

A regular file like a JPEG can also be edited with it, and the easiest way to do this is via the Filter menu in Photoshop (Filter > Camera Raw filter). It all adds up to unparalleled image control, so provided you start with a raw file, you can create the best possible version of your image, all thanks to the power of Adobe Camera Raw.Įven if you haven’t captured the photo as a raw file, you can still make use of the ACR interface and suite of controls. That means if you accidentally shoot with an indoor white balance setting when you’re in daylight, or slightly underexpose a shot and want to make it brighter, you can quickly address the issue in ACR and get your shot the way you intended it to be.Īnd with the Photoshop version of ACR, you can do this selectively on specific regions in the image via adjustment brushes, add effects like graduated filters, and even correct lens defects like vignetting, distortion and coloured fringing. With a raw file, all these – and many other values – are ‘floating’ and can be adjusted to give the look you want, rather than the fixed look the camera delivered. The values for the exposure, white balance, colour saturation, contrast and sharpening are all embedded in the file, and give the picture a particular ‘look’ – essentially, what you reviewed on the camera’s screen after taking the shot. With a JPEG or other ‘normal’ image format, lots of attributes that make up the image are fixed in place at the time the file is saved to the camera’s memory card. When you shoot raw files, you get the chance to change the white balance and other contrast and color settings in Adobe Camera Raw, even after you've taken the picture.
