The best RAW converters - where to process photos? Batch processing in Photoshop.

If your camera shoots in RAW, congratulations. You can get much more out of your shots than owners of compact cameras that can shoot only in JPEG.

This article does not pretend to be a complete guide to RAW processing, however, in our opinion, it will be useful for those who have not yet attached importance to the potential of working with RAW.

RAW and JPEG, which is better?

Of course, it is important to understand that RAW and JPEG were originally created to solve different problems, so it is impossible to argue that RAW is better than JPEG.

The JPEG image format was created in order to display the highest quality image with minimal memory consumption. When shooting in JPEG, you immediately get a finished picture, which you can immediately send to a forum, website, social network and maybe in print. JPEG files take up relatively little space and are the unspoken standard for storing images in user albums.

The colors in your photos will be exactly as your camera's imaging system sees them. In the case of RAW, you will either have to resort to using a native RAW converter, or use the correct profiles in a software specially designed for this. If there are no profiles (this is possible in the short term, for example, if your camera is new, and the software company has not yet had time to prepare the correct profiles), you will need to configure the image parameters yourself.

It is important to know that absolutely all cameras shoot in RAW. It's just that saving in RAW is blocked for them, and the camera independently converts the signal to JPEG using its own algorithm known only to developers. Thus, JPEG is the final result of image processing by a camera, this process proceeds in several successive stages. This is done by the image processing system - this is what manufacturers now call a bunch of a special processor, additional microcircuits and software algorithms.

Knowing the love of photographers for shooting in JPEG, developers equip almost all modern cameras, including SLR and hybrid models, with advanced JPEG processing options. In Canon DSLRs, this is the Picture Style function, in Nikon DSLRs - Picture Control, in Sony DSLRs - image styles. In addition to several frequently used presets, it is possible to configure all the parameters yourself.

Of course, the processing power and intelligence of processing systems is constantly evolving. For example, new system processing in Lumix cameras, called the Venus Engine VHD, and the image processing system in Casio cameras are equipped with three-core processors; Canon's DIGIC IV integrated circuit is equipped with fast memory and provides multi-channel reading from the sensor. The installation of these two processors in the Canon EOS 7D camera made it possible to achieve a data readout speed of 144 Mp / s.

Venus Engine FHD Tri-Core Processor

The software part is also important, and it is often based on an extensive database of typical shooting scenes. The camera compares the brightness composition of the shot against a database that already contains several thousand typical scenes and uses the optimal shooting settings. When recognizing a certain color in the frame, such as a blue sky, cameras increase the saturation of that particular blue color. It comes to the fact that cameras take into account the time zone, as well as the date and time of shooting. Thus, your camera can, for example, when shooting sunsets, automatically increase the saturation of reds and yellows, making the frame more “tasty” and the owner of the camera more joyful.

Unfortunately, often automatic programs glitches or provide undesirable effects, greatly overestimating / underestimating the contrast or saturation of the image.

There are many situations in which shooting in JPEG is more appropriate. It makes sense to shoot in this format if you are sure that the photos do not need significant processing when shooting large series ( big buffer for RAW, not the cheapest SLR models usually have it, but for compact cameras and budget SLR cameras, the buffer for RAW is traditionally no more than 10 frames per burst), and also when the memory card is close to full.

What is the path from the moment of shooting to saving the image to the memory card?

The signal received from the sensor is interpolated to RGB, the processor performs color correction in accordance with the white balance settings, and then applies color correction based on the saturation, contrast and other color settings.

After that, the image processing system applies one of the special effects, if they have been selected by the user, for example, miniature effect, tilt-shift optics simulation, fisheye lens distortion. If special effects are not involved, then, on the contrary, software correction of vignetting, chromatic aberrations and optical distortions is carried out.

By the way, it was these software methods that made it possible to reduce the cost and size of such popular cameras as the Canon S90 and Lumix LX-3. In order to reduce the price of devices and their dimensions, manufacturing companies decided to abandon the complex optical design of lenses, which minimizes unwanted distortion.

Small dimensions and high image quality in the Canon S90
made possible by software correction of lens distortions

Finally, the camera applies the user-specified sharpening (sharpening) or blur settings, noise reduction settings at slow shutter speeds or high ISO, and only after that it converts the result into an 8-bit image, i.e. JPEG.

The saddest moment is that each stage of transformation leads to an irreversible loss of information in the photo. And if the pictures are of some value to you, then it is very stupid to give all these stages for processing by the camera.

