RAW files help

[Harvestman]

Lots of photographers on here whose opinions I respect (and whose photography I admire) have repeatedly said that taking images as RAW files is the way to go.

So I did for the first time today, having remembered to change the camera settings.

Now I discover that I can't just upload these images onto my computer, as it doesn't recognise the file type. As I don't have any sort of photo manipulation software remaining after my hard disk failure (I previously had a copy of someone else's, probably of dubious legality), what do I need now?

All help appreciated as usual, but please bear in mind that this technophobe doesn't get on well with complicated instructions.

 

[sandbender]

Picasa (free) from Google should allow you to view and sort them. It also does so 'non - destructively' the image you see in the picasa program is a small copy of the original file, you can crop, modify, push around these without worrying about damaging the original.

By default it is set to look at several folders for existing or newly added pictures, I prefer to change that to just the Pictures folder and I also turn off the face recognition option as that kind of thing is a bit creepy I think.

 

[brancho]

Mike
First off my advice is to shoot RAW and Jpeg together while you learn it is big step and takes up time to learn and to process images.

Did the camera not come with Canons own software which I believe is quite good and will process the RAW files.

http://www.canon.co.uk/Support/EOS_Camera_Software/

Picassa will work (I have not used it) GIMP is also a popular free software that is very good I believe (I have not used it)

You can as ever learn what you need to know on youtube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcIPME9X_r4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFLlYpaO9yw

 

[sandbender]

"...Picassa will work (I have not used it) GIMP is also a popular free software that is very good I believe..."

Picasa will allow you to view and organize your photos, it has some basic editing capabilities for cropping, increasing the fill light, that kind of thing.

Gimp is specifically for editing and offers way more tools and options however it won't help you organise and sort your images.

I use both, Gimp mostly for modifying technical diagrams rather than photographs, it seems quite capable and as brancho mentions, it is free.

 

[Pete11]

http://www.faststone.org

is a really neat free photo application.

Pete