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Camera Raw 4.2 Plugin

What is it?

A camera raw file contains
- unprocessed, uncompressed grayscale picture data from a digital camera’s image sensor
- information about how the image was captured (metadata)
- Photoshop Camera Raw software
  - interprets the camera raw file
  - uses information about the camera and the image’s metadata
  - constructs and processes the color image.
Camera Raw Plugin has tools to adjust image appearance
Camera Raw is file format available in Digital SLR cameras that provides much more information about the image
- not preprocessed and compressed, as JPEG format does.
Opening images from Bridge in Camera Raw requires Photoshop or After Effects installed on the computer.
Photoshop preferences allow opening not only RAW images, but JPEG images in camera raw plugin
- Click Edit>Preferences>File Handling in Photoshop
- In File Compatibility area, check Prefer Adobe Camera Raw for JPEG Files
- When you open JPEG images in the Camera Raw plugin, you have fewer adjustments on the dropdown lists
- Hpwever, the Camera Raw plugin alloww you to make the adjustments all at one time, especially helpful if you are just processing a lot of vacation photos and some of them require the same adjustments.

For RAW digital images from digital SLR camera
- preserves all the information about the image as taken by the camera
- PLUS any changes you make in Camera Raw
- stores in a digital negative (DNG) file
JPEG digital camera images have already been processed by the camera software & some image information is lost.
Gives more direct control over adjustments to images (which you can also make in Photoshop)
Can save adjustments in a present ACR "sidecar" XMP file and then reapply same adjustments to other photos taken under similar circumstances (lighting, etc.) so saves work.

Open copies of the camera raw image files (with the Camera Raw settings applied) in Photoshop or After Effects.
Press Shift & Open to open the raw file in Photoshop as a Smart Object.
In Photoshop, double-click the Smart Object layer that contains the raw file to open the image in Camera Raw & adjust the settings
Smart Objects can be edited non-destructively

16-bits/channel images have more image data
BUT, some Photoshop features are NOT available for 16-bit images, but only 8-bit images
If features you want to use don't work, check the bit level
In Camera Raw, change bit level by clicking on hyperlink on status bar below the image
In Photoshop, Click Image>Mode>8 Bits/Channel