Photographers Who Shoot Raw

I have a 14 Pro Max, i shoot Raw only and use the ProCamera App which has an awesome editing suite. I wouldn’t use anything else. The options are vast, highly recommended.

https://www.procamera-app.com/en/

I first send the raw file through DXO Pure Raw 2. Then bring that into Adobe Camera Raw. Then I finish the file in Photoshop.

DXO Pure Raw 2 does a phenomenal job of noise reduction and optical correction automatically. Then Adobe Camera Raw for raw processing. Then I bring into Photoshop where I do dodging and burning using luminosity masking, as well as any other cleanup and finishing touches that might be needed.

First I have to turn it into a DNG file, then process that with adobe raw (an old version).. And why? Because that's what I have.


----Mike Savad

Same as Rick : DXO + Camera Raw + Photoshop

Lightroom or camera raw

depends on how I feel or how much I have

After Adobe introduced a subscription model, I switched from Lightroom to ON1 PhotoRaw as it is/was more versatile than Lightroom at the time, eg, layers, blending modes, masking, effects, presets, file upsizing, etc. Very happy with its output and capabilities, especially the new 2023 version. Oh, and I always shoot RAW + Jpeg, with the latter as a backup, just in case.

Yes RAW, developed in Lightroom.

I edit and convert my RAW images with Capture One, because it reportedly produces better results than Lightroom with images captured by Fujifilm's X range of cameras.

I Was using ACR in Photoshop or using lightroom but I just revisited On1 Camera Raw 2019 and I really liked it!! I like that you can also put together your HDRS there too like in Photoshop. You can also do panormas and it did a WAY better job stitching than my Photoshop. Photoshop used to do a great job but when I tried it again after the updates it was pretty awful. If you just need to do the raw files though ACR works great as does On1. Luminar Neo has athe ability to do raw now too, I have that as well but havven't figured out all the nuances of that one yet.As for the why part, ACR and Lightroom I guess because that's what I've always used but On1 Camera raw I tried that because Photoshop was locking up when I tried to process the raws into a panorama and I wanted to see if On1 did better and it did! Not one lock up. After I did the pano I decided to try to process the Raw files into an HDR and I liked the way those came out too vs my Luminar Aurora that has been my HDR program for the longest time. The Luminar Aurora looked more punchy HDRish whereas the On1 HDR's looked more natural which I like.

Lightroom to PS and if BnW send it to Silver Exf pro and then back through PS/LR to a jpeg. I kill every pixel in the photo :)

Dan,

Old school! ONLY use ACR, what I can do there is enough for me, even "enhance" it now....MAYBE(?) takes 5 minutes....???

Rich

I use Lightroom Classic.

Lightroom usually handles everything I need.

I go to Photoshop only if I want to remove an object from my image (rare) or if I want to work with textural layers.

For B/W conversion I use Silver Efex if I can’t get the look in LR.

I also will use apps on my phone for iPhone raw photos. This includes Snapseed, Lightroom, and Distressed Fx. This is for the times I want a certain look on the image.

I use Canon Digital Professional 4 (a free software provided by Canon) to process RAW. I probably stick with it because it is familiar and works for me most of the time. If needed, from there I can move on to Photoshop Elements or an old version of Topaz Studio.

Just wondering, does anyone else use Canon Digital Professional? I don't hear it mentioned much.

ACR + PS

I always start with ACR, then bring it into PS to use Topaz Photo AI (or Sharpen, or DeNoise). Whether or not I finish there or continue in PS depends on the image and what I want to do with it. E.g. removing objects.

Paint Shop Pro cause that's what I've always used.

RAW + LR Classic + PS CC if touch ups are needed

Depends on which camera I'm using.
Sony converted to infrared; I use Capture One
Nikon. Lightroom and sometimes camera raw.
I then will edit in PS and more and more ACDsee

Lightroom for the RAW file adjustments and then Photoshop for any clean up or final adjustments.

Usually ACDSee to do basic edits and file management.

DxO PhotoLab 6

Yes RAW. Lightroom Classic, Topaz DeNoise, Photoshop.

I shoot raw and I shoot Sony. I use their converter, Imaging Edge.

Lightroom. Quite intuitive and easy to use, non-destructive. Does 99% of what I even contemplate doing, so too lazy to bother learning Photoshop which, in a couple of brief flirtations, I've found complicated and obscure.

I have always shot in Raw, I use Lightroom Classic and Photoshop with an array of Topaz Products.

I always shoot in Raw, then bring into Photoshop to analyze BEFORE making adjustments in Adobe Camera Raw, which I always use. I like to analyze the Raw file before making adjustments. It's easier to have a clean, unedited copy of the Raw file as a base in Photoshop, then start making ACR adjustments which are easier to undo.

