How to View RAW Images

[smithn00]

Last night I took 54 images in RAW format with my Canon 1100D not under BYE control. The images were stored on the SD card. I have downloaded the images to my Win7/64 PC.  What software will view them?

[admin]

Hi Ned,

 

BYE Will not DOWNLOAD images form the SD Card.

 

But your can -view- .CR2 files in BYE Premium.

1. Start BYE Premium
2. Click on the the "Preview" button.
3. Drag images from Windows into the BYE picture box (where images are usually displayed)

This will allow you to view images in BYE.

 

Hope this helps,

[astroman133]

BYE Premium Edition, Canon Digital Photo Professional, Photoshop with Camera Raw add-in will all allow you to view .CR2 files.

[smithn00]

BYE Premium Edition, Canon Digital Photo Professional, Photoshop with Camera Raw add-in will all allow you to view .CR2 files.

I have BYE Premium. How do I direct BYE to the downloaded images?

[Jim]

Irfanview is a fairly good quick viewer for many picture formats and is free.

 

http://www.irfanview.com/

 

Jim

[smithn00]

Hi Ned,

 

BYE Will not DOWNLOAD images form the CD Card.

 

But your can -view- .CR2 files in BYE Premium.

1. Start BYE Premium
2. Click on the the "Preview" button.
3. Drag images from Windows into the BYE picture box (where images are usually displayed)

This will allow you to view images in BYE.

 

Hope this helps,

That worked. Thanks.

[s3igell]

If you took RAW Astronomy Images, your next step should be to Stack them (and Calibrate with Darks and Bias and Flats).  For this, you'll want to use freeware DeepSkyStacker (DSS), or the Trial Versions of Nebulosity3 or StarTools; or (more Expensive) PixInsight or ImagesPlus or MaximDL, for the Stretching and Saturation and Gradient Removal and Noise Reduction processes that stand between you and your Finished Images.  

Any of these Apps will provide you with tools to work on your Astro Images to perform the many AP Image Processing Actions which are necessary to convert a Stacked RAW Image into a Pleasing Visual Image.  Or, you can use PhotoShop or any of a number of Generic Image Processing Tools (some of the AP Imaging Apps have special Processing Tools not available in Generic Image Processing Apps - but most of the Tools are Common to Both even if different Names or different Parameter Adjustment Sliders are presented), if you are already more proficient with such Tools.  If you have no other options, even freeware tools such as GIMP or Picassa or Windows Live Photo Gallery or ZoomBrowser (the Canon Image App) will do in a pinch...

 

One of the reasons for shooting RAW Exposures is to capture As Much Detail as Possible.  This is contained in the 14-bit (or 12-bit for older DSLRs) data of the CR2 RAW Files.  Stacking will convert this Data to 32-bit internally and be saved as 16-bit TIFF files.  All of the Image Processing Apps - AP or Generic - work well with TIFF files, or the AP Imaging Apps can also work with 16-bit FITS (a format common to Science and Medical Imaging - but has no Real Benefit for Image data).  Work with 16-bit Data in 16-bit Mode for as long as you can - only reducing to 8-bit when you need to produce JPG Files for posting to the Web.  (Most of the Freeware Image Tools are 8-bit only - GIMP, Picassa, etc...)

 

AP Imaging has a rather STEEP Learning Curve - especially with a few of the "No Holds Barred" High-End AP Imaging Apps such as PixInsight or ImagePlus - but the results that you can achieve will AMAZE you...

[smithn00]

Thanks for you reply.  I have a copy of AIP4Win and Berry's book.  I'll start with that.  I am also a new member of AAVSO so a lot of the processing steps can be used for science or photography.

[SKYGZR]

Irfanview is a fairly good quick viewer for many picture formats and is free.

 

http://www.irfanview.com/

 

Jim

Yup..excellent SW (get the plugins also)...