Shooting in RAW format allows you to edit the image beyond the limits of the JPEG format. You can correct the exposure, white balance settings, sharpen and remove noise in the image after. Roughly speaking, all you need when shooting in RAW is to get a technically satisfactory shot. The rest can be improved.

RAW is a specific format that stores information about the signal taken directly from the light sensor without further processing by the camera. Data in a RAW container can be either uncompressed or compressed, with or without loss. However, even in the worst case of lossy compression, a RAW file contains significantly more information than a maximum quality JPEG image: 12- or 14-bit RAW files are much more tolerant of user processing than highly compressed 8-bit JPEGs.

Almost all manufacturers have their own RAW formats: Canon has *.acr and *.cr2, Sony - *.arw, *.srf, *.sr2, Nikon - *.nef, *.nrw, Pentax - *. ptx and *.pef, while Samsung has *.srw. Many of the new models use Adobe's open DNG (Digital Negative) format.

RAW is a kind of undeveloped digital image. Although it is recognized by many modern viewers (with or without special plug-ins), it is unsuitable for printing, and the file itself can be interpreted differently by different editors. For example, the same RAW when viewed in ACDSee and Picasa is significantly different.

The RAW format provides extensive post-processing capabilities within some limits without loss of quality. All those operations that the camera's processor does on its own will need to be done manually. There is only one reward here - much better and more effective photos.

However, RAW files take up significantly more space, they are 3-6 times larger than similar JPEG files, and some knowledge and processing time are required for conversion. Fortunately, the process is quite fun, and if you have a good RAW source, you will definitely be happy with the final result.

RAW conversion using the example of Adobe Lightroom

We will look at RAW conversion using Adobe Lightroom version 3.2 as an example. This program deserves attention for several reasons: it is quite easy to use, it is regularly updated and it supports almost all released cameras capable of outputting RAW files. The application is well integrated with the Photoshop family and is very functional, it is equally convenient when working with individual photos or with a large number of images.

Of the disadvantages of Lightroom, it is worth noting the exactingness of computer computing resources and the need to purchase it. The lack of a Russian-language interface also often scares off novice photographers. You can download the program on the official website of Adobe.

Despite a fairly large number of programs of this type, of which we would note the free RawTherapee, Apple Aperture, Phase One Capture One and Bibble Pro, the Lightroom application, in our opinion, is the golden mean.

All of these programs deserve attention, as they are stronger at certain points. For example, Aperture is very easy to use, while Capture One gives you the best color control.

In a loose translation, the word lightroom is interpreted as a place for developing pictures. In principle, the way it is - it is a convenient and powerful interface for developing RAW images and even working with JPEGs. Lightroom is a non-destructive image processing algorithm. Until the moment of conversion, the pictures entered into the program remain untouched, and a preview of the effects and settings is available from the application cache. Each file is assigned a detailed user-edited document, which is written into instructions and then executed when converting images from RAW.

This approach is quite convenient, and thanks to it, an infinite history of actions with a snapshot or snapshots is implemented.

The Lightroom program allows you to synchronize the selected settings for a group of photos, which is very convenient, for example, if you have taken many shots of the same type and want to transfer editing to several pictures at once.

The Library module contains a feature of the program for cataloging images. We will not focus on it. We only note that frames can be sorted by creation time, title, shooting coordinates, lens, focal length, etc. It is possible to create dynamic collections that are automatically replenished according to selected criteria, and much more.

The Library module is very powerful and convenient, as are the modules for preparing for printing (Print), creating a slide show (Slide-show) and publishing on the Internet (Web). Their description would be enough for another article, so we will pay attention to the most important module - the processing module (Develop).

At the very top is an image histogram by color and shooting information. The histogram can be moved with the mouse, its certain areas are responsible for controlling the exposure, dark and light areas of the frame. The histogram is quite clear and allows you to quickly correct frames that were initially not very successful.

It should be noted that all settings follow in a logical order, and if you do not quite understand what you want to improve in the picture, you can move through the settings from top to bottom.

Basic panel

White balance (white balance). In this window, the user can choose one of the white balance presets available in your camera, or entrust the choice of optimal settings to automatics, which provide surprisingly high-quality results. If you are not satisfied with the above settings, you can use the sliders Temperature (color temperature) and Tint.

