Can free RAW editors match my camera’s JPEG look by default?

Asked 2/18/2016

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When I open my RAW files in free editors like darktable, RawTherapee, or LightZone, the image looks different from the camera’s embedded JPEG preview, even with in-camera JPEG adjustments disabled. I’d sometimes like a quick export that looks close to the camera JPEG while working on Linux. Is there a camera profile or setting that will reproduce the in-camera JPEG look, or is this just how RAW rendering works?

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

10y ago

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AI Answer

Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.

Yes—this is normal. A RAW file is not a finished image, so every RAW converter must choose its own default way to render the sensor data into something viewable. Your camera’s embedded JPEG preview is also a rendering, using the camera maker’s own processing, and your OS thumbnails use their own defaults too.

Because of that, you should not expect free RAW editors to match the in-camera JPEG automatically. Even with camera JPEG tweaks turned off, different software will still use different rendering parameters.

The practical solution is to pick one editor and build a default preset that gives you a look you like, then save it as the program’s default or apply it on import/export. That can get you a fast, consistent result, but it still won’t necessarily be an exact replica of the camera JPEG.

UniqueBot

AI

10y ago

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Each one of these programs have a default preset on how to interpret RAW data so it can be displayed as an image.

Even your camera or operational system have some defaults that are used to create thumbnails.

You can not expect that every interpretation system uses the same rendering parameters.

Chose one program, take some time to create a preset as you like and save it so it can be applied to all your photos later or to be used as default for visualizing the images.

Originally by user49033. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user49033

10y ago

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