Viewing RAW Images
A RAW image is similar to a photo negative. When you take a photo, your camera captures all the raw data that makes up the image. This includes an embedded JPEG so that you can preview the image. As with a photo negative, you must develop your RAW file to view the photo.
When you double-click the thumbnail of a RAW image in Manage mode, ACDSee Professional checks to see if you have previously developed the RAW file. If you have, ACDSee Professional displays the developed photo in View mode. If you have not, ACDSee Professional does one of the following:
- If you have selected the Embedded preview radio button on the General page of the Options dialog box, ACDSee Professional displays the embedded JPEG, created by your camera when you took the photo. This is the default setting.
- If you have selected the RAW decode radio button on the General page, ACDSee Professional quickly develops the RAW file and displays a temporary photo of the RAW file.
When you zoom in on your undeveloped RAW image in View mode, if you have selected the Embedded preview option, and if you zoom past the resolution of the embedded JPEG, ACDSee Professional quickly develops the RAW image so that you can see the image at that zoom level. When View mode changes the display from the embedded JPEG to the decoded RAW image, you might see a change in the color, light, or detail of the image. This is due to a difference between the settings applied by your camera to the JPEG and the settings used by ACDSee Professional to develop the image. Since different camera models apply different color, light, and detail settings to embedded JPEGs, these settings do not always match the settings used by ACDSee.
ACDSee will automatically apply geometry corrections to DNG files that include geometric distortion correction tags. DNG files created from the Adobe DNG Converter© will often generate geometric distortion tags for micro 4/3rds cameras.