The easiest and most convenient way to correctly set the white balance is to use the White Balance Selector tool (eyedropper), which can be used to specify a neutral tone in the image, such as a white or gray area. This shows a greatly enlarged area under the pipette so that you can more accurately select the correct neutral area on inhomogeneous textures.

exposure- one of the most important tools in the conversion. It is with its help that the primary “pulling” of details from incorrectly exposed photographs is performed.

This parameter sets the overall brightness of the image and its white point. If you hold down Alt while working, the areas of the frame that are knocked out into the light will be highlighted, i.e. they will not contain any information other than pure or almost pure white. If there is no artistic idea in this, the details lost in the lights should be tried to be returned. This applies to the bright white wedding dress as well as the texture of the clouds in the sky.

Tool Recovery called upon to help us. It removes overexposure exactly in the right places, almost without affecting the rest of the photo. If you have done color correction before, after applying Recovery, a light gray veil may appear in the picture or the colors may change slightly.

Tool fill light(fill light), on the contrary, increases the brightness of dark areas, while not affecting the light areas.

If Recovery can almost always be turned up to the maximum, then with Fill Light you should be careful - the unnatural brightness of dark areas can give even a good picture a flat and unnatural look. Both tools help to get into the histogram, and their judicious use can be considered a light variation of HDR, high dynamic range images.

Parameter Blacks sets the black point of the image.

Parameter brightness Many consider it a clone of the Fill Light tool, but this is not the case - it changes the brightness for the entire tonal range of your image.

Parameter contrast responsible for the contrast of the photo. Decreasing contrast makes tonal transitions softer, while increasing contrast makes them sharper.

Three interesting tools are in the subblock Presence (appearance), and changing them greatly changes the photo itself.

Tool Clarity affects the micro-contrast of the image, namely, the smoothness of contrast transitions, such as edges, contours of objects. Increasing the value of this setting creates the feeling of a sharp frame, while decreasing it creates the effect of a soft, almost out-of-focus image.

Tool Vibrance- this is perhaps one of the most effective, simple and beloved Lightroom tools. Following its success, Adobe implemented a similar tool in Photoshop CS4. Vibrance is a smart saturation enhancement feature. It does not affect already saturated colors, but selectively and non-linearly increases the saturation of dull shades. This approach avoids oversaturation, loss of shades and various artifacts in the image. In addition, Vibrance selectively enhances the saturation of skin tones and prevents people's skin from turning into a yellow-beige substance.

Tool Saturation increases the saturation of all colors at once. A slight increase in saturation along with the use of Vibrance will allow you to get even more juicy and vibrant colors. However, you should use Saturation carefully, you should not twist the parameter value to the maximum.

The next block is curves. The tone curve in Lightroom is used to adjust the contrast within a certain range of tones. Although this is a very powerful tool in terms of image enhancement, we will not cover it yet, as it is quite complicated for beginners, and The best way to study it is just to experiment.

Color correction block

This block is designed to correct the hue, saturation and brightness (luminosity) of individual colors. Colors are initially divided into several shades: red, orange, yellow, green, aqua, cyan, violet, magenta.

On each options tab Hue(tone), Saturation(saturation), Luminance(brightness) there is a list with sliders to control each color. However, the most convenient way to selectively color correct is to use the dot tool. All you need to do is move it to the desired color in the frame, for example, to the sky, and move it up and down with the mouse button held down. The result of the application is immediately displayed on the photo, and this approach makes the method of working by eye very convenient.

In mode grayscale all colors in the picture can also be varied and use the dot tool.

Split Toning Block

This block will be of interest to people who want to achieve creative processing comparable to effects such as sepia or film color simulation. Here, separate toning with a certain color of light and dark areas of the image is available. We invite you to experiment with the block yourself.

Block Details(detail) includes two very important items - Sharpening and Noise Reduction.

Tool sharpening responsible for sharpening the image. It works on the same principle as the Unsharp Mask tool in Adobe Photoshop. This tab contains a 1:1 scale image fragment and algorithm settings - Amount, Radius, Detail, Masking.

Parameter Amount is responsible for the intensity of the sharpening algorithm.

Parameter Radius is responsible for the thickness of the area on the boundaries of objects in which the algorithm will work. For modern SLR cameras with a resolution above 10 megapixels, the recommended values are 0.8-1.

In the module Adobe Camera Raw it is possible to process several files at the same time, otherwise known as batch processing.

What is it for:

Batch processing significantly reduces time costs

To obtain the same images within the same series.

