Editing RAW

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Tried searching the forum on different areas, but couldn't find the answer. Using MacBook Pro and Fotor to edit photos. Completely new to this and I like the basics I am learning. However, I hear you can do a lot more with RAW files. I tried importing RAW file to Fotor and it won't open. Is there a free program I can use to mess with this and learn? Waiting till I get some basics down before pulling the trigger on pricy software. Thoughts are much appreciated.
 
You may want to just search the web. I'm sure there are free programs that are available. I use Cyberlink Photo Director for my editing.
 
If you are completely new to the basics of photography i would suggest to just stick with shooting JPEG's. You will really only see the benefits of RAW if your willing to put in the time to process your photos in post, but they do look great! Although not free, Adobe Lightroom is great for editing raw files but may be pretty intimidating for someone still learning.
 
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If you are completely new to the basics of photography i would suggest to just stick with shooting JPEG's. You will really only see the benefits of RAW if your willing to put in the time to process your photos in post, but they do look great! Although not free, Adobe Lightroom is great for editing raw files but may be pretty intimidating for someone still learning.
I agree. Adobe Lightroom or Bridge are good RAW editors. But for most purposes, unless you're willing to spend a lot of time, JPEGs are fine and don't look that different under normal daylight situations. The algorithms that create JPEGs are quite sophisticated.
 
I think learning something like Lightroom is worth the effort. Even if you only use some of the auto functions and templates they have, you will have much better looking photos. Then, with a little practice, there is just so much more you can to. The photography creative cloud deal they offer ($10/month) is an incredible deal that gives you Lightroom and Photoshop. That will let you edit video too.

There are a ton of photo blogs that will teach you the ins and outs of simple and fast editing. Much easier than it used to be.
 
Thanks all. I do like a challenge and will put in the time to learn and screw up and look forward to watching my work progress. Appreciate the feedback. Hopefully I can find a good photo/video editing forum. Fly safe.
 
I learned a ton (for free) from Scott Kelby's blog. Here are a couple of links

http://feeds.feedburner.com/adobelightroomkillertips
http://www.scottkelby.com/blog/feed

I also scan these blogs daily. Normally they are good for at least a few tips a week that are easy to implement.

http://feedproxy.google.com/DigitalPhotographySchool
http://feeds.feedburner.com/slrlounge

I have not found the need for forums for this, as most stuff that I need to do is on the 'easy' side of things. A quick search on "how do I xxxx in photoshop" normally returns multiple tutorials on exactly what I wanted to do. For example, I wanted to add a beard to a face in a picture I had -- 1 video and 20 min later, I had a completely realistic beard.

For the type of shots I get with my drone, I spend most of my time in the basic panel darkening skies, and lightening the ground and adjusting the color. I generally also do noise reduction and some distraction removal (e.g. remove a duck from an otherwise empty pond). All of this can be done in Lightroom, and once you are used to it, it can be done in under 5 minutes.

Good luck!
 

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