Re: Which camera settings alter the pixel data of raw files?
All of which is only done in camera when set for JPEG output otherwise it's done later in the conversion software. A raw file is a data file not an image file - it only becomes an image file when run though software such as DPP or Adobe Camera Raw or similar. This is why a raw file can be reprocessed many different ways with far less degradation than a JPEG or TIFF, unlike those files the luminosity data is as recorded off the sensor, not fixed as colour channels, and can be non-destructively recalculated over and over again for different exposures, white balance noise etc. Once converted to a 3-channel image these values are effectively fixed and subsequent manipulation is more limited as extreme changes can degrade the data by over compressing, over expanding or adversely biasing the data leading to unwanted artefacts.
This is not to say that raw files have unlimited leeway - if you over or under expose 3 or 4 stops for instance and try to pull it back you will get noise and colour distortion issues. Raw capture is not an excuse for bad technique but a way of refining the output according to your requirements not those of the firmware engineer who created the various picture style presets...
Originally posted by neonlamp
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This is not to say that raw files have unlimited leeway - if you over or under expose 3 or 4 stops for instance and try to pull it back you will get noise and colour distortion issues. Raw capture is not an excuse for bad technique but a way of refining the output according to your requirements not those of the firmware engineer who created the various picture style presets...
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