ADOBE PHOTOSHOP CLASSROOM IN A BOOK (2022 RELEASE)
65
Lesson 12:
Working with
Camera
R
a
w
Adobe Camera Raw is a Photoshop plug-in that edits proprietary camera
ra
w
formats as well as the openly published Adobe Digital Negative (DNG) raw
f
or
–
mat. Camera Raw may appear to be a separate application, especially because
it
c
an
also be used through Adobe Bridge. But Camera Raw is deeply integrated
w
it
h
Photoshop, and its features
complement
the tools and skills in P
hot
o
s
hop.
Goals
for this lesson
Students should gain an
understanding
of Camera Raw and its relationship
t
o
Photoshop. Additionally,
t
he
y
ll
have the chance to retouch an image more e
x
t
en
–
sively in Photoshop. This lesson is aimed at the advanced hobbyist or
pr
of
essional
photographer
who wants to use Photoshop to clean up digital camera
i
mages
.
Most of the topics and techniques have to do with basic image c
or
r
ection adju
st
–
ing the white point and other settings of Camera Raw images, removing
unwanted
blemishes, and so on. However, there are some more subtle and more adv
anc
e
d
features, such as applying a Surface Blur filter in Photoshop to selected
ar
eas
.
Major
redesign
of the
user
experience
The release of Camera Raw 12.3 in 2020 brought a complete redesign of the C
amera
Raw user experience, modernizing it and making it more consistent with other
si
mi
–
lar Adobe photo editing software such as Lightroom. This lesson has been
upd
a
t
e
d
to represent those changes as of Camera Raw 13.
Note that compared to earlier versions of Camera
R
a
w
:
The horizontal tabs containing options are now vertically stacked
p
ane
l
s
.
66
INSTRUCTOR
NO
TES
When
encountering
the Camera Raw redesign for the first time, some users ask
about features that appear to be missing. If you work with students who have
u
se
d
earlier versions of Camera Raw, reassure them that features were not removed,
but
F
inding
hidden options
Some Camera Raw options may not be visible at first, and students may not
fi
nd
them where they expect, especially if they were accustomed to earlier versions of
Camera Raw. For example, this applies to the options for Sharpening and
Noi
se
Reduction in the Detail
p
ane
l.
To save space, many Camera Raw options are now hidden by default. To
r
e
ve
al
them, look for a small left-facing triangle and click it. The panel expands to
r
e
ve
al
hidden options, and the triangle rotates to indicate the expanded
p
ane
l.
Processing
files in
Camera
R
a
w
Many digital cameras can save images in camera raw format. A camera raw file
contains the raw data recorded by a c
amera
s sensor, instead of a JPEG image
file
t
ha
t
was processed by the camera. A raw file gives
photographers
more control
o
ver
aspects of an image such as white balance, tonal range, and noise reduction than
i
n
JPEG image files processed in camera. Photoshop does not edit raw files
d
i
r
ec
t
ly,
ADOBE PHOTOSHOP CLASSROOM IN A BOOK (2022 RELEASE)
67
processed. Raw files are best used by
photographers
who want to exercise
mor
e
control over the look of their images than they could achieve with a JPEG
file.
Raw
Students should not think that they must capture raw files to be professional.
In
some cameras, the in-camera processing is so good that they produce hig
h-qu
ality
JPEG files that need little additional correction. But many
photographers
ca
pt
u
r
e
Because many Camera Raw features appear to duplicate features in P
hot
o
s
hop
(such as contrast, saturation, local adjustments, cropping, and healing), you mig
h
t
have the class discuss when
it
s better to make a correction in Camera Raw
(
or
Over the years, many users have found the options and control layout in
A
dob
e
Camera Raw to be useful and familiar, so Adobe has extended its availability.
A
dob
e
made it possible to open and edit JPEG and TIFF files in Camera Raw, and
t
hen
made Camera Raw available as a Photoshop filter that can be applied to a
l
ayer
(choose Filter > Camera Raw Filter). However, some Camera Raw features are
not
68
INSTRUCTOR
NO
TES
raw processing, consider discussing the differences between Camera Raw
pr
ese
t
s
,
Camera Raw profiles, and ICC
pr
ofile
s
:
Camera Raw presets are merely saved settings from the Camera Raw
p
ane
l
s
.
