# Do I need a upgrade to take better photos?



## alfanoc (Oct 21, 2016)

Hi all

I know every year there's a new camera or upgrade and unfortunately I can't afford a new camera as the Canon Mark 5D iii that I would love to get. I am not a professional photographer but have been taking photos for many years of friends and family and feel I have some talent. I'm not great but I would like to get a lot better. I've had the following equipment for awhile now and slowly trying to brush up on my skills now that I have a little more time and my children are getting older. I'm wondering if this will do in order for me to take professional looking photos. 

Canon Rebel T1i (yes, the first Rebel) 
with a EFS 18-55mm

Canon Zoom Lens Ef 75-300mm 1:4-5.6

Canon lens EF 50mm 1.4 (this is actually a pretty awesome lens that blurs the background w/ portraits)

Canon SPeed lite 430EX11

Is the above still ok, or is it just me that needs to learn to take photos out of AF mode.


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## The_Traveler (Oct 21, 2016)

alfanoc said:


> Is the above still ok, or is it just me that needs to learn to take photos out of AF mode.



yes, it's you.
sure you could spend more money but experience and effort is a better investment.
it's not AutoFocus that's the issue, usually.
Start posting images here and learn about composition, aperture choice and editing.


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## OGsPhotography (Oct 21, 2016)

They made Rebels with film. Thiught my xs was first if the line but nope. 

My advice, save for a 70-200 and put that in your T1 that would be awesome. Why not new gear is fun right and smells good too. Then gdt an older Rebel and put the new lens on, that would be F.U.N.


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## alfanoc (Oct 21, 2016)

this is what i mean... does the body of the camera matter? Or should i be investing in better lens and classes instead?


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## OGsPhotography (Oct 21, 2016)

Yes, and yes?


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## Designer (Oct 21, 2016)

alfanoc said:


> this is what i mean... does the body of the camera matter? Or should i be investing in better lens and classes instead?


Naturally, the camera body matters some, otherwise all the pros would never need to use a $6,000 camera.

However, the camera body does not matter enough for you to go into hock and buy something you can't afford.

Good lenses matter more, and good technique matters even more than good lenses. 

Start by going over everything you're currently doing.  Make sure you're not doing something dumb.  Find a local mentor who can watch you in action.  Post some photos here for critique.  Read some books.  Practice a lot.  There is much to do before you actually need a better camera body.


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## alfanoc (Oct 21, 2016)

thank you kindly, i'm actually looking for a local mentor right now and starting to read up again on everything. I just wanted to be prepared with the right equipment and have a little advice before I invested in a mentor for couple of hours.


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## alfanoc (Oct 21, 2016)

does anyone know how to make my photos smaller because I try to upload and it says the file is to large to upload to the server


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## 480sparky (Oct 21, 2016)

ANY editing software can resize images.


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## FITBMX (Oct 21, 2016)

Welcome to TPF! 
I have a T3i, and I nearly every time a photo isn't what I want it is me not my gear. And if it is my gear, it is the lens. But normally it's me. LOL
If you have $50 or so wandering around, the best piece of gear you could buy, would be a tripod. You don't need something carbonfiber, or even new. Just nice and *solid!* I have two tripods one cost $50 and the other cost $60, I got them both on Ebay. Make sure you read reviews, some that look good, aren't. So do your homework! 

Good luck and stay active on the forum.


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## Trever1t (Oct 21, 2016)

The question, does gear matter. Terminally yes. I can build a house with wood, nails and a stone but a hammer would be better....of course you'd need the experience and skills to use the tools properly. I personally feel every upgrade I bought improved my output but for sure I can produce with my first camera, a 2.5MP Oly no problem, just wouldn't be as good as my more modern gear.


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## alfanoc (Oct 21, 2016)

I took these photo using my 50mm 1.4 canon lens , how do they look, and this is using Auto Focus


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## zombiesniper (Oct 21, 2016)

Welcome to TPF.
What is the question? Do you NEED better gear to progress?
 Now don't  look at my sig line 'cause I like gear but the answer could be looked two different ways.

The quick answer.
This is what most people WANT to hear. Why yes if you upgrade from the T1I to The 1DXmk II you will have better IQ, dynamic range............

The second answer is cheaper but requires more work. Learn how good you can be with the gear you have. Watch videos, learn from a mentor and really shine.

Option one will get you quick gains that will fill a void if only for a while.
Option two will set you up to take excellent photos with everything from disposable film to the best DSLR.


