Canon EOS Rebel T2i/550D
Digital Field Guide
18
to edit images on the computer. And because the T2i offers a variety of Picture Styles
that change the way that image contrast, saturation, sharpness, and color are ren-
dered, you can get very nice prints with no editing on the computer.
The JPEG quality options refl ect the megapixels recorded for the image. At the Large
settings, images are recorded at 17.9 megapixels. The Medium quality options record
8 megapixels, while Low quality options record 4.5 megapixels.
CROSS REF
Picture Styles are detailed in Chapter 3.
RAW format
RAW fi les store image data directly from the camera’s sensor to the media card with
a minimum of in-camera processing. Unlike JPEG images, which you can view in any
image-editing program, you must view RAW fi les using the Canon Image Browser,
Digital Photo Professional, or another RAW-compatible program such as Adobe Bridge
and Camera Raw. Most operating systems, such as the Mac, provide regular updates
so that you can view RAW images on your computer without fi rst opening them in a
RAW conversion program. To print and share RAW images, you must fi rst convert
them by using a program that supports the T2i/550D’s RAW fi le format, and then save
them as a TIFF or JPEG fi le. You can use Canon’s Digital Photo Professional program
or a third-party RAW-conversion program to convert RAW images.
With all these caveats, you may wonder why you’d choose RAW shooting. The answer
is simple and compelling — RAW fi les offer the highest image quality and the ultimate
fl exibility in correcting and perfecting the fi nal image. With RAW images, you can
change key camera settings after you take the picture. For example, if you didn’t set
the correct white balance or exposure, you can change it when you convert the image
on the computer.
TIP
Canon includes its Digital Photo Professional program on the disc included in
the Rebel T2i/550D box, and that program enables you to convert RAW files.
In addition, you can adjust the image brightness, contrast, and color saturation — in
effect, you have a second chance to correct underexposed or overexposed images,
and to correct the color balance, contrast, and saturation after you take the picture.
The only camera settings that the Rebel T2i/550D applies to RAW fi les are aperture,
ISO, and shutter speed. Other settings such as White balance, Picture Style, and so
on are “noted,” but not applied to the fi le. As a result, you have a great deal of control
over how image data looks when you convert a RAW image.
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