What does same mean?

The fact is that if we process each image of the series separately (a series means images taken in the same conditions within the same shooting), we can get a different processing result, which will look unprofessional. The entire series should look the same in color and tonal density.

How to achieve this?

There are several ways to batch process. I will introduce you to two of them.

First way

To change the settings of multiple files at the same time, first open them in Camera Raw. The easiest way to do this is from the Adobe Bridge module.

Select the files you need - this is done in the same way as in Explorer, that is, to select several files in a row, you need to click on the first one, then, while holding the SHIFT key, on the last one.

To select multiple files with an arbitrary location, hold down the CTRL key. Then open the files in Camera Raw by clicking on its icon (marked with a red rectangle).

You can do this by pressing the key combination CTRL+R.

The selected images will open in the Adobe Camera Raw module

The next step is to select all the images. To do this, you can click the Select All button or the keyboard shortcut CTRL+A. Highlighting around image thumbnails indicates that they are selected

Now, if you move the sliders to adjust the image, that adjustment will be applied to all images at the same time.

At the same time, an icon appears on the image thumbnails in the lower right corner, indicating that the image has been corrected.

After completing all the necessary operations in the tabs, you must click the Finish button to save the result without opening files in Adobe Photoshop.

Camera Raw closes and the updated image thumbnails appear in the Bridge module.

Second way

In the same way, select images in the Bridge module and open them in Camera Raw.

Then we process one image.

Now select all images by pressing the Select All button or the keyboard shortcut CTRL+A.

Click the Synchronize button.

A dialog box will appear with a choice of parameters that will be synchronized in the selected images. Here you can check or uncheck the checkboxes of the parameters, thus flexibly setting up synchronization according to certain settings (for example, you want to synchronize only the white balance, in this case you need to check only opposite this parameter).

But, in our case, we need to apply all the processing options to the rest of the images, so we will not change anything, but immediately click OK

Processing options will be applied to all images, and the appearance of thumbnails will change accordingly

Almost all photographic equipment at the moment can take pictures in RAW format (a format with minimal processing of the photo by the camera itself. Such a system allows the photographer to use more features and effects in the subsequent image processing). Perhaps RAW is not as popular as JPEG, but it is better to use it when shooting.

Still, no matter how good JPEG is, it is still a format that uses compression, and any compression, as you know, affects the quality of the final image. It is for this reason that most professional photographers prefer RAW, which allows you to "pull" as much information from the picture as possible. In addition, this format, no matter how strange it may sound now, is very convenient: you do not have to think about adjusting the white balance, you can slightly underexpose the frame, and so on.

So, here you have taken a lot of pictures in RAW format, connected the equipment to the computer, transferred the files ... And what to do next? For all subsequent work with images, you will need special program- converter. Similar software is produced by both manufacturers of photographic equipment and third-party companies. The choice (quite wide, the Internet is literally teeming with all sorts of options) should not be approached at random. Different programs, different algorithms - different effect. Especially for your convenience, we have compiled a small guide to the world the best programs for photo processing.

No one needs to represent Adobe. Everyone knows its products: they produce some of the best programs for working with music, video, photos. In this case, this is a specially created software aimed at editing pictures taken in RAW format. In addition, the program can easily work with both JPEG and TIFF. This is what is called providing a "full cycle". In other words, after working with this program, you can already print the finished image.

The software engine provides you with the ability to correct noise, color correction, increase / decrease brightness or contrast. At any time, you can undo the last action and return to the original image, this is the responsibility of a special service file designed for non-destructive editing. You can work absolutely without fear of losing the original picture. The modified version can simply be saved as a separate file. In addition, the program is attractive with a powerful cataloging system, an impressive set of tools and the ability to integrate with graphic editor Adobe Photoshop.

And since we already mentioned this program, let's take a closer look at it. It is known to many as one of the best photo editing software. It is the recognized market leader in commercial bitmap image editing tools. The program has an impressive set of photo correction tools and supports the following color schemes: RGB, CMYK, LAB, Grayscale, Bitmap, Duotone, Indexed, Multichanne. This is a real photo lab with unlimited possibilities.

Multifunctional RAW editor with support for a wide range of model cameras. It provides all the features for both single and batch file processing, white balance adjustment, sharpening, contrast, color temperature, digital noise removal and much more. This toolkit makes Phase One Captur One one of the best photo editing software. Here you can even find a selection of scene programs specific to cameras.