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## petrochemist (Oct 22, 2016)

Your camera & lenses are capable of taking fantastic shots. Newer kit would probably give you some advantages, but setting up what you have to the optimum will make a MUCH bigger difference.
Some of your examples would look better with the subject of center - read up on the 'rule of thirds' - it works so well that many use it slavishly all the time. Your last example has the eyes on one of the thirds which strengths the shot, having a little more space in front of the boy could strengthen it further.

Personally I think it's worth experimenting with the semi-manual modes. Switching to manual focus gains a lot less than controlling aperture, but it's rewarding to have a go at each. I know some photographers who always focus manually.

Post processing is another field that will improve your images. I have a huge amount to learn myself on that. There are some excellent packages available free for editing. FastStone is my software of choice, but GIMP is more powerful (and more complex to master).


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## Designer (Oct 22, 2016)

alfanoc said:


> does anyone know how to make my photos smaller because I try to upload and it says the file is to large to upload to the server


This was copied from a post of mine yesterday:

_"I don't know very many editing softwares, but I'll tell you how mine works:

After I have finished editing, I can export a photo. When I export, I have the option of file type and photo dimensions in pixels. I say; "JPG" and "fit within 1,000 pixel rectangle". The longest side then is no more than 1,000 pixels, and the short side (if applicable) is at whatever dimension it is proportionally. I export to my desktop to make it easy to grab and drag the photo into the composition box (where I am writing this now). Then when I am ready, I just drag and drop. After you drop it into the box, a dialog will appear asking if you want a thumbnail or full size. Click full size. Then post."_

Thank you for posting some photographs.  First let me say; Cute kids!

Very common style for beginners, so you're right on track with everyone else!  Yes, I see the most common places in which to coach someone, but I won't call them "errors".  Awkward poses, missed frames, and needing light manipulation.  #3 is the best overall. 

No, please don't buy new gear right now.  If you're thinking that a mentor will laugh at your existing gear, he/she won't.  Or if the mentor does, then you've got the wrong mentor.  These people should be offering to help you at no charge, so if you're thinking that you might have to pay, my answer would be no. 

We also have a mentor-ship program right here on this site.  I forget who is doing that, but just search the forums for mentor and you'll run into them.  A local mentor is what I suggested, because he/she could look over your existing equipment to spot any obvious problems.  Also, by watching you in person, can give you pointers in the moment to give your technique an immediate boost.


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## Advanced Photo (Oct 22, 2016)

You get more good shots by taking more pictures.
Also rules are made to be broken, try not to get too caught up in creating formula photos that everyone else makes.
Most important is enjoy the shooting. If it's not really fun to do, do something more fun.
Good luck.


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## The_Traveler (Oct 22, 2016)

I know this has probably already been answered but I have a very slow connection and can't read all the others.
 Resize photos to max 900 high and 1200 wide.
That will allow the viewers actually to see the detail.
Post one or two, may be three. Otherwise comments get scattered and the comments won't be detailed.
Get down at subjects' eye level.

Try reading this  11 Tips for Beginning Photographers - How to Start Taking Pictures

Buy an upgrade when you know where your current gear is falling short.


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## Designer (Oct 22, 2016)

Advanced Photo said:


> You get more good shots by taking more pictures.
> Also rules are made to be broken, try not to get too caught up in creating formula photos that everyone else makes.


Yeah, I'm just going to go on ahead and disagree with that.  No red "X" though.

1. This could be true in the statistical sense, but on its face, that statement is analogous to the "infinite number of monkeys typing at random" meme.  I think you get more good shots by getting better.  If winning the lottery was simple, everyone would be doing it.  Most professionals don't have the time to take many thousands of shots in the vain hope that one or two will be "money" shots.  They have learned how to maximize their success rate, and can usually succeed in fewer shots, not more.

2. The threadbare saying "rules are made to be broken" leaves out one very important aspect, that of delight in the unexpected.  IMO, this will only occur if someone has actually learned the rules in the first place, and knows what rule and how to break it will lead to delight.  To simply break rules at random in the hope that something, someday will be precious, is very similar to playing the lottery and is another illustration of the infinite monkeys methodology.


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## alfanoc (Oct 22, 2016)

The_Traveler said:


> I know this has probably already been answered but I have a very slow connection and can't read all the others.
> Resize photos to max 900 high and 1200 wide.
> That will allow the viewers actually to see the detail.
> Post one or two, may be three. Otherwise comments get scattered and the comments won't be detailed.
> ...



