Canon camera digital photo professional software

[DerekD]

This one is mostly for the Canon camera users.

One of my non-fishing hobbies is photography. A request for assistance from fellow Fishraider @big Neilwas the inspiration for this post. During lessons as to how to get more from his Canon camera I’ve picked up a few useful links along the way which I now want to share.

While my preference is to get the photos right at the camera, it is often only afterwards when reviewing that you realise a good photo could have been a great photo with a few minor tweaks. Digital photography in combination with post processing can help achieve this.

Industry software is usually Photoshop and Lightroom but unfortunately these have moved to a subscription based system which may not suit those people not making a career of it or careful with funds.

Canon has developed processing software called Canon Digital Photo Professional 4 which is “free” for those who buy a Canon camera. From all reports it is excellent software. It is especially useful if your camera is capable of shooting in RAW format. The software can process JPGs but there is reduced functionality. JPG is the camera’s attempt at processing the information within the constraints and programming given to it. RAW is the unadulterated data. The RAW file from a 14Megapixel camera will be about 16MB but it allows you to correct for lighting. Please note that head to head the JPG will initially look better than the RAW image until you have had the chance to process it.

For a short beginner’s tutorial  as to what the software is capable of have a look at this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRTkRyggeqU&t=15s

The same gentleman did an intermediate tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6L8L8b46B0&t=5s

This gentlemen provides a nice review and tutorial of the software here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRTXdZvxQJo&t=562s

Please note that Canon has done some excellent tutorials and I’ll past the links further down but they will take a bit longer to go through as there is far more detail.

The Canon software has been optimised to work with Canon cameras. In particular the following models: EOS Kiss X10 / EOS REBEL SL3 / EOS 250D / EOS 200D II, EOS RP, EOS R, PowerShot SX70 HS, EOS D2000 *, EOS D6000 *, EOS D30, EOS D60, EOS 10D, EOS Kiss Digital / EOS Digital REBEL / EOS 300D Digital, EOS Kiss M / EOS M50, EOS REBEL T100 / EOS 4000D / EOS 3000D, EOS Kiss X90 / EOS REBEL T7 / EOS 2000D / EOS 1500D, EOS-1Ds Mark III, EOS-1Ds Mark II, EOS-1Ds, EOS-1D X Mark II, EOS-1D X, EOS-1D Mark IV, EOS-1D Mark III, EOS-1D Mark II N, EOS-1D Mark II, EOS-1D C, EOS-1D, EOS 80D, EOS 7D Mark II, EOS 7D, EOS 70D, EOS 6D Mark II, EOS 6D, EOS 60Da, EOS 60D, EOS 5DS R, EOS 5DS, EOS 5D Mark IV, EOS 5D Mark III, EOS 5D Mark II, EOS 5D, EOS 50D, EOS 40D, EOS 30D, EOS 20Da, EOS 20D, EOS 9000D / EOS 77D, EOS 8000D / EOS REBEL T6s / EOS 760D, EOS Kiss X9i / EOS REBEL T7i / EOS 800D, EOS Kiss X9 / EOS REBEL SL2 / EOS 200D, EOS Kiss X8i / EOS REBEL T6i / EOS 750D, EOS Kiss X80 / EOS REBEL T6 / EOS 1300D, EOS Kiss X7i / EOS REBEL T5i / EOS 700D, EOS Kiss X70 / EOS REBEL T5 / EOS 1200D / EOS Hi, EOS Kiss X7 / EOS REBEL SL1 / EOS 100D, EOS Kiss X6i / EOS REBEL T4i / EOS 650D, EOS Kiss X50 / EOS REBEL T3 / EOS 1100D, EOS Kiss X5 / EOS REBEL T3i / EOS 600D, EOS Kiss X4 / EOS REBEL T2i / EOS 550D, EOS Kiss X3 / EOS REBEL T1i / EOS 500D, EOS Kiss X2 / EOS REBEL XSi / EOS 450D, EOS Kiss F / EOS REBEL XS / EOS 1000D, EOS Kiss Digital X / EOS Digital REBEL XTi / EOS 400D Digital, EOS Kiss Digital N / EOS Digital REBEL XT / EOS 350D Digital, EOS M100, EOS M10, EOS M6, EOS M5, EOS M3, EOS M2, EOS M, PowerShot G16, PowerShot G15, PowerShot G12, PowerShot G11, PowerShot G10, PowerShot G9 X Mark II, PowerShot G9 X, PowerShot G9, PowerShot G7 X Mark II, PowerShot G7 X, PowerShot G5 X, PowerShot G3 X, PowerShot G1 X Mark III, PowerShot G1 X Mark II, PowerShot G1 X, PowerShot SX60 HS, PowerShot SX50 HS, PowerShot SX1 IS, PowerShot S120, PowerShot S110, PowerShot S100V, PowerShot S100, PowerShot S95, PowerShot S90

*: Can now handle CR2 files converted with the CR2 Converter.

