This is really going to show my ignorance.

I took some pictures with the GH2 for the first time over christmas holidays. I havem't even been in the menu for still pics. Just starting taking pics. Now that I have all these pics in rw2 or raw format, what do I need to do to be able to convert them to jpeg or whatever, so I can share with the family?

PhotoFunStudio that came with the GH2 will let me view the pics but I can't figure out how to convert to jpeg. When I try to use the converter, the pics aren't displayed in the folder....I'm very confused.

Hi Tim, not to answer your immediate question, but many pros shoot in jpeg, and avoid raw.

As has been explained to me by several pros, the primary advantage of raw is that colors are easier to manipulate in post. The first time I shot in raw was also the last time I shot in raw.

That being said, jpeg is more than good enough for any casual shooter, and even works for many pros. The resolutions of the cameras now is so freakin' high that raw is just not necessary much of the time.

Anyway, you can use irfanview, but you'll need the plug in for it for raw, not sure which one. Just download Irfanview if you don't have it. It will also do batch conversions and resizing. I don't know of a paid program that is as handy and fast for photo resizing and conversion as Irfanview.

Peruse the Irfanview website for info on raw plugin.

Thanks Jeff, I'll have to get my manual back out and figure out how to change to jpeg format!!

Do you know if the program that came with the GH2 will convert to jpeg?

Tim, you dont need the manual, just go into the menu, it's not hard to find.

Anyway, the program with GH2 I have no idea. Download Irfanview, it's free, it has almost no footprint, it's better than photoshop for a number of things and extremely simple to use.

http://www.irfanview.com/

I edited my above post, but I guess I didn't post it.

Anyway, the edit said: yeah Infraview works like a charm. Jeff, your like a one man instant support crew! You da man!!

What mode do you set the dial to for pics menu?

Tim, glad you like Irfanview, it's great for resizing and stuff. I don't know if you can crop etc, with it, I use other programs to actually edit photos, but for downsizing and converting to smaller sizes Irfanview is the best.

My camera is locked away with the rest of my gear, but just hit the menu button and I think scroll down through. You can choose dimensions too. Sorry I can't be more specific.

For photos that will be mixed with photos I select the 16:9 dimension and the photos come out the closest match for the timeline.

Just to follow up a bit, yes, Irfanview will, indeed, crop the GH2 .RW2 files as well as rotate, etc. It's a great program not just because it's free.

Photoshop Elements 10 will also handle .RW2 files as will Photoshop itself, I'm sure, even though I don't have it.

I've been using Irfanview for years, and while it handles rw2 files, it doesn't do a conversion, it only extracts the jpeg that's already embedded.

The program that's included with the GH2 for RAW/rw2 files, is Silkypix. I already have Photoshop, so I never use Silkypix.

If you're happy with jpegs, then don't worry about it. If you're serious about getting more photographically out of the GH2, then it's worth the time to learn about RAW files and how to make the best use of them.

Kin, could you explain what you mean by "[Irfanview] doesn't do a conversion, it only extracts the jpeg that's already embedded."? I do a Save As and Irfanview appears to convert RW2 files to JPG. I wasn't aware there were any JPG files embedded in the GH2's raw files. Is this documented somewhere in the GH2 manual?

D

I use Irfanview to convert png to jpg and vice versa, works for me just fine.

Kin, many professional photographers shoot in jpeg. 80% (I'm guessing) of the wedding pros I know shoot in jpeg. Learning how to use one's camera settings is much more important than choosing between raw and jpeg, in my opinion.

For the purposes of what most of use do around here photo wise I can see raw a real overkill, but again, that's just my opinion.

Kin, could you explain what you mean by "[Irfanview] doesn't do a conversion, it only extracts the jpeg that's already embedded."? I do a Save As and Irfanview appears to convert RW2 files to JPG. I wasn't aware there were any JPG files embedded in the GH2's raw files. Is this documented somewhere in the GH2 manual?

D

I don't think it's in the manual, but it's common to all raw files. All raw files will embed a jpeg, that's how Winodws and MacOS knows how to preview them.

Kin, many professional photographers shoot in jpeg. 80% (I'm guessing) of the wedding pros I know shoot in jpeg. Learning how to use one's camera settings is much more important than choosing between raw and jpeg, in my opinion.

For the purposes of what most of use do around here photo wise I can see raw a real overkill, but again, that's just my opinion.

Most pro wedding photogs I know shoot in RAW - I know those numbers for sure, I shot all my weddings in RAW as well. If you don't know for sure, then you're quite likely off on those numbers.

I don't think it's in the manual, but it's common to all raw files. All raw files will embed a jpeg, that's how Winodws and MacOS knows how to preview them.

Then my Windows must be missing something because my GH2 raw images cannot be previewed with the right-click Preview which I believe runs the Windows Photo Viewer. Likewise, when I navigate into a folder with .RW2 files in it I don't see a thumbnail of the photo. Instead I see the icon below.

Any idea where my embedded JPG files went or how to get Windows to see them? BTW, I did install the Microsoft Camera Codec Pack to try to get Vegas to handle my .RW2 files.

