RAW images in Vegas, what a pleasant surprise!

Former user wrote on 8/9/2023, 9:18 AM

It was by accident that I dug through some files with the explorer and saw my RAW images in the preview, enabled! Wow! That makes certain work flows much easier. Last I checked, not even Resolve had that feature. Rather I have to convert to an image format it can read. I do not know if there are any caveats with RAW images in Vegas, but it is so nice to just drag my RAW photos onto the timeline if needed. This will change the way I work in a positive way.

Comments

RogerS wrote on 8/9/2023, 9:48 AM

I think it's using the embedded preview so you still may want to properly process it (VEGAS isn't a raw photo converter) when you decide the image is one that you want to use.

Former user wrote on 8/9/2023, 9:50 AM

@RogerS Well...Vegas has colorgrading....so why is RAW tweakage such a stretch...?

RogerS wrote on 8/9/2023, 10:09 AM

Do as you like but if it's not at the original resolution, lacks highlight recovery, noise reduction, distortion correction and other features of a raw photo converter, I think it is best done outside VEGAS. But I'm a photographer and have my ideas about what is acceptable processing.

Being about to preview such files is useful (I've dumped DNG into VEGAS in the past).

Former user wrote on 8/9/2023, 10:11 AM

@RogerS Well, maybe some tweaks Vegas can include in the future..maybe a plugin even...

RogerS wrote on 8/9/2023, 10:41 AM

Definitely. Especially if there's proper support for ProRes raw, etc. going forward I can imagine the same capabilities applying to raw stills, too.

john_dennis wrote on 8/9/2023, 10:52 AM

@Former user

SWAG

I suspect Vegas Pro is using the output of the Microsoft RAW Image Extension. Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing is up to you. Notice the change in crop and color as the image is opened in the Windows Photos app.

/SWAG

I've been wrong before.

mark-y wrote on 8/9/2023, 11:37 AM

ARW, CR2, and DNG open in Vegas 20. They "seem" to be at native bit depth in a 32 bit float project, so they should be editable in Vegas. Not as refined as in a photo converter, but that bears further testing.

Marco. wrote on 8/9/2023, 11:55 AM

These kinds of raw image files always worked in Vegas Pro if only an appropriate decoder was installed.

The issue isn't on the decoding side, the issue is Vegas Pro does not use the raw files meta data for correct handling of color and luma.

Former user wrote on 8/9/2023, 12:05 PM

Definitely. Especially if there's proper support for ProRes raw, etc. going forward I can imagine the same capabilities applying to raw stills, too.


@RogerS @Former user Just a thought on that subject, I use my phone to film but I've always tried to buy one with a decent camera, This phone I've gad for a few mths Samsung S23 Ultra has Expert RAW creates DNG files, the first phone i've had with this built in so I'm totally new to RAW, maybe more people will start using RAW if these features become more common in cameras but i agree I'd edit this in a photo editor 🤷‍♂️

mark-y wrote on 8/9/2023, 1:13 PM

The issue isn't on the decoding side, the issue is Vegas Pro does not use the raw files meta data for correct handling of color and luma.

True.

 

Former user wrote on 8/9/2023, 3:33 PM

Maybe Vegas is not ideal for processing RAW portraits, but say if you have photos of documents for a documentary, then I am not to concerned about the staples getting the right catchlight or the highlights in the paper grain. I just want what's on the document. Vegas's RAW ability may have just saved me a lot of time...

mark-y wrote on 8/9/2023, 5:40 PM

If the RAW format image is properly lit, exposed, and white balanced, I think the distinction becomes moot. The result will be quite good.

Of course, one may also grade the raw image in a DNG converter or whatever first, if something is lacking.

Pete wrote on 8/9/2023, 8:40 PM

@RogerS Well...Vegas has colorgrading....so why is RAW tweakage such a stretch...?

You can always use Vegas Image to do your tweaks and then import back onto your timeline.

Former user wrote on 8/9/2023, 8:44 PM

@Pete Don't have Vegas Post, yet. One day...

RogerS wrote on 8/9/2023, 9:59 PM

Maybe Vegas is not ideal for processing RAW portraits, but say if you have photos of documents for a documentary, then I am not to concerned about the staples getting the right catchlight or the highlights in the paper grain. I just want what's on the document. Vegas's RAW ability may have just saved me a lot of time...

Sounds like a good use case to me.