It is important to remember that these images are presented as constructed from each RAW converter's default settings. These images are not representative of the best image that each RAW converter is capable of producing. All of these images could be improved with a little work in the RAW converter.
For this assignment I shot RAW + JPEG at level 8. The JPEG's looked good and had a slightly cool color balance.
| Very good flesh tones, slightly on the cool side. ACR incorrectly selected 4600K for white balance |
| BreezeBrowser did a good job with this photo. Nice flesh tones and vibrant reds. BreezeBrowser correctly set 4800K for white balance |
| Just a bit on the warm side for the flesh tones. Bibble incorrectly set 5144K for white balance. |
| Good flesh tones, but a little too cool. Muted but reasonably accurate red color for the dress. Capture One correctly set 4800K for white balance |
SilverFast DC VLT
| Very good flesh tones and accurate color for the red dress. DPP does not list white balance in degrees, only 'as shot'. |
| Very cool flesh tones and muted color for the red dress. SilverFast incorrectly lists the camera set color temp at 5150K |
Silkypix Developer Studio
| Very good flesh tones and good color for the red dress. Silkypix nearly nails the camera set color temp at 4795 |
LINKS:
Introduction, comments on RAW and features comparison chart
Adobe ACR 4 (Photoshop CS3 & Lightroom) overview
Bibble Pro overview
BreezeBrowser Pro overview
Canon Digital Photo Pro overview
Capture One Pro overview
Silky Pix Developer Studio overview
SilverFast DC Pro / DC VLT overview
comparison examples - color renditions
comparison examples - landscapes
comparison examples - artifacts & sharpening
comparison examples - tungsten and florescent white balance at ISO 1600
comparison examples - studio lights and custom white balance
comparison examples - digital noise at ISO 1600
EXIF and IPTC information
WEB SITE LINKS
Steve Hoffmann's Nature and Landscape Photography - Gallery
Index & News
PHOTOGRAPHY AND DIGITAL IMAGING INFORMATION
Beginners Level Digital Darkroom Slide Show Tutorial
Digital Darkroom Imaging and Printing Tech Tips
Photography Tech Tips
A Practical Guide to Interpreting RGB Histograms
Digital Camera Raw Converter Comparisons
Digital SLR vs. Film Scans
DSLR Sensor Size and Pixel
Density
Aftermarket Scanner Control Software
My Photo Equipment
Building Your First Web Site Mini Tutorial
Nikon Super Coolscan 4000 ED Film Scanner Review
Nikon LS2000 Film Scanner Review
HP S20 Film Scanner Review
HP PhotoSmart 1100 Printer Review
HP Original PhotoSmart Printer and Scanner Review
Comments or Questions
*legacy = not the manufacturer's current product