A special ICC profile has been developed specifically for each camera model, providing the best quality for editing. Here there is an opportunity to correct chromatic aberration, distortion, vignetting and other image defects. In terms of capabilities, the program, if it does not surpass Lightroom, then, perhaps, is on the same level with it, but only on condition that you have certain knowledge and skills, and are also ready to work individually with each photo taken.

This is a very popular editor native to Nikon models, designed to work with RAW. The program provides a step-by-step reproduction of the entire process of processing an image in NEF format, with the ability to cancel changes at any time or save intermediate results. The entire interface of the program is based on special "control points", each of which stores individually selected settings that provide the best color correction. The degree of change of all data is controlled by special sliders, which not only make, but also track all the changes that occur. In addition, there are full-fledged tools for all kinds of defect correction. This is one of the best photo editing software out there.

One of the most important advantages of this RAW converter is full-fledged work with "floating points", which has a beneficial effect on the transfer and reproduction of more natural colors. In addition, numerous editing tools for color, sharpness, brightness, noise reduction and more include profiles taken from real films. Of course, the program is not simple and requires certain skills.

Here is a small list of programs that will help you get the most out of your photos, show the beauty of the world around you and capture the most unforgettable moments. Which one to choose - decide for yourself, they are all worthy of attention even by professional photographers. Many of these programs are paid, but most often they are worth the money they ask for, given the result that they allow you to get.

Other materials:
How to work in Lightroom? (video)
How to learn to take good pictures?
Camera for beginners

As you know, many photographers and sympathizers are gradually starting to switch from JPEG to RAW format (Canon - .crw / .cr2, Nikon - .nef, Pentax - .pef, etc.) The advantages of this move are obvious - you can make changes to the file and then return all to their original positions if necessary; pull up the details from the shadows, “press down” the highlighted areas and so on and so forth. Well, what am I writing, only the lazy did not read about it.

But there is also such an open RAW format as DNG (digital negative). It is officially supported by Adobe; it is free and some manufacturers of photographic equipment (from widespread, in different areas, however, - Samsung, Hasselblad, etc.) have switched to it. Adobe provides a converter for free that allows you to convert RAW "s of cameras from any manufacturer to DNG. There is also a conversion function in Adobe Lightroom.

Question: How justified is it to convert RAW files to DNG? What does it give in practice?

Answer: I switched to DNG a long time ago and I'm not going back. Which is what I advise you. I explain.

Save space: When converting RAW "s from Canon cameras, files are compressed by 20-30%, from Nikon - up to 50-55%, etc. At the same time, all file properties are preserved and they remain editable. Such space savings are justified when you need to store large (by server standards) volumes of raves Yes, it’s not a problem for a home PC to buy five more disks, but when many tens of thousands of files lie and are processed on the server, and all this economy is stored on hard disks connected via a fiber channel, it already begins to affect cost factor.

Preservation of file properties: Settings and previews (and, if desired, the original file) are written to DNG and can be extracted from there if desired.

Versatility: If the latest Photoshop with the latest RAW converter is not installed on the computer, RAW "s parts modern cameras are simply not supported (by the way, this may come as a surprise, but it is closed-proprietary file formats that die out and cease to be supported, and not open ones). For example, from the camera that I mainly shoot now (Canon EOS-1D Mark III), or from the more budgetary Canon EOS 40D, files in Photoshop CS / CS2 cannot be opened even with the latest Adobe Camera RAW. Like it or not, buy and install CS3, and DNG opens with a bang. Such pies. By the way, DNG is also supported by many free file viewers.

Uniformity: The uniformity of the array of files also makes sense - for me, for example, RAW "s of completely different Canons, Fuji, Nikon"s and other rascals pass in a constant stream. And all in their own formats. And everyone tries their own settings for each file write everywhere I hope the idea is clear.

Further explanations can be found at openraw.org and adobe.com/dng.

Any more or less advanced camera allows you to shoot not only in JPEG format, but also in a “raw” format, also known as RAW format.

In everyday life as soon as it is not called. Connoisseurs of English correctly pronounce "ro-format". The slang name "Rav" has settled almost everywhere.

The structure of a RAW file is highly dependent on the specific camera model. Even from the same manufacturer, different camera models produce different RAW files. Therefore, usually a RAW file cannot be opened by any standard program to view images - for this, the program must know hundreds of different formats from hundreds of camera models. You need a special program.