Adobe all the way. I have a photographer's subscription which works for me. So, its Bridge, ACR, Photoshop. I don't like the way lightroom catalogues so avoid it wherever possible which is 99% of the time

- RAW import and convert to DNG in Lightroom Classic as well as basic edits, sometimes even edits up to finished image
- Further editing in Photoshop and back to Lightroom Classic, finishing touches if necessary then export
- Insert Metadata via Bridge. Metadata editing is possible via Lightroom but I have been using Bridge from the start and old habits die hard right!
- Upload to FAA

I use the Adobe package because I have been using Photoshop since day one. There are plenty of all in one apps or Photoshop equivalents these days but for my editing Photoshop still cannot be replaced. The Adobe Photography plan includes Lightroom, Photoshop, Bridge and your Website so that seemed the best option to me since I was also looking for personal webspace. It does not support the FAA cart though which is a bummer.

Hope that helps!

I shoot raw and import directly into CaptureOnePro. Export as a Tiff into photoshop for final tweaks.

Camera Raw + Photoshop

Shoot RAW and JPG and process in Photoshop.

I always shoot RAW, and I do as much as I can in Lightroom. If I have anything that requires more editing than lightroom can handle or needs layers I use either Affinity Photo or Photoshop Elements.

I'm using an old standalone version of lightroom (4-dot-something), so it doesn't do stitching or HDR. If I'm stitching a panorama or combining exposure into HDR, I process my RAW in Lightroom then export as .tif to work in Affinity Photo.

I've been shooting RAW since 2005. I've been using Lightroom (now LR CLassic) since v4.x, shortly after it was released. Every few years I try several of the competition's packages. LR consistently gives me the results I'm looking for, and I do 95%-98% of my processing with it. The rest is PS, Neat Image, and a couple other tools occasionally.

Lightroom Classic

I’ve aways shot RAW (since 2002). I typically use Iridient-X to convert the files to DNG then process in a variety of apps depending on what I feel the image requires.

ACR in PS. Lightroom is too confusing. lol

I usually use Canon's DPP RAW software for basics (getting rid of CR, tweaks to brightness, contrast, converting to B&W etc) and then convert to jpegs or tiffs which I finish editing in Photoshop

I use Nikon's NEF Raw format to shoot photos of my artwork. That way I can better adjust the white balance. I use their own software "Capture NX-D." I convert to JPEG and may do some additional adjustments if needed in Paint Shop Pro.

I shoot RAW and keep them on a backup drive. You never know what processing tricks you will learn in the future. My fuji kicks out 120mb RAW files so lots of storage.

I use on1 these days

I shoot all images Raw and process in Lightroom

Only RAW as well for me. I use ACR to do initial adjustments and then use PS with NIK plugins for the main part of processing. One trick I learned from Harold Davis is to open a copy from ACR to PS instead of just open. That preserves the original RAW file.

Photoshop and Lightroom

@Robert- what do you mean it preserves the original RAW file? The beauty of RAW files is that they can be adjusted and reverted back to their original settings from the camera at any time. Photoshop, ACR, and other raw editing programs do not overwrite RAW files, so unless you delete it, you can always just set it back to its original state, regardless of how you open it in Photoshop from ACR.

RAW, developed in LrC

I take only Raw since 2006 and all my images are currently processed with Lightroom Classic. ( Thanks to Rick and others I will be adding in DXO Pure Raw 2).

I do not use LR to import or catalogue. I have a simple system and don't want to add extra steps and hate the way LR interacts with Windows.

I import with Nikon transfer and do my initial selections with Nikon View NX. For a long time I used Nikon Capture NX2, but that has been obsolete for a long time. But I actually started using Photoshop in 1997 and LR in 2007 ( for my slide scans edits). I just liked the simplicity of NX2. The app that (NXD) replaced it is useless junk.

I like the workflow of LR. PS Layers just confuse me and PS just seems overly complicated for every day use. Also I am a full time photographer and a lot of my work has to be processed through LR by contract, so I go along with that. I will sometimes use PS for the tools that LR is missing. But LRC is getting pretty good for making selections. I just wish it had a cloning tool

Lately I have found Nikon ViewNX prone to crashing, even on my up to date computer, so I am using Bridge. I will like start importing with Bridge.

Way back around 2006 I used ACDsee. I really like the way it tagged by drag and drop. That version did not have Raw processing, so I upgraded to the Pro version. That didn't work on my D300, so went to Nikon NX2 in 2007. Those were the days, keeping up with the codecs. One thing I like with the Adobe subscription is that you always have the latest version.

I finish off my important work with Topaz Denoise AI. That is something I will not need once I get DXO Pure Raw..It will streamline my workflow and ensure that everything get the denoised properly before adjustments.

Yes RAW, developed in Lightroom.

Thank you all for your replies.
The clear winner overall appears to be Adobe ACR via lightroom, photoshop.
Very few appear to be using other tools such as Capture One, On1, etc.

I, myself, also shoot RAW and do basic development in ACR - then on to other apps.

Again, thanks.