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piperknitsRN

piperknitsRN

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As is my custom, I have been trying--with dismal results--to weasel my way out of learning Photoshop (yes, even Elements 8 for Mac). Towards said effort, I read a hot slurry full o' RAW vs JPEG debates online (almost more entertaining than your average sporting event--whew!), downloaded a 30 day free trial of Aperture 3 for Mac, took a few RAW file pics of the bunnies... and... NOTHING. :?

Yup. I just got a whole lot of nothing, as in "unsupported image file"-nothing. When I checked on Aperture's website, it looked to me as if Nikon 3100 RAW files should be ok to post process in the program but, mysteriously (and 1 GB of my hard drive later--thanks to the massive Aperture download)... they don't seem to be.

Has anyone else had this problem with Aperture, or am I just an outlier in the land of unfortunate and mysterious software mishaps? (And I don't find the manufacturer supplied software, Nikon's View NX 2, to be at all intuitive when it comes to processing RAW files. Like, even less user-friendly than Elements 8. I can tweak some settings on the program, but then the image just sits there and, typically, I have no idea what on earth I've done to get from point A to B and no clear map to any destination that says "JPEG or bust." ;))

I'm not that cracked up about it, but it would be nice to do post-production/processing work on RAW files if I wanted to, not merely have a bunch of software programs that promise great things and then doesn't deliver. <<SIGH>>. This must just be my luck.
 
To be honest, I've never used RAW. It simply isn't worth it unless you're a professional doing the highest quality art prints and you have the time and inclination to spend tweaking every last pixel.

Once upon a time it might have been desirable to shoot in RAW to avoid some oddities in in-camera JPG conversion, but cameras are just too good in JPG these days to need the tinkering that RAW requires.
 
MikeScone wrote:
To be honest, I've never used RAW. It simply isn't worth it unless you're a professional doing the highest quality art prints and you have the time and inclination to spend tweaking every last pixel.

Once upon a time it might have been desirable to shoot in RAW to avoid some oddities in in-camera JPG conversion, but cameras are just too good in JPG these days to need the tinkering that RAW requires.
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Ah, thank you for that, Mike. "That" being the "permission" I need to give myself not to shoot in RAW. It seems overly fussy for me, all that Photoshopping and editing--it's enough to just learn how to shoot an entry level DSLR, let alone figure out Photoshop. I can do some simple cropping and the like, but the image quality on the jpegs is good enough for what I want to do (e-publishing on bulletin boards like this one or flickr or facebook, say).
 
I always shoot in RAW, I don't see a reason to not take advantage of the the pros of a DSLR. Its not about tweaking every pixel, but a benefit for you piper would be the buffer to be able to adjust exposure for example, even up to 3 stops and not having any pixelation or loss. JPGs simply don't have the data for that, but it is to each their own. I don't know why aperture isn't working for you though :/ You could always try the live chat on apple :)
 
OneTwoThree wrote:
I always shoot in RAW, I don't see a reason to not take advantage of the the pros of a DSLR. Its not about tweaking every pixel, but a benefit for you piper would be the buffer to be able to adjust exposure for example, even up to 3 stops and not having any pixelation or loss. JPGs simply don't have the data for that, but it is to each their own. I don't know why aperture isn't working for you though :/ You could always try the live chat on apple :)
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Yeah--I can't figure out why it's not working for me. V. annoying, that. I was going to give RAW a shot, but maybe that's a sign I should just continue to put my effort into basic things, like composing shots and figuring out all the neat things my camera can actually do, and figure out Photoshop later. To be honest, I'm not very "techie" and while the camera is intuitive enough for a newbie, Photoshop just isn't on my list of "intuitive products that are easy to use." It's actually something I'd be inclined to take a class on. Thanks for the suggestion about live chat on apple!
 
Photoshop is really hard when you start, but once you know the basics I've found it really easy haha. But your basic exposure can be done in just about any program can do, color balancing too. You might want to look into Lightroom 3, its a really great, easy to use program :)

I love apples live chat haha. If I didn't think they worked on commissions, I'd probably just chat them and talk about apple stuff hah.
 
