Camera Raw Workflow options

Workflow options specify settings for all files output from Camera Raw, including the color bit depth, color space, and pixel dimensions. Workflow options determine how Photoshop opens these files, but do not affect how After Effects imports a camera raw file. Workflow settings do not affect the camera raw data itself.

You can see and change these Workflow settings at the bottom of the Camera Raw dialog box.

Space

Specifies the target color profile. Generally, set Space to the color profile you use for your Photoshop RGB working space. The source profile for camera raw image files is usually the camera-native color space. The profiles listed in the Space menu are built in to Camera Raw. To use a color space that’s not listed in the Space menu, choose ProPhoto RGB, and then convert to the working space of your choice when the file opens in Photoshop.

Depth

Specifies whether the file opens as an 8‑bpc or 16‑bpc image in Photoshop.

Size

Specifies the pixel dimensions of the image when imported into Photoshop. The default pixel dimensions are those used to photograph the image. To resample the image, use the Size menu.

For square-pixel cameras, choosing a smaller-than-native size can speed processing when you are planning a smaller final image. Picking a larger size is like upsampling in Photoshop.

For non-square pixel cameras, the native size is the size that most closely preserves the total pixel count. Selecting a different size minimizes the resampling that Camera Raw needs to perform, resulting in slightly higher image quality. The best quality size is marked with an asterisk (*) in the Size menu.

Note: You can always change the pixel size of the image after it opens in Photoshop.

Resolution

Specifies the resolution at which the image is printed. This setting does not affect the pixel dimensions. For example, a 2048 x 1536 pixel image, when printed at 72 dpi, is approximately 28‑1/2 x 21‑1/4 inches. When printed at 300 dpi, the same image is approximately 6‑3/4 x 5‑1/8 inches. You can also use the Image Size command to adjust resolution in Photoshop.

Open In Photoshop As Smart Objects

Causes Camera Raw images to open in Photoshop as a Smart Object layer instead of a background layer when you click the Open button. To override this preference for selected images, press Shift when clicking Open.