Working with .ARW RAW files from the Sony NEX-5N

This post does not apply to you if you shoot in .JPG format (like most people).  However, if you want to shoot in RAW format (like me), read on...

The day I bought my new Sony, I also downloaded Adobe Lightroom 4 (30-day trial).  I installed that while charging my camera battery for the first time.  So, my entire experience with these RAW files for about the first month was within Lightroom.  It was easy to open and work with the files and in fact I never even realized early on that there may be some difficulty working with these files at all.

And really, it's not hard - as long as you have pretty recent software.

My intention was to pay the whopping $150 for LR4 by the time the 30-day trial ended.  It's a great price for the software if you ask me.  You get the latest Adobe Camera Raw engine, which is greatly upgraded from the version included in Lightroom 3.  Among other things, it supports the relatively new RAW format that my camera shoots.

As usual, life stepped up and got in the way of buying the software by the time I had planned.  So when the LR4 demo expired, I found myself seemingly unable to open the RAW files.  (Oops!)

I never installed whatever software came with the camera (still haven't). Had I not found another solution I might have had to do that.  But I'm a graphic designer, accustomed to Adobe software and I suspected I wouldn't care for the Sony-provided software.  I've got the installer CD sitting right here.  I suppose I should look into that just so I know what I'm missing...

I own the Adobe Creative Suite 4 here at home, and the latest Camera Raw updates aren't available for Photoshop CS4.  (Grrr.)  Seems like I just bought CS4 and they're rolling out CS6.

Link:  Adobe Lightroom 4

Adobe DNG (Digital Negative) format

I found a pretty simple workaround to working with these files.  I installed Adobe's free DNG converter, which can batch convert your camera's RAW files (from just about any camera manufacturer) to Adobe's DNG format (Digital Negative).  DNG maintains the RAW information from your camera's native files, so you still have all the flexibility and data from working with RAW files, in a more standard file format.

Photoshop CS4 supports the DNG format.

LightRoom also has this functionality built into it -- you can convert RAW files to DNG upon import if you choose to.

Link:  Adobe DNG Converter for Mac

iPhoto '11

I was also happy to realize that iPhoto '11, which I also use at home for maintaining our ridiculously huge photo library, can seamlessly open and modify these .ARW files (which did help me out in a pinch one day).  I prefer to use Adobe Camera Raw (either in Lightroom or Photoshop) but it's good to have a backup.

My workflow

Here's the workflow that I've been working with.  It pretty much has to include iPhoto, since that's what my family uses to catalog our photos.  And I generally prefer it myself for looking through family photos.

I copy files from my camera to my hard drive manually into a new folder.

If necessary, I batch convert to .DNG format.  This step is sometimes not needed.

I open the files either in Lightroom or Photoshop (Camera RAW) and make my selections (deleting unwanted shots), tweak exposure, color balance, crop, etc.  (I can't tell you how many times I've brought a decent shot out of hiding with just a new crop.)

I export to high quality JPG, and import the JPGs into iPhoto for cataloging and storage.  From there I share to Facebook, Flickr, whatever.

I then copy the original RAW files to an external hard drive.

PhotoShop CS6 beta

Right now I've also installed and am loving the Photoshop CS6 beta. That's the caveat to the workflow above -- CS6 has the latest Camera Raw updates and so there is no conversion to DNG needed, and I work right in the Camera Raw importer.

9 times out of 10 everything I want to do to a photo can be done right within Camera Raw, and I almost never need to take the photo into Photoshop proper. I think the most recent Photoshop change I made to a photo was to remove something distracting in the background.

I do plan to buy Lightroom 4 when I can.  But in the meantime, I can continue to work in Photoshop CS4 (once the CS6 beta expires) via the DNG converter.

There you have it!  Any questions?  :)

Couple of quick pix

Took my kids for a walk on the local greenway this weekend and got a couple of goofy shots of my son.  The first says, "CHEEESE!" and the second says, "FINE I'LL LOOK AT THE CAMERA." :)

Aperture priority as wide open as it would go, auto ISO, kit 18-55mm lens.

No flash required.

Now that I've gone mirrorless with my primary (and only) camera, DSLR cameras look downright gigantic to me.

My stepdaughter attended her first prom, and so of course piles of photos were taken.  When we arrived to meet her date and her friends, there were 2 other photographers present.  Both Canon shooters -- one had a battery grip and flash mounted to the hot shoe.  The other guy had a lower end model, maybe a T3i (looked like it from a distance, but I didn't ask).

It struck me how huge these cameras were.  Both were shooting with on-camera flash.  At least the first guy had enough sense to bounce his flash off the ceiling, but the 2nd guy was blasting his flash straight at the subjects.

I happened to get one shot that fired at the same instant as one of their flashes, and the photo was completely flat and lifeless.  The rest of my shots were taken with natural light (and there was plenty).  I think the skin tones I got sans-flash were lovely.

I'm not knocking flash photography - never in life.  But for me - and many people would argue differently - if you can't get the flash off the camera, the only other option is natural light.

Here are a few pix from that afternoon.