Photo Manager, Camera RAW Lab, and Picture Styles

[WarCry]

Good evening, one and all!

I'm new here, but I'm a long-time user of Paint Shop products, way back to the time before Corel even took over. I have a question on the software I'm hoping some of you experts here can help me with.

I shoot in RAW (.cr2) on my Canon 7D. I really like the use of TechniColor Cinestyle picture profile, but that's where I run into a problem. When I load up the images in PSP and start flipping through them in the Manage screen, the software reads the images as-shot in camera and then immediately re-renders them and starts filling in colors and such from the RAW data file. Another example is if I shoot in the Monochrome style (B&W), the software converts it to color when it loads.

This isn't specific to PSP. It happens in Adobe software, also. PSP is just my 'go-to' editor.

So, the question is, is there a way to turn off this auto-correct/render function so that the software reads the image - including the picture profile info - the way I shot it? Or is there no way to override the software translation of the RAW file?


Thanks in advance!

--Mike

[MarkZ]

Mike, how does the Canon software that came with the camera handle the in-camera effects?

My understanding is that a RAW file/image is like a negative from the days of film, which suggests that a RAW file would contain information before the in-camera effect is applied and that is what external programs (PSP) would look at. I don't know if the effects are added to the basic RAW data and outside what the program reads or if there is a separate file like XMP created. Just speculating.

[photodrawken]

(...) so that the software reads the image - including the picture profile info - the way I shot it?

I don't think you quite understand what shooting RAW images means. MarkZ correctly explained what happens -- a RAW image is the raw, unprocessed data that (as near as possible) is what is captured by the camera's sensor. By definition, no additional effects are applied and since the camera's sensor is capturing colour information (unless you've spent several thousands of dollars for the Leica Monochrome) you're going to get the raw colour data in the RAW image.

[Forriner]

Canon does indeed give you a choice of what they call Picture Styles and Nikon and other manufacturers probably have their own equivalents.

With picture styles you influence any JPEG images made: contrast, color, saturation etc. My Canon has, out of factory, Faithful, Portrait, Landscape and a few others that I can choose from and edit if I want (sharpness, contrast etc.)

To make a raw file, your camera uses the chosen picture style to make the JPEG thumbnail (and the JPEG photo if you choose that option in camera) that it includes in the raw file. It also uses it for the histogram it can show on screen. But it records colour data, even with a B/W Picture Style.

When you open your raw file in Canon's DPP it uses the thumbnail to show the first rendering and then, knowing the picture style, it applies that to the raw data so you shouldn't see any difference. In DPP you can apply a different Picture Style if you want, or just edit from scratch.

PSP and others however, don't know the picture styles, so they show you the thumbnail while opening the file and then they render the raw data in their own way.

And yes, the raw data is always colour data.

[hartpaul]

Warcry said So, the question is, is there a way to turn off this auto-correct/render function so that the software reads the image - including the picture profile info - the way I shot it? Or is there no way to override the software translation of the RAW file?

Yes load the jpg rather than the Raw file.
The raw file is not changed . The image you see is the jpg producesd by conversion of the raw file.