Access, view, and analyze the pure raw data as recorded by your DSLR and certain video cameras with RawDigger Profile Edition from LibRaw LLC. RawDigger is not a raw convertor; it is a microscope of sorts that lets you drill down into your image files and visualize the data that will be used by raw converters. With this software, the isolation layer normally imposed by raw converters becomes transparent.
RawDigger's Profile edition is designed to facilitate and automate the advanced study of sensor and lens behavior, for those who need to create sensor calibration data, linearization data, or device data for color profiling. It expands on the features of RawDigger's Exposure and Research editions by adding selection grids for faster processing of step wedges and color targets. It also allows for the calculation of non-uniformity maps for flat fields such as lens & digital vignetting, non-uniformity of light and white balance, facilitating the application of white balance, normalization, equalization (flat field), and filtering outlying values before data export.
As with the Research edition, this software offers users the ability to export raw files as TIFFs, capabilities for sampling multiple selected areas and generating tables of sampled data, allows for statistics and histograms over multiple samples, and enables the export of sampled data as CSV and CGATS file formats. It is also useful for the study of flare and glare and the resulting characteristic curves, checking lens transmission symmetry, and setting even lighting.
RawDigger's basic functionality can help you determine the calibration of an in-camera exposure meter and quantify different vignetting sources. It also helps you to use spot-metering, exposure compensation, and manual exposure settings more efficiently and reliably; and to monitor and improve studio lighting setups in terms of white balance/light uniformity, and dynamic range.
To facilitate accurate raw image study, indicators for over- and underexposed image areas show you exactly where and in which color channel(s) details are blown out or have noisy shadows, with statistics to indicate the percentage of over- or underexposed pixels. Additionally, the histogram for either the entire file or an isolated image segment can be viewed in all modes (RGB, raw composite, and raw per channel), and can be exported for further study as a spreadsheet (CSV) or a graphic file (PNG) for presentation.
RawDigger supports all raw formats (including DNG) associated with a list of more than 800 supported cameras, and frequent updates are made to support new DSLR and cell phone models. The software can read files from any media, from a flash card to a network server. It works on a variety 32/64-bit Windows, Intel-based Mac platforms and Linux Wine-1.2.3; Wine (1.3.37-0ubuntu1~ppa1~lucid1) and Debian testing.
This version of RawDigger is delivered as a download, and the license key can be installed on up to two computers simultaneously.
- Determine how the camera's exposure meter is calibrated
- Identify the camera's dynamic range
- Establish the raw level corresponding to the midpoint of in-camera histogram
- Check which camera settings affect raw data
- Analyze ISO settings to determine ideal tolerances
- Evaluate the accuracy, repeatability, and uniformity of a range of apertures and shutter speeds
- Determine the real maximum shutter speed for flash photography
- Determine the actual T-stop of a lens
- Check the amount of vignetting caused by the lens and the sensor
- Compare noise between two cameras of the same make and model
- Tune a new camera to apply customary exposure metering and setting techniques
- Determine the idiosyncrasies of both camera and raw converter by comparing raw data to results obtained through raw conversion
- Compare data obtained from a particular camera to average and/or standard values
- Check sensor for defects such as dead, stuck, or hot pixels
- Search for sensor zones affected by thermal noise resulting from battery overheating or other electronic elements
- Check for excessive flare and glare caused by the rear lens element, reflections and scattering from mirror or light leaks through viewfinder or lens mount
- Determine amount of vignetting from lens and sensor, check for skews in the lens mount and/or sensor mount
- Check black level, study white & black frames for pixel variation
- Determine the geometry of and optically analyze black frame
- Analyze dark current noise, dark signal non-uniformity (DSNU) and photo response non-uniformity (PRNU)
- Check imaging path for inconsistencies, calculate well depth, visualize sensor stitches
- Create sensor calibration data, linearization data, and device data for color profiling
- Create selection grids for fast processing of color targets and step wedges
- Create and export grid cell data tables to CSV and CGATS formats
- Construct and analyze development (conversion) curves by relating step wedge density to brightness of final image
- Calculate non-uniformity maps of flat fields: lens/digital vignetting, non-uniformity of light, and white balance
- Retrieve device data for profiling software (ProfileMaker, Argyll CMS, some others) for ICC profiles calculation
- Compare raw histogram to in-camera histogram and account for differences, so to expose files as much to the right as possible (ETTR)
- Display histograms in different modes: RGB render, composite raw and per-channel raw (R, G, and B or R, G1, B, G2 - for Bayer-type sensors) views
- Display histogram of entire image or rectangular selections of image portions
- Support for raw histogram and over/underexposure statistics for multiple sampled areas
- Check the accuracy of the histogram in RAW converters
- Export histograms for further study as a spreadsheet (CSV), or as a PNG for presentation
- Create and export table of sampled data to CSV and CGATS formats
- Save unprocessed raw files as tiffs (RGB render, raw composite or per channel views) for further analysis or processing in image editing applications
- Identify proper light filtration for cleanest possible image shadows
- Check neutrality of polarizing/neutral density filters and the filter gradient on graduated filters
- Determine the effect of various filters on lens and identify proper color correction/compensation filters for various light sources
- Evaluate the uniformity of fill light or studio lighting setups for evenness of white/color balance and background luminosity
- Establish headroom in highlights to obtain optimal exposures
- Investigate exposure conditions and camera settings that cause unacceptable noise levels in shadows
- Examine the relative per-channel underexposure based on the color of light (correlated color temperature, CCT, and tint, or neutralizing white balance coefficients)
- Estimate the level of noise introduced by the raw converter, compared to natural noise from the camera sensor
- Determine degree of underexposure in shadows and set software's Underexposure (UE) indicator to suit your needs