Mr. Westfall: question about Highlight Prio.

[Noel_Carboni]

Chuck may choose to answer, though I imagine he's in no hurry to debate raw conversion with Thomas Knoll, the author of Adobe Camera Raw (and original author of Photoshop).

What's clear is that many different looking images could be made from the same raw data by application of different response curves in the process of converting linear photosite readings into RGB color values. We've seen that first-hand in this forum with the Raw conversion challenges. Now the camera offers yet one more method involving automatic changes to the shooting parameters.

What surprises me a bit is why folks would want to set such a mode then use a raw converter... It seems to me Canon implemented HTP more with the in-camera conversion in mind (i.e., shooting JPEG). You could, as an alternative, shoot with significant negative exposure compensation, then develop your own personal response curves and slider settings in Camera Raw to accomplish much the same thing. It's time consuming to set that up, but you might well create something that sets your images off from the crowd.

-Noel

[ChuckWestfall]

Hi, Ron:

I think Noel nailed it pretty well. I wouldn't presume to debate Thomas Knoll on the abilities of Adobe Camera Raw to achieve an effect similar or identical to Canon's HTP mode when processing RAW images from compatible EOS Digital SLRs. However, HTP works on in-camera JPEGs as well as RAW images processed in Canon software such as DPP and RAW Image Task.

Under the circumstances, HTP is probably best viewed as a very powerful tool for advanced creative control that can be utilized by a wide variety of EOS owners regardless of their post-processing skill level.

[ron_purdy]

I should have been more specific. The question I meant to ask was not about Adobe per se - it concerns to what extent HTP affects RAW files and whether you believe a similar effect can be achieved with curves alone (and this question I do not believe has been answered yet.) But I don't want to beat the issue to a pulp. I'll have the camera soon enough and conduct my own tests I suppose.

Thanks again.

-ron

[ron_purdy]

Originally Posted by Noel_Carboni

What surprises me a bit is why folks would want to set such a mode then use a raw converter... It seems to me Canon implemented HTP more with the in-camera conversion in mind (i.e., shooting JPEG). You could, as an alternative, shoot with significant negative exposure compensation, then develop your own personal response curves and slider settings in Camera Raw to accomplish much the same thing. It's time consuming to set that up, but you might well create something that sets your images off from the crowd.

-Noel

I guess in a fundamental sense, the question being asked in every forum I know of, is whether Canon is simply under exposing the image, then employing curves and such (as Knoll suggests), or are they doing other things which can not be duplicated simply by manually under exposing and using one's post-production prowess on the resulting RAW files :-)