Strange or what?

[daveh]

I have always understood that camera RAW files were indestructible. Whatever was done to them post-processing the original file remained, and could be re-worked an infinitum using photoshop. I have just been going through some photos I took in London last October when I came across:

Importing RAW file into photoshop:



Photoshop tells me it is 3722x3309 12.3MP. The original file is still there as it is 27MB, and this can be confirmed by using RawExtractor:


Any thoughts anyone?

[nikonbob]

Dave

Could it be that PS has it's own way of interpreting a RAW file that is different than the camera makers proprietary RAW converter? As a result of that difference some info is tossed out?

Bob

[Deleted]

Not quite sure I understand what you are saying.
On Nikon NEF (raw) files if you open them in PhotoShop CS5 you can't save them back as a raw file. You save them as a Tiff so the original NEF file isn't changed.

IF you open the raw file with photoshop it first opens it in a separate window where you can make image adjustments. If you make any adjustments at that point, and click on "Done" it saves them in an .xmp file that is used the next time you open the raw file in Photoshop --therefore the original NEF file isn't modified.

If you open a .NEF (raw) file with Nikon Capture NX2 it saves changes and you can always revert to the original--and it's all stored within the NEF file.

I don't know if Photoshop treats raw file from all the different brands the same.

About the only time I open a NEF file in Photoshop is if I want to save a jpeg version to go on the web.

Wayne

[daveh]

Wayne,

Canon is the same as Nikon and what you say is exactly what normally happens. The original RAW file can not be changed - only it has been. The original RAW is still there 'underneath'- and if I use the RawExtractor programme (standalone neat little programme: seems to convert everything quickly and easily) that produces the full shot. However Photoshop RAW import is only bringing up this cropped version (which was probably a crop I was playing around with a while ago). I have never had this happen on any other file with photoshop - and it is not meant to be able to happen.

Actually I'll go back and remove the sidecar file (xmp) and see what that does.

Just tried it - yes, remove the xmp sidecar and it comes back in full.


I have just twigged what I have probably done - cropped in the RAW import and then saved it - so the crop has gone in the xmp file. (This must be the onlt time I have done a crop in the RAW import of photoshop)

I've just tried it and that is it. While the the other parameters seem to be retrievable on re-entering Photoshop RAW, it doesn't seem that a crop is removable , unless the xmp file is deleted.

Dave.

[colray]

I never use RAW or Photoshop