RAW Photography Techniques
If you use Raw data photos, you will be able to use new photography techniques.
This section explains some RAW photography techniques.
Backlit Pictures Without Corrections
Take pictures without having to think.
You'll never miss a perfect photo opportunity again!
When you take pictures of backlit scenes, the object you want in the picture is usually dark (underdeveloped), so you should increase the exposure.
If you can adjust the exposure correctly before taking the picture, there is no problem.
Sometimes, though, you do not have time to make the right adjustments. As a result, you might miss your chance to take a perfect picture!
If you take RAW photos, you can place higher priority on taking the pictures you want.
RAW data exposure can be adjusted later, but a perfect opportunity may never come again.
Cameras that have large sensors and high S/N allow you to take "Backlit Pictures without Corrections."
You will be able to place priority on just taking photos, which means you'll be able to take more pictures. This would be impossible based on conventional photography methods.
Digital SLR cameras are very adjustable and have large sensors. Therefore, you can set the lowest ISO sensitivity and take pictures without having to compensate for backlit scenes.
Please enjoy making exposure corrections with SILKYPIX.
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Should RAW Photos Be Underexposed?
Noise appears even with RAW data.
However, you can underexpose RAW photos.
The answer to this question is yes and no.
RAW photographs should have enough exposure to secure the linearity of the image sensor. This is because if a picture is underexposed, noise will increase and image quality will decrease.
However, in some cases, this is not possible.
- When an object receives strong light or when the object is metal and there is high contrast
In such cases, even if you have proper exposure, highlight portions do not show up well.
However, if you underexpose a picture, you can adjust the exposure during development so that details in highlight portions will be clearly shown.
- When you cannot determine the correct exposure
When it is difficult to determine the correct exposure for a picture, you may miss the opportunity to take a picture, or you may disturb the environment.
If you take an underexposed picture, you can still adjust the exposure during development. But, highlight portions may whiteout and there is nothing you can do.
Based on the above, some people say, "You should always underexpose RAW photo."
Also, underexposure may help reduce deterioration during color reproduction.
For more information, please refer to Advanced Techniques (Image Sensor Linearity & Saturation).
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Use Exposure Correction as Your ISO Sensitivity Adjustor
Exposure Correction can Work as an ISO Sensitivity Adjustor
When taking pictures of dark objects or taking high-speed pictures with a telephoto lens, high-sensitivity settings are needed.
The aperture is fully open, but the speed is not sufficient and my camera's specifications are limited.
In such cases, it is necessary to increase the ISO sensitivity.
However, adjusting the ISO sensitivity is complicated with most cameras. Exposure settings, though, are very easy to operate.
Therefore, you can underexpose your pictures without having to adjust the ISO sensitivity, allowing you to overcome aperture and shutter speed problems.
This technique can only be used with RAW photography.
It is possible to adjust sensitivity during development of RAW pictures. You will be able to achieve the same results, or possibly better results, as when adjusting the ISO on the camera.
If you set your camera to take RAW pictures, exposure correction can be used to adjust ISO sensitivity.
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How can I Correctly Adjust RAW Photos?
Maximum Exposure before Whiteout is Best
Our definition of proper exposure is the exposure that can reproduce a scene with the best color.
Of course, this definition does not apply to some people's taste such as those who like unbalanced colors in the dark range, or those who like near-whiteout colors.
In other words, proper exposure should be the maximum exposure that can expose the brightest portion of an image that contains important details and still secure the linearity of the image sensor.
This may sound difficult, but in simpler terms, proper exposure for RAW data is when maximum light intensity is given without losing important details.
This kind of exposure allows you to use the whole dynamic range of the image sensor, which means you will have less noise and cleaner images.
For more information, please refer to Image Sensor Linearity & Saturation.
Taking picture with this exposure may be different from the optimal exposure shown in the light meter of your camera.
Exposure with a camera's light meter is determined based on an average reflectance ratio. However, when you take RAW photos,
it is possible to adjust exposure during development, so the best exposure is the maximum exposure before whiteout.
However, it is very difficult to determine this exposure.
The best way to do this is to take many pictures and confirm the exposure using the highlight alarm preview mode of your camera, and then find the maximum exposure for the most important details of the photo.
The results of the highlight alarm preview are shown when photos will be saved as JPEG files, so sometimes higher exposure may be possible, depending on the camera.
This is a highly advanced technique, so please read Image Sensor Linearity & Saturation and Sensitivity Adjustment Potential.
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