Are you one of those who keeps wondering about Raw or what Raw is in terms of your camera and taking photographs? Does the thought of using Raw intimidate you? You’re not alone.

These days even the point-and-shoot digital cameras have the ability to shoot in RAW format. RAW is not just for the professionals; it’s just as relevant for the serious amateur photographer since it provides added control & editing adjustability producing richer, more vibrant photos. Raw mode does not compress the images (the way jpeg or tiff does, for instance) leaving them completely unprocessed.

Here’s what helped me fully understand the RAW format and how to take advantage of its capabilities.

For those wondering about camera Raw, this is a great source for learning about shooting raw:

Getting Started with Camera Raw: How to make better pictures using Photoshop and Photoshop Elements

In this book, Ben Long speaks to the photographer in simple terms, explaining logically all the way through. Nothing to be intimidated about. He covers the real basics progressing all the way to advanced editing in camera raw. You’ll learn what Raw is, how to choose a converter, image editing basics, workflow, and a great deal more. I’ll list the chapter titles for you so you can get an idea of the subject areas he covers:

  1. Getting Started
  2. What is Raw?
  3. Image Editing Basics
  4. Getting Started with Camera Raw
  5. Workflow
  6. Advanced Editing in Camera Raw
  7. Shooting Raw

The book is geared towards both beginners and intermediate levels and covers camera raw whether you use a PC or a great Mac! You’ll wonder why you haven’t been shooting in Raw all along! Go ahead, click the book title text above to find out more about this helpful book.

{This is the first of a series of tips on photography that I’ll share here. To be sure to not miss any of them, please add this blog to your RSS feed (see right sidebar) or to subscribe click on the “Blog info” button up at the top right of the screen then click “Subscribe to blog”.}