRL key pressed if you want to select in random order.

Then, through the right mouse button on the selected images, call the context menu and select the item Develop module settings. Then, in the drop-down list, click on the desired preset. It will apply to all selected images.

most detailed information about working in Camera Raw you can get from

If necessary, at any time you can record the state of the image by creating it snapshot. Snapshots store versions of an image that contain full set edits made at the time the snapshot was taken. Taking snapshots of an image at different points in the editing process makes it easy to compare the results of the various adjustments applied. In addition, if necessary, you can return to an earlier state. Another benefit of using snapshots is that you can work with different versions of an image without having to duplicate the original.

Take and manage screenshots from the Screenshots tab in the Camera Raw dialog box.

When working with snapshots, the user can perform the following actions:

Note.

If you're using screenshots in Photoshop Lightroom, you can edit them in the Camera Raw dialog box (and vice versa).

Saving, Restoring, and Loading Camera Raw Settings

You can reuse the same set of changes you applied to an image. To do this, you can save all of the current Camera Raw image settings, or any subset of those settings, as a preset or a new set of defaults. The default settings apply to specific model camera, to a camera with a specific serial number or to a specific ISO setting, depending on the settings in the section Default image options Camera Raw settings.

The style names appear on the Styles tab of the Edit > Develop Options menu in Adobe Bridge, in context menu raw image images in Adobe Bridge and the submenu Applying Styles from the Camera Raw Settings menu of the Camera Raw dialog box. If styles are not saved in the Camera Raw preferences folder, they do not appear in the above menus. However, you can use the command Download settings to find and apply settings saved elsewhere.

Note.

The buttons at the bottom of the Styles tab are used to save and delete styles.

Determining Where Camera Raw Settings Are Stored

Select an option to specify where the settings are stored. Using XMP files is useful when you need to move or save an image file and want to keep raw image settings. Team Export settings can be used to copy settings from the Camera Raw database into sidecar XMP files or embed settings into Digital Negative (DNG) files.

After processing a raw image file with Camera Raw, the image settings are stored either in a Camera Raw database file or in an accompanying XMP file. When Camera Raw processes a DNG file, the settings are stored in the DNG file itself, but they may also be stored in the accompanying XMP file instead of the DNG. Settings for TIFF and JPEG files are always stored in the files themselves.

Note.

When importing a sequence of raw image files into the program after effects settings related to the first file apply to all other files in the sequence that do not have their own XMP sidecar files. After Effects does not check the Camera Raw database.

You can set a parameter to determine where the settings are stored. When a raw image file is reopened, all settings default to the values ​​used when the file was last opened. Image attributes (target color space profile, bit depth, pixel size, and resolution) are not stored with the settings.

Copying and pasting Camera Raw settings

In Adobe Bridge, you can copy and paste Camera Raw settings from one image file to another.

    In Adobe Bridge, select the file and choose Edit > Develop Options > Copy Camera Raw Settings.

    Select one or more files and select Edit > Develop Options > Paste Camera Raw Settings.

    Note.

    You can also click right click(Windows) or Control-click (Mac OS) on an image file to copy and paste using the context menu.

    In the dialog box Paste Camera Raw Settings select the settings to apply.

Apply saved Camera Raw settings

Export Camera Raw Settings and DNG Images for Preview

If the file settings are stored in the Camera Raw database, then you can use the command Export settings to XMP to copy the settings into sidecar XMP files or embed them into DNG files. This allows image adjustments to be applied to Camera Raw files as they are moved.

There is also an option to update images. preview JPEG embedded in DNG files.

Set Camera Raw Workflow Options

Workflow options let you specify settings for files exported from the Camera Raw plug-in, including bit depth, color space, output sharpness, and pixel dimensions. The workflow options determine how these files are opened in Photoshop, but do not affect how the raw image file is imported into After Effects. Workflow options settings do not affect the raw image data itself.

Workflow settings can be set by clicking the underlined text at the bottom of the Camera Raw dialog box.

Space

Specifies the target color profile. Typically, the Space setting should be set to the color profile used for the Photoshop RGB working space. The source profile for a raw image file is usually the native color space of the camera. The profiles listed in the Space menu are built into the Camera Raw plug-in. If you need to use a color space that is not available in the Space menu, select the ProPhoto RGB item, and then convert it to the desired working environment by opening the file in Photoshop.

Depth

Specifies whether to open the file as an 8-bit or 16-bit image in Photoshop.

The size

Specifies the dimensions of the image, in pixels, when imported into Photoshop. By default, the pixel dimensions used when the image was taken are applied. To interpolate an image, select the Cropping Size menu.

When using cameras with square pixels, choosing a smaller than native size can speed up processing if you plan to get a smaller final image. Choice more large sizes similar to zooming in on an image in Photoshop.

When using cameras with non-square pixels, the native size is the one that best preserves the total number of pixels. Choosing a different size minimizes the interpolation done in Camera Raw, resulting in a slight improvement in image quality. In the "Size" menu, the size that allows you to get best quality, is indicated by an asterisk (*).

Note. You can always resize an image in pixels after opening it in Photoshop.

And Glossy paper. When applying output sharpening, you can change the value in the Amount drop-down menu to High or Low to increase or decrease the amount of sharpening applied. In most cases, you can leave the Amount parameter at its default value of Standard.

Open in Photoshop as Smart Objects

After setting this option, when you click the Open button, Camera Raw images open in Photoshop as a Smart Object layer instead of a Background layer. To change this setting for selected images, hold down the Shift key while clicking the Open button.

Series: Secrets of Camera RAW

Like negatives and slides, unopened and raw RAW files are only raw material for future photos. It is no coincidence that the very name of the format - "raw" in English - raw, unprocessed. In my books, at lectures, I always say that a photographer who cannot print his own photos is not a photographer. Nowadays, "be able to print" means to correctly process scanned films or correctly open RAW files for subsequent preparation for printing. Sometimes, even when opening a RAW file in Photoshop, it is clear that additional correction is not required at all. But more often it is not so - usually RAW files are in need of improvement. For the correct interpretation of RAW files, there are various converters, one of which is Adobe Camera Raw (Fig. 3.1).

The close integration of this module with Photoshop and Bridge makes it quite convenient to use. You can only open the Bridge program and from it produce necessary settings desired images using Camera Raw without opening Photoshop. Or vice versa, launch Camera Raw from Photoshop for batch processing of files, then go to Bridge and continue working in another folder, for example, on analyzing and selecting the necessary images.

In Bridge, the Camera Raw window opens when you double-click a file thumbnail. Whether Photoshop will be launched at the same time or the image will be adjusted directly in Bridge is determined in the Preferences window of the Bridge program (Fig. 3.2). When the option Double-click edits Camera Raw settings in Bridge is activated (When double-clicking, the Camera Raw settings are edited in Bridge), the settings for processing RAW files will be carried out in Bridge, when the checkbox is unchecked, Photoshop will start after double-clicking.




The buttons located at the bottom of the Camera Raw window allow you to select the action that the module should perform when working with RAW files. In this case, the buttons display how the program is launched - from Bridge or from Photoshop. If Camera Raw was opened from Bridge, the Done button will be active (Fig. 3.3), and if from Photoshop, the Open button (Fig. 3.4).

Pressing the Options (Alt) key changes the functions of the buttons (Fig. 3.5). Clicking on the button Reset (Reset) returns to all previous settings, and clicking on the button Open Copy (Open a copy) opens the current version of the image with the changed settings, previous versions will remain unchanged. If you press the Shift key, the Open Image button will change to Open Object. Clicking this button will open the photo in Photoshop as a Smart Object (Fig. 3.6).