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The first step in processing raw digital images is to evaluate your image. Chances are, the first time you really view an image — other than the thumbnails in Adobe Bridge — is through the Camera Raw preview. When you first open an image in Photoshop's Camera Raw, Auto Adjustments are automatically applied for the Exposure, Shadows, Brightness, and Contrast controls. (That would explain why your raw images actually look pretty good!)
 | If you want to see what your image looks like without Auto Adjustments, press Ctrl+U (Command+U on a Mac) to toggle Auto Adjustments on and off. |
For the most part, Auto Adjustments work pretty well to get started for many of your images, and you can view images with Auto Adjustments applied when evaluating for further adjustments.
To evaluate images, follow these steps:
1. Open an image in Camera Raw.
2. Make sure Auto Adjustments are turned on.
You can either press Ctrl+U (Command+U on a Mac) or click the Camera Raw menu and choose Use Auto Adjustments.
3. Check the Preview, Shadows, and Highlights check boxes (which are located along the top of the window, above your image).
To make sure your adjustments will be viewable later, make sure the Preview button is checked. Also make sure the Shadows and Highlights check boxes are checked; you'll want to know if any clipping is present when you evaluate the image.
4. Evaluate white balance.
Look at the image and evaluate whether or not there is a blue or yellow cast to it. If so, you'll need to adjust the white balance of the image.
5. Evaluate exposure and shadows.
Check to see not only whether the image appears underexposed or overexposed, but also whether the shadow or highlights lose definition. This is where adjustments can get tricky.
When evaluating an image, enlarge the Image Preview so you can check more closely for clipping. Use the Zoom tool to enlarge the image from 100 to 200 percent, and then check the shadow and highlight areas.
6. Evaluate brightness and contrast.
Almost all raw images will have a need to have the contrast increased. Auto Adjustments will make these adjustments to an optimum setting.
7. Evaluate saturation.
 | Auto Adjustments don't affect saturation; when it comes to judging how much color you'd like to introduce into the image with the Saturation control, you're on your own. Often you can saturate to taste (so to speak), but be careful; oversaturation "blows out" parts of your image with too much color intensity. Pay special attention to the red and yellow areas; these colors are often the first to become oversaturated. |
8. Check for sharpness and noise.
When you're working with raw images, it's easy to overlook the controls that aren't in the other control tabs. The same goes for evaluating your image, so follow these steps:
• a. Click the Details tab.
• b. Slide the Sharpness control slider all the way to the left.
• c. Enlarge the image in the Image Preview by clicking the Zoom tool, or by pressing Ctrl++ (that's the plus-sign key on your keyboard). You press Command++ on a Mac.
• d. View your image enlarged and check it for sharpness and image noise.
You can view an image in Bridge, but until you open it in Camera Raw and zoom in, you won't know whether the image is sharp enough for you to know if you even want to proceed.
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