FastRawViewer

[davegee]

Anyone here using Fastrawviewer? It takes some of the guess work out of RAW conversion if you are "struggling" with RAW. It gives you a precise starting point in your RAW converter of choice regarding exposure before you start fiddling with the other sliders. It does this by displaying the RAW histogram rather than a histogram based on the embedded jpeg. It also helps with "culling" of images due to exposure and/or sharpness problems. I have been trying it for a few days and I can recommend it. Take a look at their site and some reviews on the web.

[masrawy]

how is this different from Adobe Lightroom raw conversion?

[davegee]

It is not a RAW Converter - it is a RAW Viewer. As I said, it allows you to see the RAW Histogram rather than a Histogram based on the embedded JPEG - a vastly different thing.

Their site explains it and some YouTube videos show what it is capable of.

I'm not trying to "sell" it - I asked if anyone else was using it.

http://www.fastrawviewer.com/

 

 

[masrawy]

thanks for the clarification I'll definitely take it closer look later, apology if my question came across as questioning your motive.  I understand you sharing something you find useful

I shoot raw and never embed JPEG it is fair to assume that what I see in Lr is not JPEG.  Preview in the back of the camera though is JPEG from the raw  file therefore the histogram is not exactly accurate to the raw file.
 

[davegee]

How do you NOT embed the jpeg?

That is a different thing to shooting RAW + JPEG. 

The video shows the difference between the Adobe generated Histogram and the RAW Histogram.

[masrawy]

Okay, I had the chance to watch the video and see what you mean, it's interesting.  I know this for a fact with the preview you see in the back of your camera when shooting raw,  I didn't know Lr generate a JPEG preview!

Thanks for sharing

[Lin Evans]

Actually a JPEG is embedded in the capture. Nearly every camera generates an embedded JPEG sometimes of less than full resolution size but often a full resolution image. LightRoom just reads this, it doesn't actually convert the RAW file until you declare the version you wish to save. After shooting, the image you see on your LCD review is the embedded JPEG. Several of the freeware viewing programs such as Irfanview reveal this JPG when they open a RAW file which they are not designed to convert. Depending on settings, LightRoom may make a quick JPEG from the RAW for your preview, but it's done with algorithms which sometimes make unwarranted assumptions. Having this RAW viewer may allow superior sorting before deciding which to keep and which to toss.

Best regards,

Lin