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My Canon RAW Workflow
For the Canon D30, D60, 10D, 20D, 1D, 1Ds and more!
Text and Photos Copyright Matthew K. Whitley
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Many people that use Canon digital cameras ask the question "why use RAW format?" or seem to be intimidated by the idea of doing so.
The steps involved in processing and editing images in the "digital darkroom" are confusing enough to learn without using RAW, so why bother?
The RAW format provides a "digital negative" containing the untouched data as it came off of the cameras CCD or CMOS sensor. Many of the in-camera settings such
as sharpening, saturation, and white balance can be chosen after the shutter is pressed by applying these settings to the RAW data on the computer. Lastly,
JPEG compression used in cameras is a "lossy" format meaning that some data is lost in compressing the file. Shooting RAW allows you to bypass this compression and retain the maximum amount
of data in your images. The following is a description of how I am currently processing my RAW files from my Canon EOS-1D, but will also be applicable to D30/D60/10D/20D/300D images.
Do remember that this is only the way I do things and that you should strive to develop the workflow that works best for you. So lets dive in and learn more…
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1. DOWNLOADING IMAGES
The first step in working with images in getting them onto your computer. Most of the time while shooting in the field I use a Tripper digital wallet to download my compact flash cards. I
have been using this cool gadget for over a year now and have had zero problems. Highly recommended. Upon returning home, I connect the tripper to my
computer via USB2 and open Breezebrowser to view the images. Most of the time, I go ahead and copy the images to a new folder on my hard drive based on date.
I store my RAW images in a folder named RAW (original, eh?) and have subdirectories for each year. Within those year directories, I further have directories for month, and day. So for the images I
shot at Jamaica Bay on 9/12/02, I would download my images to C:\RAW\2002\09\02 Jamaica Bay\. This system makes retrieving images quick and easy and facilitates backups. At this point I also often backup the new files to
an external Firewire hard drive. After copying the images, I proceed to the editing stage….
2. THE INITIAL EDIT Depending on the events of the day, this step can be either exciting or painful. I use Breezebrowser to examine the contents of the folder for the day's shoot. This step in analagous to the traditional photographer editing images on a light table. I open the first image and proceed image by image, deleting those that have exposure, focus, composition, or other problems. I try to be brutal in my editing, but I almost always end up keeping too many shots. It is during this stage that the "jewels" of the day are noted and using BB's flag option is a useful way to mark these images to differentiate them from the others. I find this step to be an important learning process because I can correlate my good or bad images with the EXIF data and evaluate different techniques that I used in the field. After this intial edit, I suggest making a backup copy of the images on some external media, ideally a writable CD or DVD. With the initial edit done, I'm ready to convert. 3. RAW CONVERSION 
There are a multitude of options for converting RAW files these days, from Canon's included software (boo, hiss), to Adobe Photoshop, to Breezebrowser, to
Capture1 DSLR. Personally, I use Capture1 DSLR because of the superior ability to control white balance and the superior image quality. Although the Pro
version is very expensive, they do offer a moderately priced version for the consumer model Canon cameras. After my intial edit in BB, I create a subfolder
titled "Best" and copy the images that I intend to convert into that folder. Upon opening C1, I browse for this folder and then add it as a collection to bring
up the images. With each image, I always start with adjusting the color balance, as this to me is the most critical step. Using the Color temperature and Tone Balance sliders, I adjust the color
to match what I saw through the viewfinder. After setting the color balance, I sometimes make minor levels and curves adjustments in C1, but most often leave these
adjustments for later in Photoshop. If necessary, adding a touch of increased color saturation can also help at this stage. The next step is initial sharpening accomplished
via the Focus tab in C1. I favor a setting of Standard, 90, 3 for most images, but make adjustments based on each image. Following these adjustments, I add the
image to the que for Development (i.e. conversion to 16 bit TIFF). I convert each image into the AdobeRGB color space because of its wider gamut. Each image
to be processed is converted in this way. I have just started to scratch the
surface of what C1 is capable of, so please consult your manual for more advanced ideas. This may sound like a cumbersome conversion routine, but in reality it is very fast and intuitive. Now that I've
got the images converted, its on to Photoshop for final processing.
4. PHOTOSHOP ADJUSTMENTS 
Although you can perform the following adjustments in any image editor, I use Photoshop CS because of its power and flexibility. I begin by opening a 16 bit
TIFF image into Photoshop and sizing it for comfortable editing. Immediately upon opening, I generally run NeatImage using their plugin and the 1D profiles
on their website by DavidP. This program is fantastic for removing noise from 1D images, especially from 400 and above ISO settings. One trick that I like
is to run NeatImage, then choose the history brush and paint back to the history state just previous to NeatImage in areas of final detail. This step produces
smooth, noise free backgrounds and sharp, detailed subjects. Next, I usually perform a minor levels adjustment as needed using a levels adjustment layer.
I try to bring the highlight and shadow sliders in to just meet the edge of the histogram in order to maximize the tonal range. There is some subjectivity
here and using your eye to see how the adjustments you make alter the image is the best way to get a good result. Play and learn. If necessary, I also
make slight curves adjustments at this point, again using an adjustment layer. I must admit that I am a new convert to Photoshop CS and am still learning
how to use the Shadow/Highlight function, so I won't mention that here.
As a last step, I add sharpening as needed using the unsharp mask filter in PS. Sometimes, I will selectively choose the subject by using the magic wand and quick mask and only apply sharpening to the subject to leave the background alone and prevent the formation of halos at interfaces with high contrast. Another approach is to apply sharpening to the entire image and use the history brush to paint back to the presharpened state to remove and halos or soften areas where too much sharpening has been applied. As far as settings, I tend to favor 100-150/0.6-1.0/3-6 for most images. I usually start with 100/0.6/3 as a starting point and work from there. Like levels and curves adjustments, sharpening is a skill that is only learned by practice so just jump in and give it your best shot. Posting your images on critique websites can provide important feedback to improve your PS skills. 
A this point the image is essentially finished and the steps left differ based on the use of the image. Saving as a TIF at this point is not a bad idea, as it
provides a master image that can be modified for print, web, etc. If I intend to post the image to a web forum or my website, I will take the image at this
point and downsize using the Bicubic algorithm to a size of 600 or 630 pixels on the longest size at 300dpi. The addition of frames or borders at this point
is optional. Don't forget to change the color space to sRGB (Image -> Mode -> Convert to Profile) at this point if you've been working in AdobeRGB or the image
will look weird once saved. Lastly, I choose the Save for the Web option and adjust the JPEG setting to produce a file size of around 95kb. That's it! If the
image is for print, I upsize it to the target size at 300dpi, generally in 50 dpi increments (i.e. if the image is the target size of 11 x14 and 150dpi straight
out the camera, I would upsize to 11 x14 at 200dpi, then to 11x 14 at 240 dpi). That's it for me!
5. YOU'RE DONE! See! Didn't I tell you working with RAW files was easy? ;) Seriously, the above info may seem intimidating at first, but just dive in and work with it. Working with images on the computer is a skill that takes practice. Stick with it and the benefits will far exceed the troubles you encounter while learning! I hope that this helps! IF YOU FOUND THIS ARTICLE USEFUL OR HAVE QUESTIONS, PLEASE EMAIL ME! 
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