Adobe Camera Raw vs Camera Raw Filter what’s the difference?

About three weeks ago I set out on a journey to find the difference between Adobe Camera Raw and the Camera Raw Filter in Photoshop.   I have been asked the difference between these two programs many times, but I never had a conclusive answer for Adobe Camera Raw vs Camera Raw Filter.  Until now!

The experiment took some time to think about how to set it up to get accurate results that would really show the difference between the two because unless you are pixel peeping it can be hard to spot.  After about of week of trial and error on various photos, I found the perfect one.  Now, nothing about this photo is perfect, not from a composition standpoint or an exposure execution standpoint.  However, the dark shadows and blown highlights really help you see where the differences lay in these two seemingly similar features of Photoshop.

Adobe Camera Raw vs Camera Raw Filter

There are many things to take away from the Adobe Camera Raw vs Camera Raw Filter experiment, but I have one thing you must do RIGHT NOW.  Open a Raw file in ACR and make sure that your handoff from ACR to Photoshop is set to 16 Bit.  Otherwise, you could be doing some serious injustice to your photos as you edit.  I will repeat that in a different way…  To get the MOST out of your RAW files, make sure your workflow setting at the bottom of the ACR dialog says 16 BIT.

Watch today’s video and you will get a clear understanding of how the two programs, while seemingly similar, are different in their editing approach to your pixels.

Want to take your ACR skills to the next level?

I have put together two courses on Adobe Camera  Raw.  The first course breaks down Adobe Camera Raw to its very basic level and gives you actionable tips for each tool.  The second course goes deep into the weeds of Adobe Camera Raw and shows you advanced tips that will greatly increase your workflow efficiency!  

Blake Rudis
f.64 Academy and f.64 Elite are the brainchildren of Blake Rudis. While he is a landscape photographer, he is most passionate about post-processing images in Photoshop and mentoring others.

For Blake, it's all about the art and process synergy. He dives deep into complex topics and makes them easy to understand through his outside-the-box thinking so that you can use these tricks in your workflow today!
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