Thank you, i'm having a little issues understanding that as well about resizing.. the pictures look horrible that i uploaded but obviously a lot more clear on my end.. i'll have to figure it out and try again... thank you again


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## alfanoc (Oct 22, 2016)

I'm testing if I did this right this time, is this photo more clear?

Noe, if I had to edit this photo, to make it better, I would do what?


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## alfanoc (Oct 22, 2016)




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## The_Traveler (Oct 22, 2016)

much better.
Notice how much empty space there was and how cold (blue-tinged) the scene was.
Start learning the exposure triangle and stop using the 'modes'.
Learn to use Aperture or Shutter preferred so you can get either the depth of field or the shutter speed you want.

Stop using on-camera flash. It blows out texture in the faces and makes hot spots.


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## petrochemist (Oct 22, 2016)

Designer said:


> 2. The threadbare saying "rules are made to be broken" leaves out one very important aspect, that of delight in the unexpected.  IMO, this will only occur if someone has actually learned the rules in the first place, and knows what rule and how to break it will lead to delight.  To simply break rules at random in the hope that something, someday will be precious, is very similar to playing the lottery and is another illustration of the infinite monkeys methodology.


Exactly

There are no rules in photography that must never be broken, but there are many that are hard to break. How do you break the rule that says the brightest parts of the image tend to draw the eye? Making an image with all parts having the same luminosity is not going to work well - you live with the rule & work with it where appropriate.  Breaking the rules effectively is done by understanding them & their effects.

Many are probably better reworded with the effect in mind, to say things like 'strong diagonal lines make an image look more dynamic'. Much more useful than the 'use strong diagonals' I've often seen in print. In making the rule punchy they've lost it's meaning. 
With a proper understanding of this 'rule' a photographer might deliberately avoid strong diagonals if they want a peaceful/relaxed image.
Including them & avoiding them are both using the rule. A dynamic image does need strong diagonals it's just one aspect that goes towards a dynamic composition.


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## alfanoc (Oct 22, 2016)

The_Traveler said:


> much better.
> Notice how much empty space there was and how cold (blue-tinged) the scene was.
> Start learning the exposure triangle and stop using the 'modes'.
> Learn to use Aperture or Shutter preferred so you can get either the depth of field or the shutter speed you want.
> ...


Thanks for that.. absolutely  see the difference now that you put the two side by side. I do see the cold tinge. The photo edited on the right, is a lot warmer, is that what I would get if I learned the Aperture modes oppose to the AF mode? Also, I don't think my flash was on, at least I hope it wasn't because I was outside, and don't recall the flash coming up. It shouldn't right?


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## Designer (Oct 22, 2016)

alfanoc said:


> Noe, if I had to edit this photo, to make it better, I would do what?


The example posted (on post # 20) is a nice group pose, but you should have gotten down a lot lower, like on your knees or even lower.  If the background was an issue, then move the group, but I think the shot would have been much better if you had lowered the camera position.



alfanoc said:


> Also, I don't think my flash was on, at least I hope it wasn't because I was outside, and don't recall the flash coming up. It shouldn't right?


IMO, this would be about the only place I would say to go ahead and use the built-in flash for a little bit of fill light.  Actually, when taking photos outdoors in sunlight, using a flash is a very good way to compensate for the sun's brightness.  What you want to do is manipulate the light/shadows to eliminate hot spots and shadows.  A flash in sunlight is the way to do that.  

If your built-in flash is too strong, then you get washed-out features instead of light/shade modeling light.


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## The_Traveler (Oct 22, 2016)

I wish people would stop referring to the 'Rules' and following them or breaking them.
The Rules don't matter.
The photographer is taking pictures in an attempt to communicate with viewers and thus must make her/his pictures understandable.
Pictures must have visual cues to tell the viewer how to understand what the photographer is saying visually.
Thus the important things must go in important places, the distracting elements should be downplayed and the elements that support the 'message' should be emphasized. 
If the photog breaks a 'rule' by doing something that is not usual, any breaking of the 'rules' should be an overt attempt to emphasize something and the picture must still be understandable.

This picture has the subject in the center (no Rule of Thirds)  but I think it works because it emphasizes that he is in the center and people are walking around him. Everything in the image should work towards the desired impression. The 'Rules' are useful but only trivial ways to express how people typically understand things  in pictures (horizons are flat, poles are upright, lines should lead to something, bright things attract)  but the Rules as a group don't  make good pictures.