D

Kin, I'm telling you that virtually every wedding photographer I deal with shoots in jpeg. Some shoot in raw, mostly old timers or higher end. I know this because I've asked nearly every one I've shot with, and discussed the pro and cons of each.

When I began shooting stills at weddings with my Canon 40D a while back, I asked most every photographer I shot with for nearly a year a lots of questions, everything from lenses used to what format they shoot in. Do they ever use auto settings or are they always in full manual? Which camera bracket is that you're using, why do you like the Omnibounce diffuser rather than the Gary Fong, ad nauseum. I've pestered the crap out of photographers for a good while now.

I only shoot about 40 events a year, more or less, but that still gives me a fair guess.

If you look around the net this is an old and tired argument.

Raw has plenty of advantages, but for the average Joe Blow, who give a sh_t? Most hobbyists and low end photographers are not doing prints or heavy color correction, and no one cares if you shoot in raw or jpeg.

Raw takes excessive space, and most guys don't know how to take advantage of raw's advantages anyway.

You cannot learn your camera any better by shooting in raw to begin with. Newbies and inexperienced don't even know the differences between shutter speed and exposure half the time, so why this insistence to push them into using raw? It's just unnecessary.

There is a difference between outlining the advantages of raw vs jpeg as opposed to being a "RAW snob". It's like those videographers who refuse to shoot in auto focus because they consider anyone who uses autofocus to be a hack. Same thing, no difference.

I should add that YES RAW IS BETTER. WE ALL KNOW THIS. That is not the point. I find it irritating when more "advanced" photographers needlessly push new people into advanced techniques that will only confuse and and disorient them needlessly. If you barely know how to turn a camera on, why in the world would you need to shoot in raw or in manual mode?

If you look around the net this is an old and tired argument.


Yes, its an old and tired argument, which is exactly why I've left it alone, and I won't get into it here either.

Then my Windows must be missing something because my GH2 raw images cannot be previewed with the right-click Preview which I believe runs the Windows Photo Viewer. Likewise, when I navigate into a folder with .RW2 files in it I don't see a thumbnail of the photo. Instead I see the icon below.

Any idea where my embedded JPG files went or how to get Windows to see them? BTW, I did install the Microsoft Camera Codec Pack to try to get Vegas to handle my .RW2 files.

D

It surprised me, especially since the GH2 has been around for such over a year, but the latest MS Camera Codec pack does _not_ support the GH2. See Download: Microsoft Camera Codec Pack - Microsoft Download Center - Download Details (http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?id=26829) .

I typically use Irfanview to view my GH2 rw2's, and then use Photoshop to convert. The "Save As"or "Convert" function from within Irfanview will extract the embedded jpg. Typically, I use Irfanview to extract the jpgs from the several thousand raw files after a wedding as a quick preview. Even with my quad-core laptop, raw conversion takes a few hours for that many files, but Irfanview will pull the embedded jpgs in about 15min's.

Other free software you can use to do an actual RAW conversion (gives you control over white balance, an
extra stop or two of headroom for highlights and shadows, better noise reduction etc) is GIMP or Raw Therapee. Those are two that I've used, but there are many others.

We always shoot RAW on both the Canon DSLRs & GH2. Why not? It doesn't cost anything so why not use the best quality available? The amount of disk space compared to what video uses is peanuts. I can shoot stills in RAW all day on one 32GB card. RAW files are like digital negatives. RAW has better dynamic range & I can e.g. recover details from blown highlights or properly fix incorrect white balance. It's like my XF305 & XF105 camcorders can record at 50Mbps or 35Mbps but we always use the higher rate as it's always preferable to have the best possible quality & any downside in terms of needing extra storage space on the memory cards is irrelevant.

RAW conversion on the Mac can be totally transparent if you use Preview or iPhoto. If you want to send an email with a JPEG you just drag a RAW file onto the email message & the conversion is automatic. You can also use specialised software like DXO Optics for the ultimate in high quality conversion.

I always shoot raw, and prefer it very much to just capturing JPG. I agree with everything Nigel said.

It surprised me, especially since the GH2 has been around for such over a year, but the latest MS Camera Codec pack does _not_ support the GH2. See Download: Microsoft Camera Codec Pack - Microsoft Download Center - Download Details (http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?id=26829) .

I typically use Irfanview to view my GH2 rw2's, and then use Photoshop to convert. The "Save As"or "Convert" function from within Irfanview will extract the embedded jpg. Typically, I use Irfanview to extract the jpgs from the several thousand raw files after a wedding as a quick preview. Even with my quad-core laptop, raw conversion takes a few hours for that many files, but Irfanview will pull the embedded jpgs in about 15min's.

Other free software you can use to do an actual RAW conversion (gives you control over white balance, an
extra stop or two of headroom for highlights and shadows, better noise reduction etc) is GIMP or Raw Therapee. Those are two that I've used, but there are many others.

