Canon RAW Monochrome shots with iPhoto 09

[al256]

Hey all,

I've taken some monochrome shoots with my 40d in RAW but when I import my pictures to iPhoto 09 they're all in color. Finder still shows the thumbnails in monochrome but a preview of the image is rendered in color. How can I display these images in the original Canon monochrome settings?

 

[termina3]

Take them in JPEG.

By shooting RAW you're preventing the camera from processing the image data…*including taking out the color.

There may be a way to apply the camera's original settings to the RAW, and Aperture 2 does this for me automatically, but I can't help with iPhoto. Sorry.

 

[al256]

Take them in JPEG.

By shooting RAW you're preventing the camera from processing the image data…*including taking out the color.

There may be a way to apply the camera's original settings to the RAW, and Aperture 2 does this for me automatically, but I can't help with iPhoto. Sorry.

So if I bought Aperture 2, I could use my Canon monochrome settings with RAW and having the pictures displayed (with those correct) settings?

 

[FX120]

So if I bought Aperture 2, I could use my Canon monochrome settings with RAW and having the pictures displayed (with those correct) settings?

No. RAW is RAW, meaning that the camera does nothing to the data as it comes off of the sensor. All image processing (including B&W processing) is done by the image software on your computer.

Either way, I've always thought that shooting B&W on a color digital camera was a tad bit retarded. If you want B&W, do it in post, it takes about two seconds, and with batch you can do an entire group of photos in seconds. And you're not limiting yourself this way, 10 years down the road you may regret not shooting in color.

 

[termina3]

So if I bought Aperture 2, I could use my Canon monochrome settings with RAW and having the pictures displayed (with those correct) settings?

First, I agree with the poster right above me in saying that you should consider shooting in color and converting later.

Second, I know that I can pick up my Nikon RAW settings in Aperture, but I don't remember how I did it. Aperture 2 is available as a 30-day trial; try it, see if you like what it does. As a user of Aperture though, I'd also suggest you look at Lightroom too.

 

[moofgoot]

So you're basically asking if it's possible to import the colour profile that the camera displays it with, and use that to determine the develop settings?

The Canon only has 4 or 5 filter settings and is therefore far more limited than Aperture's or Lightroom's monochrome processing tools. But if you really want to do it from the camera, I suggest you use the 'RAW+Jpeg' shoot mode. The B&W will be fixed in the Jpeg, and then you can tweak the RAW to match and make a preset.

 

[OreoCookie]

Your confusion is caused by the fact that there is no bw RAW. RAW files take the data straight from the sensor -- which is always in color.

If you apply a monochrome filter, then only Canon's own RAW software will use Canon's bw preset for rendering the RAW files (in black and white). Note that everything is still in color and you can change the preset to anything you'd like in the RAW converter.

So you have three options:
(1) Shoot jpg. The raw sensor data is then converted using the in-camera settings.
(2) Use Canon's RAW converter (which takes more time and you will still end up with a RAW in color and a bw jpg).
(3) Shoot in color and convert to bw afterwards. From a photographic point of view, this gives you the most options, because you're not limited by the in-camera settings.