OneTwoThree wrote:
Photoshop is really hard when you start, but once you know the basics I've found it really easy haha. But your basic exposure can be done in just about any program can do, color balancing too. You might want to look into Lightroom 3, its a really great, easy to use program :)

I love apples live chat haha. If I didn't think they worked on commissions, I'd probably just chat them and talk about apple stuff hah.
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Yeah, Photoshop doesn't seem very user-friendly for a beginner. I'm wondering if the issue is that my computer's OS isn't equipped to handle RAW files in Aperture 3. You need Leopard or Snow Tiger, and I just have plain old OS X version something something something (see how non-techy I am? LOL). I think that might be my hang up, which is a total bummer, because I'm not thrilled with Nikon's free software, View NX2. I'm like, "What the heck am I supposed to do with this software?) I should check out Lightroom, first making sure it will support RAW file processing on my computer's operating system! Bah. I can't believe I downloaded the free trial and I can't even use it. It's such a bummer.
 
It could be, click on the apple in the rop corner, then about this mac
It'll say your OS and version. For example, I have Mac OS X V. 10.6.8. , thats the minimum needed for Ap3. When did you get your mac?
 
<<Sigh>>. Three years ago. Apple care just ran out, in fact. 10.5.8 is the version I have :(. Sooooo, I should have read the fine print <<before>> downloading Aperture. It seems very silly to buy a new computer just because I want better software, and I really don't need to fuss with RAW right now, seeing as I'm just barely learning the basics of using the camera:p, but it would have been nice to have a slightly newer OS so I could have used Aperture to see if I liked it for editing RAW photo data. Big, big bummer.
 
You can update :) Just select the Software Update right underneath the version, you should have Snow Leopard so it should be compatible.
 
Adobe also does 30 day trials, if when Aperture is up, you can try the lightroom 3 for 30 days :)
 
Ah, well, that's par for the course with this RAW format editing. It's really too bad. I have some cute (ok, like one) photos I shot in RAW that I'd like to do something with, but they just sit in unfathomable View NX2, where I can't do anything about them. Thanks for the link!
 
I shoot raw, and with storage (external hard drives) being so cheap I can keep all my pictures in the original state.

I use Capture NX2 for my editing. I do have Lightroom 3, but only use it for organizing my pictures.

Since you are a student, you can get the softwares (Photoshop, Lightroom ...) at a great discount.
 
Pet_Bunny wrote:
I shoot raw, and with storage (external hard drives) being so cheap I can keep all my pictures in the original state.

I use Capture NX2 for my editing. I do have Lightroom 3, but only use it for organizing my pictures.

Since you are a student, you can get the softwares (Photoshop, Lightroom ...) at a great discount.
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How do you like Capture NX2? I can't seem to do much with View NX2 (which may be the point; I need to upgrade to Capture to get anywhere).


 
piperknitsRN wrote:
How do you like Capture NX2?  I can't seem to do much with View NX2 (which may be the point; I need to upgrade to Capture to get anywhere).
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I like Capture NX2 (that's because I'm so use to it), but it is slow, very slow if the computer is not to par. Hopefully Capture NX3 could resolve some of that.
I haven't used View NX2 at all... not even sure what it does. :p

You can try some of the free programs like Faststone for storage and editing.
 
Yeah, I have a feeling my computer, which is going on three years old, probably would not do so well with Capture NX 3. I'll check into Faststone. Thanks!

Pet_Bunny wrote:
piperknitsRN wrote:
How do you like Capture NX2? I can't seem to do much with View NX2 (which may be the point; I need to upgrade to Capture to get anywhere).
Click to expand...

I like Capture NX2 (that's because I'm so use to it), but it is slow, very slow if the computer is not to par. Hopefully Capture NX3 could resolve some of that.
I haven't used View NX2 at all... not even sure what it does. :p

You can try some of the free programs like Faststone for storage and editing.
Click to expand...
 
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