Sometimes we come across some of the coolest gadgets and software to fuel our addiction of photography, but I think the Instant JPEG From RAW software is the killer app for those of you who shoot RAW. For those of you who don’t shoot RAW, we’ll have to do another post of why you should, but at least this makes the task easier for the time being.
One thing you may not know about RAW, the full-size .jpg file is also embedded as a preview. Instant JPEG from RAW extracts this file with a speed that will most likely not match your current workflow, it’ is 15 times faster than a bulky RAW conversion process via Bridge and Photoshop. Just take a look at the dialog box below, I was able to convert 156 RAW files in 95 seconds. It not only converted these files (or better yet extracted), but it output the full-size image and a 2000 pixel version as well.
My current workflow in dealing with a RAW conversion has been pretty cumbersome. I use Adobe Bridge to view all my files after I shoot them and start tagging away from 1-5 stars. This helps me determine which files I will eventually edit in Photoshop. But I also like to take all those images and save them as .jpg in addition to the standard .NEF raw file. The way to do this with Bridge is to use the Photoshop Image Processor option which essentially opens up each file in Photoshop and outputs to .JPG. If I want to resize the file in addition to converting to full-size, with this process I have to run the conversion again, taking at least 15 more minutes with 156 files.
So there you have it, the answer to a quick RAW conversion with minimal hassle. Now the big question, how much would you pay for this app? $50-$150? Well you’ll be happy to know this is a free program that works on both Windows and Mac. According to Michael Tapes who designed the app, it’s a give back to the photo community. Thanks Michael, this is on e program we will be using on a daily basis.
