Raw 1.14

[Damien Symonds]

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Next, opening and saving

From ACR, I open the image into Photoshop. There, I save it as a PSD file.

• PSD is the almighty file format. It can support 16-bit data, extra layers, extra channels, vectors, different colour modes, etc, etc. (Please note that I do not recommend 16-bit in most cases. 8-bit is ample.)
• PSDs are uncompressed. This means there’s no risk of file damage, but it also means BIG files. Luckily, hard drives are big and cheap nowadays.
• Tiff files are (more or less) the same as PSD files. But I use PSD because it’s the default setting, therefore the easiest to use. Lazy? Yes. Sensible? Also yes. There is really no need to use Tiff files in most workflows.

Editing >>

[kathy baxley]

Just to clarify, you open the image up in PS, after adjusting it in ACR.  Then you save as a PSD file before you make any changes to the image in PS ?

[Damien Symonds]

Technically speaking, it's a good idea to save as a PSD straight away, yes.  That's the safest path.  But I don't, and I doubt many other people do either.  Usually I do a few adjustments before I remember to save as a PSD.

[kathy baxley]

Once the edited image is complete in PS and you save in PSD format.  I usually "save as" and add the word "edited" to the file name and keep the original intact...........in case I want to go back and start over with a new edit. Is it OK to do that?

[Damien Symonds]

It's completely unnecessary.  Just save it with exactly the same file name as the raw file.

[Marielene]

Lately I heard a professional photographer say that TIFF files contain more information, PSD compressed and deletes certain information. You say there's no/hardly any difference.

What about it? Thanks!

[Damien Symonds]

Actually, you might have misheard that.  TIFF is the format that can be compressed (although it isn't compressed by default).  PSD has no compression option.

[Marielene]

Oh? 
This is what I found on a forum: PSD files are usually smaller than TIFF files because the PSD format has compression built into it to make the files smaller. This is lossless compression, and doesn't affect the contents of the file - you can open it, save it close it numerous times without affecting the quality of the image it contains.

TIFF files are not as compressed (if you choose LZW compression) or aren't compressed at all if you don't compress them, and so are much larger, but contain the same information about the image they contain.

If the files are only going to be used by you, save them as PSD files, but if you're going to exchange them with other family members, the TIFF format may be better as it can probably be opened by more different software than can the PSD files.

[Marielene]

But, yes, the conclusion is that the difference isn't noticable, as you write in this course :-)

 

[Damien Symonds]

37 minutes ago, Marielene said:

If the files are only going to be used by you, save them as PSD files, but if you're going to exchange them with other family members, the TIFF format may be better as it can probably be opened by more different software than can the PSD files.

This is true, but it's pretty much irrelevant, because you can't trust that other software would be able to use the layers.

[Marielene]

Absolutely! Thanks for your feedback :-)

 

[Damien Symonds]

This is the myth you're more likely to encounter.

[LSSmith]

On 3/19/2017 at 5:21 PM, Damien Symonds said:

Oh hell no.

https://www.damiensymonds.net/2010/02/multiple-images-in-one-psd.html

*facepalm* Jeebus! All of the torture that I've put myself through for years! AAAAAAAAAaaaaaagh!

[margaretbonson]

Re-reading, and this may be answered later buuut.... 

 

So once you go from ACR to PS and save as a PSD file, can you go back into ACR and fix anything?

[Damien Symonds]

No. It's so critically important to get your raw editing right the first time.

You will read elsewhere about the Camera Raw filter within Photoshop. This is catastrophically destructive and must never be used.

[margaretbonson]

Finally, the archiving

Once I’ve completed a job, I archive the original Raw file (plus the accompanying XMP file), and the edited PSD master file.

 

 

doesn't this go against what you just commented? You save both the original raw file and the edited PSD master file... so you can go back? Sorry, I'm confused.

[Damien Symonds]

1 minute ago, margaretbonson said:

 

doesn't this go against what you just commented? You save both the original raw file and the edited PSD master file... so you can go back? Sorry, I'm confused.

No, not go back. So I can start again, if necessary.

[Damien Symonds]

This is your only "going back" option, and it has limited use: https://www.damiensymonds.net/2013/10/replacing-raw-edit-in-psd.html

[margaretbonson]

Right, I guess I meant starting over was still a possibility once you save in PSD. 

I mean, it would really suck to do a ton of editing in PS on your PSD file and then notice something you forgot in ACR (based on the article you just posted) .. I better understand now. You can go back to ACR but once you do you basically lose everything you did in PS.

[Marielene]

When I open my edited photo in ACR as object photoshop, it seems I can go back to ACR any time to make changes. Please correct me if I'm wrong :-)

[Damien Symonds]

Oh, SO wrong.

https://www.damiensymonds.net/2015/07/smart-objects-what-theyre-for-and-what.html

[Marielene]

Even when you check all you adjustment layers one by one (to avoid anarchy :-) ? (de-activate all and re-activate one by one) 

 

[Damien Symonds]

51 minutes ago, Marielene said:

Even when you check all you adjustment layers one by one (to avoid anarchy :-) ? (de-activate all and re-activate one by one)

This is so time-consuming, and so fraught with problems.  And even if it can work, it would only work for adjustment layers, not pixel ones   Cloning, for example, would need to be redone.

[Barry685]

I save as a tif. i use Amazon Prime for unlimited photo backup. AMAZON does not consider the psd format as a photo.