Camera settings

[ChrisM]

I have a Sony A300 and I shoot almost exclusively in RAW. When I go in to my menu I am also able to choose several options or styles I can have in any format (jpeg, fine RAW ect) these settings are, standard, vivid, BW, Port, Land, Night, Sunset, and AdobeRGB What is Adobe?I am new to photography but everything I have read says shooting in RAW captures more of what you are photographing. If this the case then why are theses other settings available when in RAW? How do they help a RAW photo? Should I use all them when photographing the subjects the name works with ie.. Land when shooting a landscape, night when its, well nighttime ect...or Standard or Adobe. Will it matter, is RAW just that regardless of these settings? I'm sure my question is clear as mud, hope yall can help me out? Thanks

[Traumuh]

When you shoot in RAW the picture style effects the image you see on the review screen, but not when you convert the RAW file. On Canon I shoot in Neutral. Adobe RGB is a color system option that you set through a different menu on Canon, so I have no idea why that is mixed in with the picture styles.

[ChrisM]

So when shooting Raw none of these setting give or take away from the photo or just shooting in standard RAW?

[Edd]

Hang on am I missing something here.

I have various setting similar to this on my 40D and as far as I'm aware they do affect raw image.

EG portrait will enhance skin tones, landscape capture/highlight more greens and blues, neutral well no added effect etc.

Are we saying that when shooting raw these settings won't affect the image ????

Ed

[ChrisM]

That's exactly what I am hoping to find out. Also what setting do yall use when shooting RAW, is it standard or do you use all the color settings for different pictures?

[Traumuh]

If you shoot in RAW you can change the picture style in post production.

[ChrisM]

I just got back from taking some photos and I played with all the different color settings, on my camera in the picture and the histogram there were some very noticeable differences. Guess I should have probably checked for myself before posting this question huh. Well now I know.

[Bonish Photo]

I'm not 100% positive on this answer as I, like Cameron leave my camera set to Neutral because I know I'm going to be making the cahnges myself in the Post-Processing of the image.

But I think if set those various settings and shoot in RAW, it's sort of like having some presets in your post editing program, but its just that, presets. Shooting in RAW Still allows you the freedom to change them even more, but they're just that, presets.

If you shoot in Jpeg, you have these set as Presets, but you dont have the availability of change the image as much afterwards without doing serious changes to the file itself

[gldiana]

This is the way it works (I also leave my settings on Neutral, but I have experimented with other ones, especially B&W with great results):

If you use one of the Picture Styles (that's what Canon calls them, others call them Scene Modes or else) the modification is PERMANENTLY recorded on the JPG (Remember that a JPeG is a "developed" image, while a RAW is an image "before development." If you shoot a RAW with that setting you will see the chance in the RAW image on the editing software BUT it will not be permanent, you can reverse back to the RAW before any modification by choosing "As Shot" or similar setting in your software.

[ChrisM]

I wondered if I'd be able to take them back to a neutral" setting or add or take away from them the same as if I shot in the "standard" setting. Thank you for yalls help! I'll be in Colorado shooting all day tomorrow and won't be home in Utah until Saturday before I can look at them on my monitor. So knowing I won't really affect them in other modes of RAW is great!

[Edd]

I've always used these picture style settings, landscape for landscapes, portrait for portraits and standard for everything else.

I'll try neutral, as I'm starting to get to grip with elements maybe I'll see a slight improvement somewhere.

Ed