MY CARTHow to Convert and Save a Camera Raw File in Photoshop:
This video lesson, titled “Learn How to Convert and Save a Camera Raw File in Adobe Photoshop: A Training Tutorial,” shows how to convert camera raw files in Photoshop to save them in a different format. This video lesson is from our complete Photoshop tutorial, titled “Mastering Photoshop Made Easy.”
Overview:
After making your desired camera raw adjustments in the “Camera Raw” dialog box in Photoshop, you can convert and save a copy of the camera raw file to many different formats, if desired. Popular choices include DNG and JPEG, but you can also save the image as a TIFF, Photoshop Document, or PNG, too.
However, only the DNG file type lets you save the original camera raw data and its adjustments as a file which you can open in the “Camera Raw” dialog box in the future to view and edit those saved camera raw adjustments, if desired. The other formats are just standard image file formats or the Photoshop document file type.
A DNG file, or digital negative file, is Adobe’s proposed standard format for camera raw files. A DNG file can contain both the camera raw data and the camera raw adjustment metadata that determines how it should look. You can save camera raw files as DNG files, instead of saving the camera raw adjustments as a separate XMP file. DNG files open within the “Camera Raw” dialog box in Photoshop, so you can process the raw data later, if needed.
How to Convert and Save a Camera Raw File in Photoshop:
To convert and save a camera raw file in Photoshop, click the “Convert and save image” button towards the upper-right corner of the “Camera Raw” dialog box to open the “Save Options” dialog box. If desired, to use a saved convert and save preset, select the name of the saved preset to use from the “Preset” drop-down at the top of the “Save Options” dialog box to fill-in its saved settings. To instead specify custom settings or settings you can then save as a custom preset, select the desired choices in the following sections of the “Save Options” dialog box.
Converted File Save Location Options:
To save the converted file into the same folder as the camera raw file, leave the “Destination” drop-down set to the “Save in Same Location” choice. Alternatively, to select a new folder, either click the “Select Folder…” button or choose the “Save in New Location” choice from the “Destination” drop-down to open the “Select Destination Folder” dialog box.
Then use this dialog box to navigate into the folder to set as the destination folder for the converted file. Then click the “Select” button in the lower-right corner of the dialog box to set the folder location. The selected folder location then appears below the “Destination” drop-down.
Converted File Naming Options:
The “File Naming” section lets you set the convention for naming the converted files. Use the drop-downs shown here, from top to bottom and left to right, to select the information to use to name the file from each drop-down menu. The information is added together, as shown by the plus signs between the drop-downs, to create the file name. You can leave drop-downs blank if you do not need them.
If you select any of the “Serial Number” choices from the drop-down menus, you can enter the beginning number for those serial numbers into the “Begin Numbering” field in this section. You can use the “File Extension” drop-down to select either an uppercase or lowercase file extension for the selected file type.
Converted File Format Options:
Use the “Format” drop-down to select the file type to which to convert the camera raw photo. Your drop-down selection choice changes the fields that then follow in this dialog box.
DNG Format Conversion Options:
To save the camera raw file as a DNG, select the “Digital Negative” choice in the drop-down. If selected, you can use the “Compatibility” drop-down to set the Camera Raw compatibility level for the DNG file. To select the size of the JPEG preview image to embed in the file, use the “JPEG Preview” drop-down. To embed a much smaller copy of the raw image in the DNG file to increase the speed with which the raw image is previewed, check the “Embed Fast Load Data” checkbox.
Optionally, to reduce the size and quality of the DNG file if storing the raw image for archival purposes, you can check the “Use Lossy Compression” checkbox. However, do not check this checkbox for camera raw images used for print or production. If checked, you can select the type of lossy compression to use from the adjacent drop-down menu. To embed the original camera raw file in the DNG file, click the “Embed Original Raw File” checkbox.