For those with a Canon camera and interested in downloading the software. The link for the Windows version is: https://id.canon/en/support/0200583602  I believe this is the link for Mac users: https://hk.canon/en/support/0200618702

It will download a file called dppw4.10.20-installer.zip or similar. I had to find it in my downloads directory on the "C" drive. To install you will need the serial number on your Canon camera.

I also found out there is a manual for the software: https://www.usa.canon.com/internet/portal/us/home/support/details/cameras/eos-dslr-and-mirrorless-cameras/dslr/eos-1d-x?tab=manuals

Once you play around with the software only a few clicks will dramatically improve the photos. Another excellent feature is that you can save “recipes” (the steps used to modify the photo) and then paste it on other photos taken under the same conditions.

I’ll put some examples up when I get the chance.

Regards.

Derek

Edited July 8, 2021 by DerekD

[Green Hornet]

Hi Derek, thanks for posting this. Until recently I worked as a real estate photographer and although I have both Photoshop and Lightroom editions just before they went to subscription, I often return to Canon's "in house" programs for images for fussy interior designers. 

Although subtle, I find the Canon programs deliver a more accurate colour/white balance and often initially "fix" my RAW images here before exporting to Photoshop where I can work in layers. 

Judging from the video, DPP4 appears similar to Lightroom and certainly worth a try.

[big Neil]

Good of you to share this with the wider Fishraider audience Derek. Generally speaking, I class myself as "thick as a plank" when it comes to technological things. However, I am getting right into the fundamentals of using DPP4 to take and adapt Raw and Jpeg pics of my pottery. Still got a long way to go but I am hopeful that my pottery photos and also my "river shots" will take on a new dimension down the track. Besides it's a good way to pass time doing something beneficial whilst the fishing trips are in limbo.

Some results of my endeavours...  Thanks Derek, bn

[Rebel]

@big NeilSuper photos.

[mrsswordfisherman]

Thanks @DerekD I will have plenty of time to digest this during lockdown 

[DerekD]

Hi Again,

I do the odd wedding here and there. Got talking to the groom (Daniel) at one and fired up his passion for photography. We kept in contact as he progressed. He was the one who showed me what was possible with Lightroom and Photoshop and essentially drove my decision to get into the post processing. I'm good enough with the camera to keep a bride (and groom) happy with the wedding day photos but I want to get to the next level. Both photos below were taken of a good friend of mine at an impromptu photos session. The location and the subject matter was fantastic. Problem was that even though I was using the flash I was competing with the sun (she was backlit). I also didn't have a reflector with me. Daniel took the JPG into Lightroom and enhanced the highlights (brighter sections of the photo) and a few other changes and the photo went from "good" to "this could go in a magazine".

I can get pretty close to the same results with the Canon software but at this stage I'm still playing and learning.

Regards,

Derek

Original photo

Photo touched up by Daniel to "Oh... Wow!!"

Edited July 10, 2021 by DerekD

[Green Hornet]

Very high dynamic range in your original image Derek.

In a situation like that your histogram will always help you chose the correct settings. Either that or bracket your shots.

A great edit from your friend.

[DerekD]

@big Neil makes pottery. He reached out for help with the photography as he was struggling to take photos of his work which would give a good representation of the actual colours.

There is an aspect of photography which can have a huge impact on photos called White Balance. Whites are not always white depending on the light they were taken in (something which has been a real eye opener for Neil). Under a tungsten light white can end up with a yellowish tinge. Fluorescent lights can give a blueish tinge. Sunny days, cloudy days, shade and flash can all have their own impacts. The Canon Digital Photo Professional 4 (DPP4) has a tab in which you can select each option for a RAW file and see the impact on the photo.

As an example, the photo of the pottery below was taken in a light box. The material on which it is sitting is white but due to the lights it has ended up with a yellowish tinge. This is the actual photo off the camera. The only thing I have done is to crop it.

Neil was kind enough to give me the RAW photo of the same piece. I have also cropped it. This time I have the chance to correct the white balance in DPP4 using one of several options. Knowing it was taken under a tungsten light I can select this option which will put in a blue tinge bringing out the white. Alternatively, I can tell the software to sample a section of the photograph which I know to be white and it will correct the photo. There is also a temperature function which will change the warmth of the photo (lower is colder, higher is warmer) but I’ll have to make the judgement on when I have reached the right correction. For this photo I told the software which part of the photo I knew to be white (the material on which the piece sits) and allowed it to make the correction. Big difference to the photo above.

