YOU’LL NEED THIS

ADOBE PHOTOSHOP CC 2018 ONWARD

To view compatibility visit: https://helpx.adobe. com/photoshop/systemrequirements.html.

WINDOWS 10

64-bit, version 1809 or later.

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FOR THIS TUTORIAL, we’re taking a look at working with RAW images within Photoshop. A RAW picture is usually minimally processed and uncompressed. When you shoot in RAW, your camera captures all of the sensor’s data, resulting in super-detailed image files. Benefits of shooting in RAW include increased brightness, higher dynamic range, more colors in your images, and more scope to edit, because the files contain more information. Obviously, with a richer image, larger file sizes are to be expected, and image processing is required.

RAW photography is nowhere near as quick as pointing and shooting in JPEG format, but when you’re shooting specific stills and need the best quality, RAW trumps JPEG. RAW file types alter between different devices, such as brands of cameras and phones. For example, Nikon cameras shoot in NEF, whereas Canon’s RAW file formats are CR2 or CR3. On Android, they’re called DNGs, which are a universal RAW format, while on Apple, they are called ProRAW files, which are fairly new. We’ll explain how to take these files through Adobe’s RAW processing software and into Photoshop, where you can get the most out of your shots.

 –SAM LEWIS

1 FIND A PHOTO

To start with, you need a RAW file. If you don’t have one or would like to practice on some stock imagery, a good place to find RAW images is www.signatureedits.com. It has a large library of free-to-use files, perfect for this tutorial. You’ll notice that the file sizes are larger than JPEGs—that’s because they’re uncompressed and still contain all the image’s detail. Once you’ve decided which shot to use, rename the file to make life easier, right-click it, and open it with Photoshop. We’ve selected a stunning desert shot to edit.