What RAW converter?

[Mr. Pickles]

I still think the best RAW converter is the one that fits your work flow. Some like to use only one program. Others like to have 4 or 5 in their basket of toys. I myself, as posted above, use Lightroom for a really high percentage of shots. If I need some special tweaks, layer masks, or to get really funky, I export the Lightroom file to PSCS.

Olympus software (Studio, Master, etc) does a really really nice job converting the image as far as keeping those Olympus colors the Olympus users like. But most end up using some version of PS or PSE or other, and they still don't have a decent catalog system.

So you need to think about what you have, try all kinds of demos, and during those 30-day trials, ask questions here or better yet, our Image Editing forum so you can get some help while your software is working. From all the playing you will find some workflow and software that works for YOU. All the rest is gravy after that....

[mujana]

Thanks everybody for all the advise. I do not see Silkypix anywhere as a good option, while there seem to be quite a few happy users on DPR.
I certainly do not need a steep learning curve...the curve for the E-3 is steep enough. Simple will do (I think?), and batch conversion could be very handy.

[Mr. Pickles]

Originally Posted by mujana

I do not see Silkypix anywhere as a good option.......
I certainly do not need a steep learning curve...the curve for the E-3 is steep enough.....

Sillypix gets praise from a lot of people, from several camps, even Olympus users. I think they went up and down awhile ago and people were waiting for some upgrades. I think SillyPix wanted free cameras from Olympus, and Olympus wanted them to buy one. I guess it was ironed out.

Simple is nice. A simple post processor would be a good thing, but when you put it in context, it might change a mind or two. You have a "steep learning curve" camera because you (hopefully) need it. So why take the net result of that investment and slap on a "simple" conversion to make the finished product?

[Paul Shields]

I've always liked Silkypix purely as a RAW editor for Olympus files. I just don't like how it manages (or rather doesn't manage) large volumes of images. Lightroom is turning out to be almost perfect for me, and I even crossed over to the dark side and convert everything to DNG. I now don't waste too much time thinking about which is best and have a very slick and convenient RAW + JPEG management setup.

[Mr. Pickles]

I knew you was a Sillypix dude, thus the mention of it...

If you shoot an E-1, and I know you still do sometimes, or have a library of E-1 shots, and I know you do as well, then DNG is almost a no-brainer for the space savings along. Uncompressed RAW was a big deal on them shots...

[nerdet]

I use Lightroom, because it isso simple to use and gives really great results.
you can click on settings and just use the cursor in the picture to adjust color levels and levels for the picture itself. It's also possible to batch the files and develop many at one time. Works great with my workflow
Nerdet.

[gpf]

Welcome to Camel, Nerdet. Looking forward to seeing some of your work.

[forrestsun]

I didn't see Raw Therapee mentioned, it's a free option.
Studio will give same result as the out of camera without much twicking. Plus lots of camera control ability.

[Malakor]

Originally Posted by forrestsun

I didn't see Raw Therapee mentioned, it's a free option.
Studio will give same result as the out of camera without much twicking. Plus lots of camera control ability.

RT now handles the de-mosaicing in .orf files properly, which was the only complaint I had against it.

[alert_bri]

I use Bibble Pro for speed, LightZone for the artistic stuff... both are excellent for all Olympus RAW files. I also (rarely) use Olympus Studio.

Kind Regards

Brian

[mujana]

Hm...I'll give the above converters a try....but also Capture One 4 ...thanks a lot veryone!

[alert_bri]

Would anyone be interested in conducting a RAW converter comparison? Paul, could you host a .ORF file?

I would like to see a gallery of conversions by different RAW converters, to see how well they can be driven by the users here. I'd be happy to do a LightZone and Bibble Pro conversion.

If no-one wants to share a .ORF file, I'm happy to find one for the purposes of a demo?

Kind Regards

Brian

[Mr. Pickles]

Does it prove anything if different people interpret a RAW file to their choosing? I actually think not. It is beneficial for one to try different converters, only because they have an inner vision of what they expect the scene to look like.

Also, there are slight differences in conversions from all the different converters, but that doesn't tell the whole story. Each time the software is updated, the results can and do change. So the test would need continual changing.

Some people pick the converter based on the results, but most should pick based on the results as a secondary element to how the software fits their individual work flow. Really, the best conversion, based on the manufacturers ideology is their own software, in this case Master or Studio...

[alert_bri]

Hello Mr. Pickles,

does it need to prove anything? I'm interested in seeing how different users express their vision through their converter of choice...

It's not a case of 'testing' to find 'the best' - merely a suggestion for a fun and stimulating exercise... Digital Outback Photo conducted a number of 'competitions' (bad choice of words) to see how people would use the *same* converter to visualise an example image. The results were remarkably different, and interesting from a photographic perspective (not a pixel peeping test)

Sorry I wasn't so clear the first time... does it still sound like a waste of time?

Kind Regards

Brian

[heartseye]

The very BEST raw converter...............is.........this one!

[mujana]

Very nice pic!

[alert_bri]

Heartseye, that can't be the Adobe converter... they didn't throw in the kitchen sink

Kind Regards

Brian