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## Advanced Photo (Oct 22, 2016)

Designer said:


> Advanced Photo said:
> 
> 
> > You get more good shots by taking more pictures.
> ...


I was quoting a famous photographer on this point, you may have heard of Winogrand? I think it bears repeating as it rings true. It's not to say that you don't need to be discerning in choosing and framing subjects at all if that how you took it. I don't think random monkeys taking pictures would be remotely close, but a photographer with a good eye and good equipment and good skills will get more good pictures by taking more pictures, it's a simple concept and one I think has merit. I do see your point though, so I figured I'd just make it clearer what was intended. Thanks.


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## The_Traveler (Oct 22, 2016)

alfanoc said:


> is a lot warmer, is that what I would get if I learned the Aperture modes oppose to the AF mode?



No, the warmth or coldness is the white balance.  That is adjustable both in the camera if you are shooting jpegs or in editing when you shoot raw.
Adjusting aperture affects the depth of field.
Read about the exposure triangle.
Read your manual.


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## Advanced Photo (Oct 22, 2016)

petrochemist said:


> Designer said:
> 
> 
> > 2. The threadbare saying "rules are made to be broken" leaves out one very important aspect, that of delight in the unexpected.  IMO, this will only occur if someone has actually learned the rules in the first place, and knows what rule and how to break it will lead to delight.  To simply break rules at random in the hope that something, someday will be precious, is very similar to playing the lottery and is another illustration of the infinite monkeys methodology.
> ...


You can easily have a painting or photograph that is mostly white or very light colors and a single point of much darker contrasting color as the focal point which will draw the eye to it just a a contrasting light area does in a darker image.


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## Designer (Oct 22, 2016)

Advanced Photo said:


> You can easily have a painting or photograph that is mostly white or very light colors and a single point of much darker contrasting color as the focal point which will draw the eye to it just a a contrasting light area does in a darker image.


How is that breaking any rules?


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## Braineack (Oct 22, 2016)

The_Traveler said:


> Stop using on-camera flash. It blows out texture in the faces and makes hot spots.



Better that than underexposed, flat-textured, shots you still get when shooting in full shade.  there's nothing wrong with axial-fill, and those hot-spots add depth to faces.

If you know what you're doing, it'll look *much* better than without.  I've taken plenty of shots with the pop-up flash that look great, still have texture, and don't cause hot-spot.   Use it as a fill--not full-exposure.


the flash did not fire in these shots... unsure why your EXIF reader is telling you otherwise, but you could look at the images and tell without it.

SIMPLE edits of these shots will really help:










your camera is completely botching the WB in the shade.


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## alfanoc (Oct 22, 2016)

Designer said:


> alfanoc said:
> 
> 
> > Noe, if I had to edit this photo, to make it better, I would do what?
> ...



Yes, I should have gotten down lower for the group shot, totally agree. It was my first time out doing a photo shoot with my kids and I wasn't as prepared as I should have been. It was a beautful fall day and wanted to play with the 50mm f1.8 canon lens, I think I thought I would have gotten nice photos with this lens because of the colours and the blur background but clearly I'm not at that stage yet and need more practice.


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## alfanoc (Oct 22, 2016)

Braineack said:


> The_Traveler said:
> 
> 
> > Stop using on-camera flash. It blows out texture in the faces and makes hot spots.
> ...



Those look awesome! I actually downloaded a free trial of lightroom and playing with the settings to figure that out.. a lot nicer what you did. White balance is a whole other area I need to study still. But thank you so much for your input.


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## The_Traveler (Oct 22, 2016)

Braineack said:


> *If you know what you're doing,* it'll look *much* better than without. I've taken plenty of shots with the pop-up flash that look great, still have texture, and don't cause hot-spot. Use it as a fill--not full-exposure.



Right now, he doesn't.


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## petrochemist (Oct 22, 2016)

The_Traveler said:


> Braineack said:
> 
> 
> > *If you know what you're doing,* it'll look *much* better than without. I've taken plenty of shots with the pop-up flash that look great, still have texture, and don't cause hot-spot. Use it as a fill--not full-exposure.
> ...


But he won't learn by just turning it off. Suitable fill flash was probably the best option with the lighting the way it looks.


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## petrochemist (Oct 22, 2016)

Advanced Photo said:


> petrochemist said:
> 
> 
> > There are no rules in photography that must never be broken, but there are many that are hard to break. How do you break the rule that says the brightest parts of the image tend to draw the eye?
> ...


Yes I guess that works, effectively inverting the rule as quoted. In practice easier with a painting than a photo, but high key photos certainly exist.


