Thoughts on RAW Conversion Software

by Eric Chan

April 21, 2006

There are plenty of RAW converters on the market. Don't believe me? Check out this list, which doesn't even cover them all!

Is there a clear, definitive "best" RAW converter? No, I don't think so. (Life would be too easy otherwise.) RAW converters are simply tools. Each has its strengths and weaknesses. Some have snappier and more responsive interfaces than others. Some process images faster than others. Some offer lens correction tools; others don't. Some provide an integrated image rotation and crop tool; other's don't. Most support batch image processing, but a few don't. All these variations, and I haven't even mentioned image quality yet!
 

Crashing Waves, La Jolla
Crashing Waves, La Jolla
(developed using Capture One)

 
At the end of the day, though, it all comes down to image quality. The term "image quality" encompasses many things, including color balance, tonal transitions, preservation of detail in shadows and highlights, edge definition (accutance), color aberrations, and noise. Which aspects matter most is up to the taste of the individual and also varies with the content of the photograph.

You can think of the output of each RAW converter as its interpretation of the raw image data. In my view, there are no "right" or "wrong" interpretations. (Well, ok, there was that time when one of the converters produced an image that, for some reason, was missing a quarter of its pixels. That was probably a bug.) It's as if you photographed the scene using different stocks of film, each with its own characteristics. Some are fine-grained, some have deep saturated colors, some block up in the shadows, etc. Some interpretations are simply more pleasing to the eye than others.

Of course, a RAW converter's interface is related to its image quality. It takes time to learn how to use a RAW converter's tools to fine-tune the various aspects of image quality enumerated above. In the successful cases, it is possible to use the tools to produce the aesthetic qualities you want; at other times, unfortunately, missing features or restrictive tools may prevent you from achieving those qualities. When the time comes to choose a RAW converter, perhaps the most important question to ask is: can you use the interface and tools to produce images with the qualities you prize?

These days, I am using Adobe Camera Raw 3.3. I'm comfortable with its controls, and I like its interface and feature set. The resulting images have consistent edge definition, smooth tonal transitions, and excellent shadow detail. ACR's highlight-recovery feature works superbly. Recently, I've finally learned how to overcome what I once regarded as ACR's greatest weakness: color. I am now using custom calibration and color matching to coax more pleasing colors out of ACR.