can you explain what's going on?

i just got a new olympus and was shooting in RAW+Sn(jpg). when i downloaded the photos into iPhoto, I noticed the 2 files for the same image was off. the RAW file appeared brighter and sharper then the jpg image.

why is that happening? isn't the RAW file rendered as a jpg by iPhoto so i can view it? so wouldn't they look the same? or is because the RAW file is collecting more data then the small jpg file and so the rendered RAW file will have more detail then the in-camera processed jpg?

i think it must be mostly iPhoto. i just downloaded a new set of pics in to the OV2 and iPhoto to compare and there is no real difference in tonal color between the jpg and ORF in OV2, but iphoto is still doing the same thing that is fairly noticeable.

i've also noticed how unsharp the ORF images get when looked at through iPhoto compared to the photos in OV2. but I also notice the same difference between the jpg and ORF files in OV2. the ORF file shows so much more detail and it appears a bit harsh when rendered. is this normal?

In general, the RAW and JPEG will look different: depending what settings your camera has and how you set it, the color, density, contrast and several other variables (and compression) will be adjusted in the JPEG, whereas the RAW will be completely or almost completely unadjusted. The camera manufacturer is leaving it up to you to adjust the RAW the way you like it.

I've found that about 9 out of 10 times the JPEG will look better right out of the camera, since the manufacturers have done a lot of work in optimizing the image to look good in the JPEG version. But I still shoot RAW + JPEG, because having the RAW is good insurance in case the contrast is too high and I need to adjust things. I end up choosing and editing the RAW about 1 out of 3 times, simply because I think I can do a better job overall (not sure that's really the case, but anyway...)

thanks for response. that makes some sense to me. and if I understand RAW files right, i can import them into any post processing program, even after importing them initially into a different program and not lose anything or have the the file "contaminated" by the previous program. right?

I liked the Olympus renderings better then iPhoto's, but the Oly program is painfully slow on my comp. I have LR2 and really liked it, but it looks like I need to upgrade to LR4 to import ORF files without converting them to DNG.

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Originally Posted by moschika

thanks for response. that makes some sense to me. and if I understand RAW files right, i can import them into any post processing program, even after importing them initially into a different program and not lose anything or have the the file "contaminated" by the previous program. right?

I liked the Olympus renderings better then iPhoto's, but the Oly program is painfully slow on my comp. I have LR2 and really liked it, but it looks like I need to upgrade to LR4 to import ORF files without converting them to DNG.

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Moschika - Opening a file in a program should never hurt the original data; only when saving it overtop that data will you contaminate it. I'm really not sure on Olympus RAWs though. Also, though once again I am not sure, I think most programs like LR allow you to download an update to read updated RAW formats. Maybe another LR savvy person can better answer that one, though.

Btw, Adobe was apparently aware of the issue of contamination, and not long ago they came out with something called Smart Objects in Photoshop that allows you to roll back layer adjustments. This includes resizing the images, etc., plus other things that you normally could never go back on once you saved the file. All the info is kept when you save the file. Of course, the file size will probably be larger if you use them (I haven't checked yet).

gb

Speaking of really weird raw files look at this

imgur(dot)com/xMQcdR2
What is happening can you help?

That is either a bad memory card or a hosed camera. Try another card, or maybe even just formatting this one.

Here's the image he sorta linked to, for ease of use:

http://i.imgur.com/xMQcdR2.jpg

They do seem nice and abstract. Could be a plus in the right context.

Imagine that happening to wedding shots, though :o

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Originally Posted by GB1

They do seem nice and abstract. Could be a plus in the right context.

Imagine that happening to wedding shots, though :o

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Exactly... Anyway I think it's my computer it has been acting strange lately. I imported the photos on my laptop and they looked fine.
Guess I will benefit from a trip to the apple store.
Thanks

:) I would like to thank hoodman for the trouble.