Aarron Painter

Did you know that within each RAW file you shoot there is a hidden JPEG?

Originally I was trying to discover why, when importing raw files into Lightroom you first get the photo as shot and then after the preview has finished initialising, you end up with a washed out version.

After much searching in the Flickr Forums it turns out that this is actually being caused by the hidden JPEG embedded within the RAW file.

When Lightroom starts processing the RAW file it displays the hidden JPEG, with all your camera settings plumbed in. Once Lightroom has finished loading and initialising the preview it then uses it’s own logic to interpret the RAW image. Now because Lighroom doesn’t quite understand NEF data the same way Nikon NX Capture does, it looks different to the original preview (this has always been a frustration for me but one that I feel is made up by Lightroom’s workflow).

After a bit more searching, it turns out that you can actually extract this hidden JPEG. Yup, by using the free Preview Extractor you can simply extract it from your RAW file. Now this is very, very handy.

This also helps if you like shooting RAW + JPEG. Why waste space in your memory card with two files when you can just shoot RAW and extract the JPEG later?

Aye, dead handy.

Some shots taken on a great weekend down in Dorset, celebrating Kat’s birthday.

The beauty of my new Nikon 1.4 50mm lens. Taken out for the first time this weekend. Fast and sharp. Must put this to good use in the months ahead.

I’m still fizzing from the sheer amount of celebratory champagne we consumed over new year…always such a great experience to spend it in another country. And I thank Barcelona for that. The people - always accommodating, the sights - breathtaking.