Camera Raw profiles were added in Adobe Camera Raw 10.3. They c
hang
e
t
he
appearance of a camera raw image
independently
of Adobe Camera Raw
Working with multiple images
When multiple images are opened in Camera Raw, how to select and edit
m
ultiple
images might not be immediately apparent. Make sure students
understand
how
t
o
use the filmstrip icon near the bottom left corner of the Camera Raw window,
ne
x
t
to the magnification
men
u:
To hide or show the filmstrip, click the filmstrip ic
on.
Note
that the filmstrip menu includes
important
commands such as
:
Select All
When multiple images are selected in the filmstrip, additional commands
b
ec
ome
available on the filmstrip
men
u:
Merge to
H
DR
ADOBE PHOTOSHOP CLASSROOM IN A BOOK (2022 RELEASE)
69
Adjusting white balance
Earlier lessons have touched on white balance, specifically in
connection
w
it
h
Curves and Levels
adjustment
layers. This lesson provides a great
opportunity
t
o
discuss white balance more thoroughly. As students click different areas of
t
he
clouds with the White Balance tool, its effect is a
pparen
t
.
Emphasize that, while you can adjust the white balance somewhat in a P
hot
o
s
hop
document, adjusting the white balance in a camera raw image provides much
mor
e
flexibility.
You can
demonstrate
this by creating a high-quality JPEG image of a
ra
w
Accentuating details in raw images
An area of raw processing that can be confusing for new users is how to adjust
t
he
apparent sharpness of details in camera raw images. If your class includes
phot
o
g
ra
–
phers interested in large or high-quality
reproductions
of detailed images, this
ma
y
be a subject worth discussing in your class.
Adobe Camera Raw now includes a range of options in the
ar
ea
:
Clarity,
T
e
x
t
u
r
e,
and Sharpness. The
y
r
e designed to handle details at different frequencies or sizes.
Clarity can accentuate low-frequency (relatively large) details, Sharpness acc
en
t
u
–
ates the finest details, and the new Texture option can bring out details that are
t
oo
fine for Clarity to adjust and too coarse for Sharpness to
adju
st
.
Retouching
an image
This lesson uses retouching tools, such as the Spot Healing Brush tool, that
wer
e
introduced
in Lesson 2. Remind students how they used the tools before and discuss
any differences in the way
t
he
y
r
e used now. Ask students to consider the benefits of
70
INSTRUCTOR
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TES
making tonal
adjustments
in Camera Raw versus Photoshop. Discuss the
str
eng
t
hs
of both and how to use them together efficiently.
Color
correction and color
g
r
ading
The Color Grading panel (added in Camera Raw 13) may cause some students
t
o
wonder how it fits in with the other color controls. You may want to lead a
d
i
sc
u
s
–
sion about the differences between color correction and color
g
rad
i
ng:
Color correction is about properly balancing tones and colors, in order
t
o
achieve optimal tonal
distribution
from shadows to highlights, neutral
g
ra
y
tones, and natural skin
t
one
s
.
Panorama
and
HDR
features
Panorama and high dynamic range (HDR) features exist in Adobe Camera Raw as
well as in Photoshop so some students may wonder why it might be preferable
t
o
create those types of images in one application or the other. While this C
l
a
ssro
om
Questions
The following questions are not in the
studen
t
s Classroom in a Book.
1 How do you create a JPEG version of the image that you
r
e editing in
A
dob
e
Camera Raw?
2 When an image is open in Adobe Camera Raw, how do you open that image
i
n
Photoshop for further e
d
iti
ng?
3 Where can you find the Sharpening controls in Adobe Camera Raw?
Answers
1 To create a JPEG version of a raw image, click the Convert and Save Image
ADOBE PHOTOSHOP CLASSROOM IN A BOOK (2022 RELEASE)
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