I found this excellent tutorial which explains the concept very well and demonstrates how to do it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQWXOF-lsEU

 

Edited July 11, 2021 by DerekD

[big Neil]

Very well explained. bn

[Hunkgarian]

I never ever liked DPP despite using Canon from 2003 to mid-2020. There is just not enough functionality for a serious semi-pro wildlife photographer in that software. Sure it's fine for some people who are very budget conscious, and one cannot blame people for that, but it's very limited in its capabilities. 

Photoshop is not that expensive if you check subscription pricing for that and Lightroom (which actually I also don't like or use). 15 bucks a month is the equivalent of a Maccas meal upsized to large.  My standard workflow is cull in Fast Stone Image Viewer and process with Photoshop and I also use Topaz denoise AI. And, I switched brand mid last year to Olympus (now OM System) - after a two-year deliberation - and couldn't be happier most of the time. 

https://www.adobe.com/au/creativecloud/plans.html

Photography is a great pastime and there's never enough time in the world for my liking to do it.

[kingie chaser]

On 7/10/2021 at 12:54 PM, DerekD said:

Hi Again,

I do the odd wedding here and there. Got talking to the groom (Daniel) at one and fired up his passion for photography. We kept in contact as he progressed. He was the one who showed me what was possible with Lightroom and Photoshop and essentially drove my decision to get into the post processing. I'm good enough with the camera to keep a bride (and groom) happy with the wedding day photos but I want to get to the next level. Both photos below were taken of a good friend of mine at an impromptu photos session. The location and the subject matter was fantastic. Problem was that even though I was using the flash I was competing with the sun (she was backlit). I also didn't have a reflector with me. Daniel took the JPG into Lightroom and enhanced the highlights (brighter sections of the photo) and a few other changes and the photo went from "good" to "this could go in a magazine".

I can get pretty close to the same results with the Canon software but at this stage I'm still playing and learning.

Isnt there a way of getting a better image result by playing with the camera setting & getting the image as close to where you want it without relying on a photoshop suite??

 

Personally maybe its because I am old school but I like to know how to get the most out of my camera by say using spot metering or exposure compensation, imo to many people just put the camera on auto & snap away with the attitude I'll just fix it all with a program rather than getting to know how to use a camera properly.

 

I guess for me it comes from having spent most of my youth using 35mm film cameras with minimal tech or even having to use a handheld light meter like with my Asahi Pentax SV or S3.

 

 

https://imaging.nikon.com/lineup/dslr/basics/04/07.htm

[JonD]

I updated photoshop cs every two years until subscription which I didn't like the fact of being forced into even though the cost was around the same price of what the two yearly upgrades cost. I dropped both photoshop and canon and moved to capture 1 and changed to Sony camera's.

[DerekD]

On 11/9/2021 at 2:00 PM, kingie chaser said:

Isn't there a way of getting a better image result by playing with the camera setting & getting the image as close to where you want it without relying on a photoshop suite??

Hi @kingie chaser

You’ve raised a very good point for further discussion. This is my view only and the professional photographers out there may have a different view.

Yes, there probably is, if you have time. I try and get as much right at the time as historically I’ve not been interested in post-processing. While it is a hobby I do the odd wedding and social event each year. There is a lot of moving about under different lighting conditions so I really don’t have the time to get the lighting settings perfect (and not just exposure). My usually technique has been to get three quick photos under 3 different pre-set camera settings (e.g. no flash, portrait, black and white) and then move to the next group of people.

The camera these days is pretty good at light meter interpretation but you still have to select evaluative (whole scene), centre weighted average (concentrates on central part but still takes overall balance into account), partial (central area) or spot metering (very small section of central area).

In my case white balance is the killer. For people not familiar with this, whites can appear different under different light conditions (sunlight, dusk, shade, incandescent, tungsten, fluorescent) and these can change the colour or warmth of a photo. Being old school how did you deal with this? Did you use a colour temperature meter? Actually I don’t even know how well the older film cameras dealt with this. I could change the settings (sunny, cloudy, flash) but I don’t know about the impact on the photos (some more reading for myself later).

I photographed a colourful wedding reception last weekend (unfortunately can’t post photos at this time). The ones in the banquet hall came up beautifully and I would be happy to leave them as is. The portraits taken in the entrance hallway were another matter. They are well lit, the subject matter is sharp and I am really happy with the composition. Tiny problem is that due to the yellowish lighting in the hallway they have an excessive warmth. As I have the raw photos I can adjust them to true colours but they lack pop so in this case I reduced the warmth far enough that the colours are still vibrant. This is harder to do with JPGs.

Discussion continues.