Kin,

Yes, once I found out that the codec pack doesn't support GH2 raw I went back to the old, reliable Irfanview as my photo viewer. But I'm still confused about the raw files having JPEGs embedded in them. You said the embedded JPEG was how Windows knew how to preview the raw files. But apparently that's not the case. My experience--which I believe you confirmed--is that whether the codec pack is installed or not, I cannot preview GH2 raw files in Windows 7. Is there another reason JPEG files would be embedded in raw files?

When I use Irfanview and do a "Save As", I get a dialog offering me choices for the quality and other options for the JPEG file I'm saving. (This dialog also offers me the option of saving as a GIF file or JPEG.) Are the default setting for the "Save As" in fact how the JPEG was embedded in the raw file? Are there options I can set for the size and quality for the embedded JPEG when the photo is taken and the raw file is created in the GH2? Also, I'm trying to figure out why I'd ever need to use the GH2 option to save both a raw and JPEG file when I take a picture if there's an embedded JPEG already in the raw file. Since none of this is documented in the GH2 manual where I can find some info on this feature that is common to all raw files, as you say.

Also, what is the "Convert" option in Irfanview that you mention? I only see an "Image -> Convert to Grayscale" menu option. Does your Irfanview offer something else? Perhaps it's a plugin that I don't have.

D

Google is your friend: LUMIX RAW Codec software download | Download | Digital Camera | Digital AV | Consumer Products | Support | Panasonic Global (http://panasonic.jp/support/global/cs/dsc/download/raw/index.html)

My experience--which I believe you confirmed--is that whether the codec pack is installed or not, I cannot preview GH2 raw files in Windows 7. Is there another reason JPEG files would be embedded in raw files?

When I use Irfanview and do a "Save As", I get a dialog offering me choices for the quality and other options for the JPEG file I'm saving. (This dialog also offers me the option of saving as a GIF file or JPEG.) Are the default setting for the "Save As" in fact how the JPEG was embedded in the raw file? Are there options I can set for the size and quality for the embedded JPEG when the photo is taken and the raw file is created in the GH2? Also, I'm trying to figure out why I'd ever need to use the GH2 option to save both a raw and JPEG file when I take a picture if there's an embedded JPEG already in the raw file. Since none of this is documented in the GH2 manual where I can find some info on this feature that is common to all raw files, as you say.

Also, what is the "Convert" option in Irfanview that you mention? I only see an "Image -> Convert to Grayscale" menu option. Does your Irfanview offer something else? Perhaps it's a plugin that I don't have.

D

Hi Dennis,

The jpeg is embedded for systems that know how to read it... MS is rather dumb in how it reads RAW, since my Hyperdrive which has firmware from over 1 year ago, knows how to view the embedded jpeg. Also, when reviewing your shots using the camera, the image you see is the embedded jpeg, not the actual raw file. When you consider how long it takes to write one raw file out to the memory card (several seconds on the GH2) - reviewing is much faster, because the camera knows to just read the much smaller embedded jpeg. In other words, the camera just reads the first meg or so for the jpeg instead of the 20megs for the whole raw file.

When you choose the camera to save both a jpeg and raw, you control the size and quality of the jpeg, and you also don't need any special tools to extract the jpeg. The jpeg embedded in a RAW file is arbitrary. For example, on my old 1Ds, it's a tiny low res version, something like 640x400, even tho is a 11MP camera. On my 7D, the embedded jpeg is always 18MP regardless of whether I choose the 18MP, 10MP or 4MP RAW size.

In Irfanview, under the File menu, "Batch Conversion/Rename" is the option I'm referring to.

It's all just stuff I've learned over the past 10 years dealing with jpeg, raw, processing software etc. I have gone thru a dozen different DSLR's and have over 2 terabytes of RAW and JPEGs, so I've tinkered with the stuff a fair bit :)

Google is your friend: LUMIX RAW Codec software download | Download | Digital Camera | Digital AV | Consumer Products | Support | Panasonic Global (http://panasonic.jp/support/global/cs/dsc/download/raw/index.html)

Roy,

Thanks for the link. I see that page does *not* mention the GH2 as one of the Supported Models. Is this just a case of the documentation failing to keep up with the software? I see the date is Oct. 27, 2009 so I could easily believe this to be the case. But, in any case, this is the right codec for the GH2, correct?

D

[Update]: Spoke a bit too soon. When I tried to install this codec I get the error:

An operating system supported for this software installation is not
installed on this computer.
Installation has ended.

Do I read right on the Panny web page that only 32-bit Windows systems are supported? WTF? I'm running 64-bit and I would have guessed a lot of other folks are, too. I guess this *is* really old software. Any other suggestions?

try this: Download: Microsoft Camera Codec Pack - Microsoft Download Center - Download Details (http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?id=26829)
It doesn't mention GH2 but works with 64bit

Roy, as I mentioned earlier, I already installed the MS Codec Pack. It made no difference in which programs recognize .RW2 files as before I installed it.

D

Don't know what to say Dennis, shows up on my Win7 63bit with the MS link I sent, no problem.

Very strange. When I get some time, I think I'll uninstall/reinstall that codec pack and see what happens. Until then, I can manage using Irfanview to preview my files.

Thanks.

D