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## Advanced Photo (Oct 22, 2016)

petrochemist said:


> Advanced Photo said:
> 
> 
> > petrochemist said:
> ...


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## OGsPhotography (Oct 22, 2016)

That photo with the person sitting, they're deimfinitely not in the middle. Just saying.


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## FITBMX (Oct 22, 2016)

Don't let all of this run you off, they are really a great group of people. They just get exited easy!


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## Frank F. (Oct 26, 2016)

I started my professional career with two D70 bodies and three prime lenses. I learned to use them to maximum efficiency and please my customers. What I can do today with high resolution bodies and my Sinar monorail camera is much better in any respect, yet the main factor is that I learned a lot about using the light and the equipment in a better way.

SO: Do never overvalue the equipment. Try to find pictures you like by others and try to understand how they were made. Then start to develop your own style.

I might be professional when it comes to my area of expertise, but for all other stuff I am just a photo lover (latin = Amateur)

*


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## TCampbell (Nov 2, 2016)

I think the answer to your question is.... you need a new (better) camera when you discover that your current camera is holding you back.

But right now I don't think your camera is holding you back.  There is much you can do to improve, but it'll take some learning and practice.

You can divide photography into an "image capture" step followed by an "imaging processing" step.  There are things you can do in both areas to improve your photography.

I did notice the camera was in full 'automatic' mode.  The camera tries to capture "safe" exposures in that mode (it goes for middle apertures, shutter speeds that are hopefully fast enough to avoid camera movement during the shot (that would cause a blur), and it tries to keep the ISO low if there is enough light.)  But it doesn't try to get creative with the exposures... it will not, for example, decide to use an aperture that would render your subject sharp but the background beautifully out of focus.  Fully automatic mode is going to result in images that resemble what you'd get with a point & shoot camera.

I would recommend you pick up a couple of books... 

One is "Understanding Exposure" by Bryan Peterson.  This will teach you how to take control of your camera, get it out of automatic mode, and understand how to shoot in manual mode.  Just one word of caution.... while I "know" how to shoot entirely in manual mode, I usually don't use that mode.  It's a fantastic mode for learning because it forces you to think about the exposure and how to control it.  But once you understand when you should use a larger aperture (low aperture values = larger physical aperture opening to let more light into the lens) and when you should use a smaller aperture (higher aperture values) and also when you should use a fast shutter speed vs. a slow shutter speed, etc.  then you'll eventually find that you can shoot faster by just picking the aspect of exposure you need to control and letting the camera set the other aspects to create a correct exposure.

BTW, you'll hear people mention something called the "exposure triangle".  This is the idea that there are three primary things (shutter speed, lens aperture, and ISO setting) you can adjust to increase or decrease the exposure.  It turns out there is a 4th thing... which is to supplement the light.  Peterson does get into flash and the different types of lighting but there are other books that are very heavy on understanding flash.  

There's also an artistic element to the composition.  

So the other book I recommend is "The Photographer's Eye:  Composition and Design for Better Digital Photos" by Michael Freeman.    This book will explain compositional rules (guidelines) that make your images more interesting and attractive.  

Both of these books are written using language that do not necessarily assume you have experience. 

Both of these books are going to mostly address the issues of "image capture", but they wont help with "image processing".

Image processing deals with all the things you can do to the image once you import it into your computer.  For example... you already saw the advice on correcting the "white balance".   The image processing software will let you tweak the images exposure (or even just parts of the exposure such as just bringing down the highlights... or pull up the shadows), color, contrast, noise reduction, sharpening, cropping, straightening, removing blemishes or dust spots, sharpening, vignette adjustment, and the list goes on and on.  And you can apply changes to the whole image or you can select just a part of the image to apply the adjustment.  I realize that just running through a few things that you can do to an image doesn't necessarily sound like much... but when you see a before vs. after of what the camera produced vs. what YOU can produce, the results can be amazing.

It does help to shoot and save the images in RAW format (JPEG does quite a bit of in-camera processing and once those processing decisions are made and the results are saved, the original data is forgotten... so if the camera did something you wish it wouldn't have done, you cannot "undo" it.  With RAW, you get all the data the camera captured so you have much more control over the post processing steps.)

There are a handful of programs that are useful.  Adobe Lightroom is probably the most popular RAW workflow image-processing software.  There are a few others.  BTW, Lightroom is now only sold via "subscription" (you pay $10/month and you get both Lightroom and Photoshop for that price).


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