Trouble with Nikon RAW (NEF)

[ghughes20]

I'm looking to purchase photo editing software and I downloaded a trial version of PaintShop Pro X3. I took a bunch of RAW pictures this weekend, but when I open them in X3, the software is over-exposing the lighter portions of the image. The dark sections seem natural, but the ligher sections are fried. I don't have this problem when I open JPEG versions of previous images I've shot. I think the problem is that the software isn't associating the pictures I captured as being from a Nikon camera and may be applying a differnt color profile.

I noted from this link...

Answer Link: http://corel.custhelp.com/app/answers/d ... _id/764388

..that my camera, a Nikon D60 is supposedly supported for RAW format, however, my problem persists.

Thank you for any insight you may be able to provide.

[LeviFiction]

Some changes were made to how RAW is handled in the patches for PSPX3, so I don't know if a trial version can install the patches but I'd check for updates just to make sure. There was also some improvement to some of the RAW profiles. But not much, and it's not recommended that you use PSPX3 for importing RAW.

Something I've gleaned from reading other such topics. Since I don't use RAW myself I can only tell you what I've read and heard.

Don't use PSP to import RAW files. Apparently its RAW handling leaves something to be desired. However, the suggestions being made are to use the RAW software that comes with your camera, as it's designed specifically by the manufacturer for that camera and RAW profile, and export a 16-bit TIFF file from there. You won't lose any quality and since TIFF is a standard format you won't experience over-exposure of your image when you load it into PSP.

So for RAW PSP leaves something to be desired, but for actual photo editing I personally think PSP is a top notch tool.