Viewing images, advice for a complete newbie please
Discussion
I bought my first slr last week (Nikon d3100).I haven't really got a clue how to use it properly.I've mainly just been pointing and clicking in auto.These shots were ok,just uploaded with the card reader and viewed them with microsoft viewer.
However in my pursuit of photographic greatness
I changed the resolution to RAW I think, and now I can't view them.Does anybody know of a free download that will allow me to see just how poor my efforts were?
ps I am going on a course at night school but that doesn't start until mid Jan.
However in my pursuit of photographic greatness
I changed the resolution to RAW I think, and now I can't view them.Does anybody know of a free download that will allow me to see just how poor my efforts were?ps I am going on a course at night school but that doesn't start until mid Jan.
Agree with the above, but if you do want to view the RAW stuff you've already taken:
http://picasa.google.com
http://picasa.google.com
Try Gimp, the is a free download for a raw add on for it.
http://www.gimp.org/
http://ufraw.sourceforge.net/
http://www.gimp.org/
http://ufraw.sourceforge.net/
Don't you just need the Nikon codec to be able to open with normal programs (Not edit I know)
http://www.nikonimglib.com/nefcodec/
http://www.nikonimglib.com/nefcodec/
I dont believe the codec works with any of the newer cameras. I know mine (D5000) came with a CD, but its still in its plastic wrapper because i have photoshop. I do know for sure that i could process raw images on the camera.
On my camera to get to the menu to convert the picture, you find the preview on the screen, then press the OK button, and select "NEF (RAW) processing". It shouldnt be too much different on your camera.
On my camera to get to the menu to convert the picture, you find the preview on the screen, then press the OK button, and select "NEF (RAW) processing". It shouldnt be too much different on your camera.
And more (you need to install Nikon View first which hopefully came with the camera)
http://support.nikonusa.com/app/answers/detail/a_i...
http://support.nikonusa.com/app/answers/detail/a_i...
Use the Nikon program as the poster above says, or see if you can find a copy of lightroom (PC) or aperture (Mac).
RAW is not a resolution, its the type of file.
JPEG is a compressed image format, RAW is the uncompressed image.
Your JPEGs are probably 6-8Mb. A RAW file of the same thing will be 25Mb+.
The advantage of RAW is that its far easier to process your pictures and make adjustments. The downside is that they are larger files, so fill up your memory card quicker and also take longer to save when you press the shutter button.
JPEGs are much smaller and take much less time to save when the shutter button is pressed, but can not be altered/processed as much.
For the moment I'd agree - stick it back on to JPEG. Switch over to RAW when you want to start tweaking white balance, exposure, sharpness etc.
If you want to start using the camera a little more put it into Aperture Priority mode and set the ISO to say, 200.
The camera will now look after the shutter speed for you, but you are in control of the aperture. A very quick explanation:
Aperture is the hole in the camera that allows light in. A big hole means lots of light, a small hole means less light. The less light, the darker the picture - but if you make the hole too big it will "over expose", making the picture too bright. Aperture is measured in f stops that you can read about here; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F_stops
small number = big hole, big number = small hole.
The shutter covers the hole, when you press the button the shutter opens for a set amount of time - this is the shutter speed.
Okay, so lets say we pick an aperture for a picture - f8.0 for example. The camera will pick a shutter speed that it thinks will get a good picture. It won't always get it right for various reasons.
If we were to pick a smaller aperture, f11 for example the camera would make the shutter speed longer, in order to gain the correct exposure. This is fine, but if you end up with a shutter speed oh say 1/4 of a second you'll probably cause the picture to come out blurry. This is called camera shake - basically the camera is moving in your hands whilst the shutter is open, its a bit like you shaking your head really quickly - your vision gets blurred.
If we widened our aperture to say f5.6 the shutter speed would reduce, so it would be open for a shorter amount of time.
Note that aperture is one of the things that controls something called depth of field (DoF), you can read about it here :http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Depth_of_field
In addition to that most lenses have a "sweet spot" where they just for whatever reason seem to give a sharper image.
There is loads of information of DoF on the net and how to use the settings to achieve the image you want. Grab a coffee and read a few articles
RAW is not a resolution, its the type of file.
JPEG is a compressed image format, RAW is the uncompressed image.
Your JPEGs are probably 6-8Mb. A RAW file of the same thing will be 25Mb+.
The advantage of RAW is that its far easier to process your pictures and make adjustments. The downside is that they are larger files, so fill up your memory card quicker and also take longer to save when you press the shutter button.
JPEGs are much smaller and take much less time to save when the shutter button is pressed, but can not be altered/processed as much.
For the moment I'd agree - stick it back on to JPEG. Switch over to RAW when you want to start tweaking white balance, exposure, sharpness etc.
If you want to start using the camera a little more put it into Aperture Priority mode and set the ISO to say, 200.
The camera will now look after the shutter speed for you, but you are in control of the aperture. A very quick explanation:
Aperture is the hole in the camera that allows light in. A big hole means lots of light, a small hole means less light. The less light, the darker the picture - but if you make the hole too big it will "over expose", making the picture too bright. Aperture is measured in f stops that you can read about here; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F_stops
small number = big hole, big number = small hole.
The shutter covers the hole, when you press the button the shutter opens for a set amount of time - this is the shutter speed.
Okay, so lets say we pick an aperture for a picture - f8.0 for example. The camera will pick a shutter speed that it thinks will get a good picture. It won't always get it right for various reasons.
If we were to pick a smaller aperture, f11 for example the camera would make the shutter speed longer, in order to gain the correct exposure. This is fine, but if you end up with a shutter speed oh say 1/4 of a second you'll probably cause the picture to come out blurry. This is called camera shake - basically the camera is moving in your hands whilst the shutter is open, its a bit like you shaking your head really quickly - your vision gets blurred.
If we widened our aperture to say f5.6 the shutter speed would reduce, so it would be open for a shorter amount of time.
Note that aperture is one of the things that controls something called depth of field (DoF), you can read about it here :http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Depth_of_field
In addition to that most lenses have a "sweet spot" where they just for whatever reason seem to give a sharper image.
There is loads of information of DoF on the net and how to use the settings to achieve the image you want. Grab a coffee and read a few articles
Crafty_ said:
RAW is not a resolution, its the type of file.
JPEG is a compressed image format, RAW is the uncompressed image.
Your JPEGs are probably 6-8Mb. A RAW file of the same thing will be 25Mb+.
To clarify what crafty said, RAW isnt just an uncompressed image, the raw file contains the original information the camera obtained from the sensor. It contains more info (a potential white balance for the final picture, EXIF data). Nikon keeps modifying the format, but not all NEF file formats contain an uncompressed picture. Infact, some nikon cameras can take both compressed and uncompressed NEF format pictures. The compression used in the compressed NEF format pictures is lossy (meaning data is lost when it is compressed/color depth specifically), but not to the point that the human eye can tell a difference. I do not know what cameras have compressed or uncompressed NEF formats.JPEG is a compressed image format, RAW is the uncompressed image.
Your JPEGs are probably 6-8Mb. A RAW file of the same thing will be 25Mb+.
So there you have Nikon electronic format (NEF) in a nutshell.
Nikon has a cool little tidbit about NEF on thier site as well. http://www.nikonusa.com/Learn-And-Explore/Nikon-Ca...
Gassing Station | Photography & Video | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff