Increased interest in Adobe Camera RAW

I have been noticing a lot more talk about camera RAW in the forums of late. More and more people are asking about what it is and how they can use it. Steer your browser over to Google Insights interest in "Adobe Camera RAW" is roughly three times what it was just a few years ago. From the graph we can see the steady growth of interest in the last few years, culminating with the introduction of Adobe Camera RAW 6.2 in the newest version of Lightroom.

What amazes me most is the fact that so many people, brand new to photography and barely able to work the buttons and dials properly, are asking questions about RAW processing. I don't fault anyone for wanting to make better images, but I have heard enough people complain about how their jpg images look better than their RAW images that I wonder at the wisdom of attempting such a technique laden process at such an early stage in the photographic journey.

I have done a good deal of mountain biking and I often hear people talk about courses that are very "technical." Like the neophyte camera bugs I ventured boldly into these 'technical' areas ignoring the advice of those more experienced. However, I quickly learned that in mountain biking "technical" is a euphemism for "insane" and venturing onto the technical course can have immediate and painful, even life-threatening, consequences.

Not so with Camera RAW. People venture into these technical waters with impunity. And why not? All of the adjustments are parametric so no matter how badly you mess things up you can always go back to the starting point and try again. There are no painful consequences, unless you consider wasting time fidgeting with little dials and buttons a painful experience.

Make no mistake, I love Camera RAW and use it all the time. I have even written a tutorial on the subject for those who want to give it a try. But I am also well aware of the fact that great photography is a matter of learning to 'see' better and, as of yet, there is no software to help with that.