| Joined: | Thu Apr 12th, 2012 |
| Location: | Sausalito, California USA |
| Posts: | 616 |
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ACR is no longer the requirement it once was.
I came across a number of raw converters when adobe was so slow to update ACR for the fuji x cameras. Unfortunately, I have not bought a Nikon new enough to need other apps - the last I bought was the D800 and that was quite recently.
In addition to the items that JK listed, I have found and use:
Silkypix (free for fuji and paid for other raw formats)
Free ware RAW CONVERTER
Raw Photo Processor (RPP)
Apple Preview
Raw photo converter
Xn view
These are only Mac apps, if you do a web search on RAW CONVERTER, you will find dozens for windows and mac (from $15 to $150 with trials). Silkypix is really one of the very best output apps but it takes some getting used to - worth the effort, I think.
Once converted - a number of apps can do most editing:
Snapseed is one of my favorites
Plugins are more important to me than just the PS editing:
NIK plugins all work with aperture as well as LR and Ps
about 6 months ago, I started using OnOne Perfect Photo Suite - this works as a plugin to PS, LR and Aperture and also runs as a standalone. The standalone is better in some ways than PS. Perfect layers is much simpler and I more powerful than PS layers and can only be used in the standalone mode, so I find myself using the whole app as much as PS already.
Of course Capture One is probably the primary alternative for many, but I really don't like any of the apps that require a catalog (Cap one and LR).
The one major impediment long term is what file format to use... I've not listened well when some of you ranted against PSD files in favor of DNG or TIF and now I have all my files as PSD. So far this isn't a problem opening old files but I'm toying with changing all of my new files to TIF only...we'll see.
Keep in mind that this is still pretty theoretical...CS6 is still on my machine and as long as I can convert raw files from nikon and fuji with SOME app, I can edit them in PS and/or PPS and I'm right where I am today.
I have to believe that a few of the adobe competitors will ramp up in the coming months - competition will be good for us and adobe has sure invited it.
Tom
____________________
Tom O'Connell
-Lots of people talk to animals.... Not very many listen, though.... That's the problem.
Benjamin Hoff, The Tao of Pooh