The Canon EOS Digital Rebel XS/1000D Companion

Processing Your Raw Files

When you're done shooting, copy your raw files to your computer using whatever technique you normally use for JPEGs. If you're using a version of Photoshop or Photoshop Elements, Aperture, Lightroom, or iPhoto, then you'll be able to work with your images just as if they were JPEGs. The browser functions built into these applications will be able to read the files (assuming they've been updated with XS support) and display thumbnails. iPhoto, Aperture, and Lightroom let you use the same editing tools that you use for JPEG files when you edit a raw file. However, some of these tools, such as white balance, will have far more latitude on a raw file than they do on a JPEG. These editors will also provide additional tools when working with raw files, such as highlight recovery tools. Consult the documentation that came with your image editor to learn more about editing raw files.

Canon's Digital Photo Professional Application

The Digital Photo Professional application that's bundled with your XS is a full-powered raw converter. While it's slower than many competing programs and lacks more advanced workflow features such as a good browser, it does let you process and save your raw files, and it provides support for picture styles—something no other raw converter offers. And it's free. For more on DPP, see the bonus material on www.oreilly.com/catalog/978059620861.