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art_director · Mar 29, 2006, 10:38 AM

To date I've been converting my RAW files with Photoshop. The reason being that I have Photoshop. That said, it doesn't do such a good job.

Most of the professional shooters I work with use Capture 1 Pro by Phase One (( SEE: http://www.phaseone.com/ )). It's a nifty app that does a fabulous job of processing and interpolation.

What are others using?

EnVoy · Mar 29, 2006, 11:12 AM

I agree, most use Phase One or ACR in Photoshop. I think once Aperture gets the flaws worked out (the RAW conversion is bad) than more and more will use that.

art_director · Mar 29, 2006, 11:14 AM

Originally Posted by EnVoy

I agree, most use Phase One or ACR in Photoshop. I think once Aperture gets the flaws worked out (the RAW conversion is bad) than more and more will use that.

Is ACR a plugin?

ChrisF · Mar 29, 2006, 11:38 AM

Originally Posted by art_director

Is ACR a plugin?

It's Adobe Camera Raw. If you aren't using CS2, that offers a huge improvement over the raw processing capability in CS or 7. As for not being that good, it's as good as anything else out there- you just need to know how to use all that's there- same as with Capture One or anything else. Bruce Fraser has a great book specifically on the Camera Raw plugin- it's well worth the money.

art_director · Mar 29, 2006, 11:56 AM

That's great tip, thanks.

art_director · Mar 29, 2006, 07:57 PM

ooops

Demonhood · Mar 29, 2006, 08:06 PM

i'm using CS2 to process my RAW files at the moment. once Aparture goes to 1.1 i'll start using that more. the improved quality and advanced noise reduction will help a great deal.

art_director · Mar 29, 2006, 08:09 PM

Originally Posted by Demonhood

i'm using CS2 to process my RAW files at the moment. once Aparture goes to 1.1 i'll start using that more. the improved quality and advanced noise reduction will help a great deal.

Many pros I've spoken with poo-poo Aperture. I think it's mostly an ego / attitude thing. That's the only explanation I can find for the close-minded view of it. Well, that or the feature set isn't up to snuff for the guys who make a living as shooters.

art_director · Mar 29, 2006, 08:10 PM

Demonhood :: Have you used Aperture? If so, what are your impressions of the app as it stands?

ChrisF · Mar 30, 2006, 12:34 AM

Originally Posted by art_director

Many pros I've spoken with poo-poo Aperture. I think it's mostly an ego / attitude thing. That's the only explanation I can find for the close-minded view of it. Well, that or the feature set isn't up to snuff for the guys who make a living as shooters.

The demos I've seen show image quality has not been as good as that from CS2 or other raw processing options out there. You're right- for those who make a living from photography, every other feature is worthless if image quality is inferior.

Demonhood · Mar 30, 2006, 02:41 AM

Originally Posted by art_director

Demonhood :: Have you used Aperture? If so, what are your impressions of the app as it stands?

i bought it when it released (hooray for early adoption).
there is a bit of an issue with the export image quality with the program. and really, what good is a professional photo application if you can't share the results of your hard work.
that said, it wasn't horrible. it compressed the file in a much different way than CS2 did, for example. i posted an example back in the original aperture thread (in here or in apps, i forget).

the organizing and non-destructive stackable adjustments is what i love. stacks, multiple versions, smart albums, vaults, the light table, hell, even the extremely adjustable books you can make. that said, it shouldn't be nearly as slow as it is, however. unless you have the highest end video card available (which i'm kicking myself for not getting), you'll stutter a bit.

i haven't done any major projects (including exports) in aperture yet. i've been familiarizing myself with the app's features, waiting for the 1.1 release before i commit to it fully. but....i have a wedding from last weekend that i need to get a few choice shots from by this coming weekend. so i'm going to see how aperture handles what i need to do (mostly slight exposure adjustments, white balance, and b&w/sepia versions). i'll report back in a few days to let you guys know how it goes and post a sample.

cszar2001 · Mar 30, 2006, 12:31 PM

I use Capture One LE and love it.
Great app - great price.

sknapp351 · Mar 30, 2006, 12:45 PM

I recently attended a talk given about Digital Assets Management. Here is the link to his book:
http://www.thedambook.com/

He was on the alpha design team for CS2, so naturally he used that. He seemed very knowledgeable and it was an interesting talk.
SAm

art_director · Mar 30, 2006, 01:28 PM

Demonhood :: Cool and thanks, looking forward to it.

cszar2001 :: How is the feature set of that version? Is it lacking in any way?

sknapp351 :: Good info, thanks for the link and the tip.

tripletaker · Mar 30, 2006, 02:18 PM

Adobe CS2 with help from Adobe Bridge.

cszar2001 · Apr 1, 2006, 04:49 PM

Originally Posted by art_director

Demonhood :: Cool and thanks, looking forward to it.

cszar2001 :: How is the feature set of that version? Is it lacking in any way?

sknapp351 :: Good info, thanks for the link and the tip.

I tried the Pro version for a 30 day period. After that the LE version for another 2 weeks.
I didn't even notice which features were missing. They have a comparison chart on their website.

MrForgetable · Apr 10, 2006, 10:32 PM

Capture One Pro... I prefer the files and better batch processing.. however I do use ACR if I am only processing a couple, because I can edit straight in Photoshop and that's pretty quick.

production_coordinator · Apr 13, 2006, 09:37 PM

I'll be interested to see how well 1.1 runs on the MBP. The price is now reasonable for pro-sumers.

Dru383 · Apr 19, 2006, 10:27 PM

i have been using photoshop CS2 for editing
however for browsing and organizing files apreture is quite handy