There are times when a client needs an uncorrected image straight from the camera. Often they say they need a RAW file. When I provide the RAW file they invariably come back with “I can’t open this file. I tried to rename it to jpg but that didn’t work”.
Well no…RAW is a file format, it is not just a general term for uncorrected images. Those files are not JPG’s and will not open as one. CR2 is the RAW file format for modern Canon cameras. It stands for “Camera Raw 2″ (second version of their RAW format). Nikon and others all have their own RAW format and each camera has software to handle their files. Not all software will open every version of RAW. Current and Real “Photoshop” will open most RAW files but not all. My Photoshop CS3 will open my files from my Canon 50D but will not open the RAW files from my Canon 7D.
So when one is saying they need ‘the raw camera files’, sometimes what they want is not “RAW” but ‘uncorrected JPG files’.
