[Sammy]

Photoshop 7 RAW converter is a very useful toll but to the detriment of the software CS does not read .nef files ( Nikon RAW ).

[silkstone]

After much confusion and gnashing of teeth, I've settled on Bibble. The interface isn't the most intuitive although that will improve in the eagerly awaited version 5.

For me, Bibble has two great advantages...

1. With a few (free or cheap) plugins, it provides one-stage processing unless you need to do complex manipulation with layers etc. It includes Noise Ninja, perspective correction, selective colour control, clone/healing tool and good sharpening plus local contrast enhancement that normally you'd have to do in second-stage processing. So for most pics I can do all the corrections and save the final image as a low-compression JPEG, which avoids the need for intermediate TIFFs. The background processing is also pretty good, and you can process the same image in different formats/sizes by sending it to the appropriate batch queue.

2. I fell out with Microsoft earlier this year after some XP updates borked my PC, and since February I've been using Linux for almost everything. Bibble is available for Windows, Mac and Linux, so it keeps all future options open. The licence also lets you install the software on different machines using different OS's.

Another plus point is that the Bibble developers are very active on the support forums, so it's easy to sort out any problems direct with the people who write the software.

Sorry if this sounds like an advert - Bibble wouldn't suit everyone but it may be worth downloading the free trial. You can usually get an extension to the trial period if you e-mail them.

[emmettleffel]

I use DxO Pro and then finetune in CS2

[Dave Canon]

Should this poll be reset and repeated from time to time. I voted Rawshooter but have now moved on the Adobe RAW (4.1). I am sure many others will have changed over the last 12 months.

[Dabhand16]

Originally Posted by Dave Canon

Should this poll be reset and repeated from time to time. I voted Rawshooter but have now moved on the Adobe RAW (4.1). I am sure many others will have changed over the last 12 months.

Probably easier to re-name the thread 'what RAW converter did you use?'

[j sotelo]

I tried Capture One Pro but liked Lightroom 1.1 better. Capture One was a little more difficult to use Lightroom and Photoshop for me.

[P-E]

I ticked Capture One and have since tried LR & ACR 4.1 but still use Capture One

[Steve]

I am now using Lightroom 1.1 having changed from RawShooter Professional. After spending the last couple of weeks really digging around and learning some of LR's more advanced capabilities I am finding it easier to work worth, more feature rich and the output at least as good (if not better) than I was getting with RawShooter.

Maybe it is time we closed this thread and began a new one to get a better idea of what people are currently using

[j sotelo]

Theres Lightroom 1.2, thought you might want to know.

[silkstone]

Yes, and the second most popular - Rawshooter - has now passed away amid much wailing and gnashing of teeth, so I'd go with Steve's suggestion of starting again.

[Sonsey]

Originally Posted by Steve

Maybe it is time we closed this thread and began a new one to get a better idea of what people are currently using

Originally Posted by silkstone

so I'd go with Steve's suggestion of starting again.

Yep, it looks about that time dosn't it!... I'll start a new thread soon with all the converters in this poll included in the new one (we may still have some die hard Rawshooters ) and include the newer ones aswell

[Rob Barron]

I mostly stick to Adobe RAW 4.2 as it seems to handle the 40D pics 14 bit depth very nicely. I had to wait for the 4.2 release as 4.1 doesn't have the 40D included but I am very happy with its features. It is particularly good at getting details out of dark areas without affecting light areas and without needing to go for the Shadow and Highlights tool later. I had a wedding in bright sunlight which is a nightmare when ladies insist on wearing stupidly large hats and shoving shadows across their faces! This was sorted nicely by the use of this RAW handler so I am fine sticking with this.

I can't say what Lightroom is like as I haven't used it. I guess I am a bit of a lazy one on that aspect: I have one that works fine so can't be bothered to go through a new learning curve. Unless someone can tell me a good reason to do so of course :o)

Cheers,
Rob