JPEG, TIFF, Photoshop, or PNG Format Conversion Options:
Alternatively, if you select the “JPEG,” “TIFF,” “Photoshop,” or “PNG” choice from the “Format” drop-down, then choose which metadata to include in the file from the “Metadata” drop-down. Note that even if you include the camera raw metadata for these file formats, the camera raw editing adjustments are not stored as part of these files.
To remove location metadata as part of the conversion, check the “Remove Location Info” checkbox. For “JPEG” conversion, then select the quality range from the “Quality” drop-down and/or type a quality value into the “Quality” field. Alternatively, to limit the JPEG conversion to a number of kilobytes, check the “Limit File Size To” checkbox and then enter the number of kilobytes into the adjacent field.
For “TIFF” conversion, select the desired type of compression from the “Compression” drop-down. To preserve transparency, if needed, check the “Save Transparency” checkbox. For “Photoshop” conversion, to preserve cropped pixels, check the “Preserve Cropped Pixels” checkbox.
Also, if you select the “JPEG,” “TIFF,” “Photoshop,” or “PNG” choice from the “Format” drop-down, then specify the settings for the file in the “Color Space,” “Image Sizing,” and “Output Sharpening” sections. To specify a color space profile for these conversion formats, use the “Space” drop-down. To set the bit depth, use the “Depth” drop-down. If needed, to specify the file’s intent, use the “Intent” drop-down.
Resizing and Sharpening Converted JPEG, TIFF, Photoshop, or PNG Files:
To resize these types of converted files, check the “Resize to Fit” checkbox in the “Image Sizing” section. Then use the adjacent drop-down to select the desired resizing method. Then fill-in the values for the selected resizing method, which appear below the drop-down. To prevent enlarging the file when resizing, check the “Don’t Enlarge” checkbox. To set the converted file’s image resolution, type a value into the “Resolution” field and then use the adjacent drop-down to specify the value as either pixels per inch or per centimeter.
If you want to sharpen these types of converted files based on their output destination, check the “Sharpen For” checkbox and then select the final output destination from the adjacent drop-down. Then use the “Amount” drop-down to set the amount of output sharpening to apply.
How to Save Conversion Options as a Custom Preset:
After specifying the convert and save options you want, to then save the settings as a new save and convert preset, select the “Save Custom Preset As…” command from the “Preset” drop-down at the top of the “Save Options” dialog box to open the “Save Preset As” dialog box. Type a name for the convert and save preset into the “Name” field in this dialog box and then click the “OK” button. In the future, you can then select the name of this preset from the “Preset” drop-down in the “Save Options” dialog box to instantly apply the saved settings.
Finishing the Convert and Save Process:
To convert and save the file after selecting or specifying the desired settings, click the “Save” button in the “Save Options” dialog box. In the future, after applying your desired file saving options in the “Save Options” dialog box, to bypass the “Save Options” dialog box when you convert and save camera raw files, hold down the “Alt” key (“Option” key for Macs) on your keyboard and then click the “Convert and save image” button. Doing this converts and saves the camera raw file using the settings last selected within the “Save Options” dialog box.
How to Convert and Save Files Using a Saved Preset in the Camera Raw Dialog Box:
Also note that for users who save the convert and save settings as a user preset, you can also easily save selected camera raw files using the saved preset settings in the “Camera Raw” dialog box. To save selected camera raw files using the saved preset settings, select the images to save within the “Camera Raw” dialog box. If saving multiple images, select them within the Filmstrip, as needed.
Then either click the “More image settings” button in the toolbar at the right side of the “Camera Raw” dialog box or click and hold down or right-click the “Filmstrip” button to show its pop-up menu. In either menu, then roll over the “Save Image” or “Save Images” command, depending on the number of files currently selected. Then select the name of the saved preset from the side menu of choices that appears. Alternatively, to instead open the “Save Options” dialog box, if desired, select the “Save Image…” or “Save Images…” command in this side menu of preset choices.