By the way, the RAW file extension is also different. Canon has CRW and CR2, Nikon has NEF, Pentax has PEF, Minolta has MRW, etc.

Why such hemorrhoids? Why do we need a "raw" format at all? The fact is that you can get a much better photo from a RAW file than from a standard JPEg file. What does "higher quality" mean? That means less digital noise, better colors, better detail in highlights and shadows.

The payoff for higher quality will be additional manipulations with the converter program.

If you are satisfied with the quality of the JPEG format, then do not bother with the raw format

So, how to convert RAW files to the familiar JPEG and TIFF graphic formats?...

There are a whole bunch of programs of varying degrees of complexity, cost and quality of results.
Below are the most popular (and therefore the highest quality). I immediately warn you - the best converter does not exist. Each converter has its own advantages and disadvantages. All the converters mentioned here give excellent results in their own way (if used correctly). If you do not know what to look at, look at the appearance. Also not the worst selection criterion.

Adobe Camera RAW (ACR)

It is an integral part of the latest versions of Photoshop, starting with Photoshop CS. It can be updated like a normal plug-in. ACR is triggered when trying to open a RAW file in Photoshop. Supports a large number of cameras, including new models.

So, if you have Photoshop, then you don't need anything else. ACR converts RAW files pretty well. I used it for a long time and was quite satisfied, but eventually switched to Capture One(according to points C1 still better).

When converting files Adobe Camera RAW allows you to correct image imperfections. For good shots, this is not essential, but too dark or too light pictures, unsharp, with a color imbalance, can be “pulled out” and turned into candy. Not always, however.

What can be done:

In general, if you “pull the mustache” of ACR, then you can extract quite acceptable quality from a not too good original, and then polish the image in Photoshop itself.

Adobe Lightroom

This is a specialized "full cycle" program aimed only at working with photos. It can be used as a photo cataloger, RAW file converter, image editor and slideshow all in one.

Some photographers I know quite rightly rave about this program. We can say that this is a Photoshop cut down only for working with photos, supplemented with the functions of a photo library.

The cost of Adobe Lightroom is much lower than that of its older brother, Photoshop, and is about $300.

Apple Aperture

Works only on Apple computers under operating system macOS. Under Windows does not work in principle. Therefore, for the vast majority of Russian amateur photographers, it is not interesting.

One of the most convenient interfaces and a very good quality of results (for the latest versions). Plus, the sane price is about $350.

Like Adobe Lightroom, this program is a complete solution for the photographer "in one bottle"- file manager, RAW converter, photo editing program and slide show.

Bibble Labs Pro

Bibble is one of the oldest converters, its first version dates back to 2000. Bibble can work both under Windows, and under MacOS, and under Linux.

Bibble is slightly inferior to Adobe Camera RAW in terms of the number of supported digital cameras, so check the manufacturer's website to see if your camera is listed.

Bibble's signature feature is batch conversion.

(Batch conversion or Batch Processing is the processing of a large number of photos at the click of a button).

Almost all converters have batch processing, but only Bibble works with a large amount of photos very quickly, giving a consistently high-quality result. 90% of pictures converted with default settings will look great. I don't know what the joke is, but according to reviews, the main advantage of Bibble is its intelligent automatic processing algorithm.

Bibble works very well with overexposed and underexposed areas of the image, "pulling out" as much detail as possible. Also Bibble has one of the best denoisers.

The price of the Pro version is quite adequate - $130.

DxO Optics Pro

According to the developer, the advantage of the latest version (5.0) is a completely redesigned color interpolation technology, which provides “the best result in terms of detail and color reproduction”. this is one crown piece.
Another key feature of DxO Optics Pro v5 is a brand new digital noise suppressor that works early in the conversion process, preserving more detail.

A very useful function of the converter is the technology for removing traces of dust on the matrix and artifacts. It works in much the same way as the automatic red-eye correction tool. It is enough to click on the area with the artifact, and it is immediately “smeared” by the program.

The cost of the Pro version is $170, the Elite version is $300 (the difference between the versions is in the class of compatible cameras - cool DSLRs like the Canon Mark III will require the Elite version).

Lens-specific downloads are available. This feature of the program increases efficiency in automatic processing - the converter automatically tracks which lens the frame was taken with and adjusts the conversion parameters accordingly.

