Why doesn't Photoshop read my ORF Files from my Olympus E-500 Camera?

Question

So many photographers say to use RAW images and I'm not totally convinced. For one, when I photograph RAW images the file is always in color. And, when you desaturate color images to make them B&W, it is never as nice of a contrast as when you have a B&W file to begin with.

But, I digress. The real reason I'm asking this question is that everyone keeps pushing me to work with RAW images so I started to and then I find out, my camera saves RAW images as ORF's and that is not compatible with my version of Photoshop.

Now, if I'm going to have to convert them to another file type, won't that diminish the quality of the RAW image and therefore defeat the methodology for using RAW in the first place?

Does anyone know how to point me in the right direction? I mean with JPG files I only re-save them once after retouching so the file quality is never severely diminished. Many people have the misconception that simply moving a JPG file or opening it diminishes the quality. That isn't true.

Answer 1

I'm not sure what version of photoshop you are using, but you may just need to download a newer version of adobe camera RAW, which is the RAW conversion plug-in for photoshop, without it you will not be able to edit your RAW files. Adobe camera RAW version 4.4.1 has support for your cameras RAW file extension. The only way you will be convinced of any advantage from RAW vs. JPEG, is you'll just have to use it for yourself. Most of the time, simple problems encountered like this one by people shooting RAW format for the first time, usually gets people frustrated with it altogether. The simple fact that a RAW file contains the most pixel, color, and levels information your camera can produce makes it a good choice where benefits of 16 bit depth of editing can be seen. If you are not working at 16 bits a channel, at the very least, or working with multiple adjustment layers, extracting single channel information, or blending multiple channel information, perhaps you just don't have a need to work with RAW. It isn't a requisite for most work. Some use it a lot, some not so much. When I work with it myself, I tend to do so only when I want to experiment with techniques I've never used before. Otherwise, I use JPEG, all the time. To each their own...

Answer 2

There are plenty of Raw converters available for free or very cheap, this is a very good one (leave a $5 or 10 donation to the site)



http://www.rawtherapee.com/ even has it's own browser that is kept up to date and can open virtually any Raw file.



If you open a Jpeg then manipulate the image any data not required by the manipulation will be 'dumped' and if you save as the original file name the image will deteriorate. When working with Jpeg use the original file as a 'Master' ALWAYS rename if any manipulation has been done. Just add an 'a' to the file name, anything will do as long as it's different.



The beauty of Raw files is they NEVER get written to, any corrections you make are written to a 'sidecar' file (xmp) which is like a filter through which the data is reproduced for the screen, they don't even have colour space until you define it by opening it up in Photoshop or similar, that information is held in the 'sidecar' file too.



I always save as Tiff for my final image and Psd for a 'work in progress', both of which are lossless, and I always save as 16bit.



A B&W file from the camera IS just a desaturated image usually to the Red channel.



Here is a B&W conversion method which works with most versions of Photoshop;-



Open your colour image



Open 2 Hue/Saturation Adjustment Layers.



Rename the top one 'Film' and desaturate (slide the Saturation control all the way to the left)



Rename the middle Layer 'Filter' and set the blend mode to color.



By altering the Hue slider on the 'Filter' layer you can select any channel and even in between channels to get the conversion you want.



By using the Lasso Tool selecting say the sky and feathering lots then calling up a Levels Adjustment Layer, you can alter the tones just in the sky, or the middle distance, or the foreground, whatever is selected, the Adjustment Layer will provide the mask. Don't forget to feather lots. Works best on 16 bit files as this technique really pulls a file to pieces and 16bit will maintain smooth gradations in the tones.



Chris

Answer 3

You may be using an older version of Photoshop. The newest one (version 10, actually called CS 3) reads just about all the RAW formats out there.



You can also try Adobe Lightroom, too. It's a work flow program and it works very well for me. http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3169/2315292548_25ed4f4208_b.jpg



http://www.adobe.com/lightroom



The thing with RAW files is that all the data is there. If you save it in JPG file in camera, a lot of it is discarded.



For example, this one was taken in RAW format (Canon 5D). It was on stage--and it is very difficult to "fix" had it been taken in JPG format.



http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3251/2420512804_8b25476119_b.jpg



These were also shot in RAW.



http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3282/2386299105_b5713455b8_o.jpg



http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2157/2267817852_630b671015_o.jpg



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Amber: it's obvious your link is a SPAM. Why don't you stay out of this board.

Answer 4

i download my raw into my olympus master storage and dig into that from bridge and transfer into photoshop that way. (i have an e-500 also) however there is now a photoshop raw update for cs3 (i think) that my wife downloaded and says it works...i haven't figured that part out so i'm still using bridge.

Answer 5

You should have gotten a program with your camera, an Olympus program. It works really well.