Request for article on RAW processing
 

Does anybody care to put together a “Noddy’s Guide to RAW Processing”? I don’t do much stuff in raw, only now and again when I feel the situation demands it. I use raw if I think I’m going to get the exposure badly wrong rather than for the potential extra detail this capture mode can give. Consequently, I can get by in Adobe Camera Raw but I’m no expert and probably use it in a very different way to many of you.

From posts that people have made on WPF, it’s clear that some members would like to try using this feature of their cameras but are a bit uncertain at the moment.

If there’s an expert out there, could they be persuaded to put together an article on the basics of raw processing? The brief:
Keep it simple. The article is to be aimed at people who haven’t used raw mode on their cameras so far.
Advise on when you should use raw, and when it really isn’t necessary. Explain what are the benefits and the disadvantages.
Explain what is involved in raw processing. Suggest this is done from the perspective of a generic processing tool such as Adobe Camera Raw or Raw Shooter Essentials rather than a manufacturer specific tool.
Explain what to do once you’ve finished the raw side of things, what to do after the raw bit is done with.

Any takers? If it’s good enough, you could be the author of the first “sticky” in Digital Darkroom”.

Duncan.

Edit: Additional clarification, I'm looking for someone to do this rather than a discussion about it.

I came across this link to a Raw Forum. Have not had time to look into it very carefully. Looks fairly new, but there may be some links within that are worthwhle exploring:
http://rawforum.online.fr/index.php?...d9d3cb77973a03

cheers,
jim

Might I offer an alternative that could easily work alongside a "basics" tutorial...

If a raw file was made available for download then anyone willing could download it and process it using their own technique and style and post the results along with detailed steps.

I think this might offer more real world help because people could look at the different versions and learn how different workflows lead to different results and also see how different conversion tools behave, etc.

Whaddayathink?

I think it would be impossible for people on a dial-up connection to use such a tutorial. If you think it will work, put it all together and post it. If it works, people will respond.

I didn't mean that people following the tutorial should need the raw file, they only need to see the results and process instructions.

If 10 "experts" were to process the same raw file you'd get 10 very different results. This has the added benefit of people being able to compare the workflows and cherry pick to get the results they want as different people will want different "looks" to their photos...