This leads to one of the main advantages of DxO Optics - in good batch processing results. The developers have paid special attention to automatic functions that allow you to achieve high-quality results without user intervention (elimination of optical distortions, color settings, exposure compensation).

Here you can see the features of version 4.5:
http://www.ixbt.com/soft/dxo-optics-451-1.shtml
(I have not yet found a clear overview of version 5.0 - without advertising hype and loud statements).

Lightcraft LightZone

LightZone is a "full cycle" program that provides not only RAW file conversion, but also full processing capabilities for RAW, TIFF, JPEG and DNG files. The cost of the full version for Windows and MacOS is $250, and for Linux the program is distributed free of charge.

LightZone takes a "visual" approach to working with images. All operations are carried out in 16-bit representation, which ensures maximum preservation of information in the image. The program allows you to work with layers and masks, and also has several unique tools that are not found in other image editing programs.

As an archiver/cataloger, LightZone is way behind Aperture, Picasa, and Lightroom.

But a distinctive feature of LightZone is a set of processing “styles”: High Dynamic Range (HDR processing), Contrast and Pop (in the style of pop art), Lomo Look (lomography) and others. Styles are not just a set of specific options. When you select one of the presets, an automatic processing algorithm is launched that takes into account the properties of the source file, even when batch processing is in progress. Styles can be combined into groups (folders) and even shared with your colleagues.

Overview of program features:
http://www.ixbt.com/soft/lightzone1.shtml

Official page of the program:
http://www.lightcrafts.com/products/index.html

Nikon Capture NX

A very good program for converting NEF files, it also works with TIFF and JPEG. Supplied with Nikon D300 and D3 SLR cameras. Supports all Nikon digital cameras released over the past few years that have RAW mode. Without a camera costs about $200.

Capture NX allows you to mark individual areas of an image and perform complex masking or layer processing.
The program has standard means optical distortion correction (aberration, vignetting, barrel effect), exposure (curves, levels), colors, noise reduction, etc.

The functionality of the program can be extended using the Color eFex Pro filter plug-in from Nik Multimedia.
A description of Nikon Capture NX functionality can be found on the manufacturer's website. Make adjustments for the objectivity of the manufacturer :)
http://www.nikon.ru/product/ru_RU/products...0/overview.html

Phase One Capture One Pro

One of the most famous pro converter in circles. It costs very well - $500. In terms of compatibility, it is inferior to Adobe Camera RAW or LightZone, as it is aimed at "professionals" with "professional" cameras.

The bad news. It does not work too fast (a few minutes to process one photo). At default settings, it does not give the best results.

Good news. If you work with each image individually, you can get great results.

The noise filter is quite simple, so it's better to work with noise after conversion in a good editor, for example, in Photoshop.

Silkypix Developer Studio

Converter from Japanese developers. Supports a lot of cameras, DSLRs and compacts - about 120. License price - $150.

Silkypix has a large number of white balance and sharpening presets. Therefore, those who feel insecure with color correction and other manual manipulations will surely find something suitable among the offered ready-made options. For connoisseurs, there is the possibility of fine-tuning color, exposure and noise reduction, including separately for color channels and brightness, which often saves small details.

Selected conversion options can be saved as individual user preferences (Tastes), and then applied to other images.

Silkypix version 3.0 is one of the best converters in terms of image detail. Another advantage of the program is consistently accurate color reproduction when using the default settings.

What else?

I think you are already tired of reading about converters. Here are some more worthy programs, and I'll wrap it up.
So it's worth mentioning:

ACDSee Pro 2 from company ACD Systems
Official product page:
http://store.acdsee.com/DRHM/servlet/Contr...ductID=78701700

UFRaw is a free program.
"Official" page of the program:

Digital Photo Professional(DPP) from the company Canon
Description
http://www.ixbt.com/digimage/canon_dppix.shtml

Oh... You won't believe it, but I actually forgot about one of the most interesting (and free!) converter-catalogue-editor-managers. it Google picasa -

Whatever converter you use, I recommend installing Google Picasa. It helps a lot when searching for pictures scattered across hundreds of folders. It converts well from RAW to JPEG (it doesn't know how to TIFF).

As an editor, this program looks rather strange, and I personally do not like it. I would say that this is for chickens to laugh at. I would say ... If not for one of my friends - a photographer Elena Onishchenko. She uses "picas" when processing her photos. And here's what happens:

You can see more of her work here:
http://www.photosight.ru/users/66659/
As far as I know, all processing is done by picasa.