Today, I have two quick Power Tips for using Adobe’s Camera Raw. These are just a couple of little time savers that aren’t obvious… and if you didn’t know they were there, you could skim right past them without seeing them.
Take a gander at these tips, and I hope they will lead you to further discoveries in the world of Adobe Camera Raw. Should you want to learn more, I’ve added some links to further learning at the end of this article.
Full Screen Mode in ACR
If you’re using Adobe Camera Raw, either from Bridge or from Photoshop, 4.x/CS3 or 5.x/CS4, the default view of the Raw plug-in is a dialog box. Fairly large, but with no maximize button, so you can’t enlarge it… or can you?
There is an unmarked button in the upper right corner of the dialog box, that will send ACR into full screen mode, giving you the largest view possible of your image. The same button brings it back down to a dialog, but my hunch is that once you go full screen, you’ll never go back!
Resetting ACR Defaults
Have you ever been editing an image in Adobe Camera Raw, and tweaked to the point where you realize you’ve just gone too far? “I need to start over again…” but you’ve messed with all the sliders, on multiple tabs, and could Ctrl-Z until you’re blue in the face without getting back to where you started?
Well, there is an easy way to get back to Square One. Simply look in your ACR dialog box, at the top of the adjustments panel above all the sliders. See the tiny, nearly hidden, almost invisible little icon that looks like a few lines? (Sorta like this: 
) Well, that is ACR’s “Settings” menu, and opening it up is one of the best things you’ll ever do.
To restore your image back to the default, “as opened” condition, open the Settings menu and choose “Camera Raw Defaults.”
Done!
If you haven’t used this menu, it might be a good idea to do some exploring. Do you prefer Brightness to default to 25 instead of 50? Vibrance to default to 20? Make those changes and choose “Save New Camera Raw Defaults” and all your images will open automatically with your favorite settings.
There’s oh, so much more… and we’ll cover it all eventually! But in the meanwhile, if you feel adventurous (and I hope you do) check out these additional resources:
Deke McClelland – Getting Started Developing Raw Photographs
Julianne Kost – Camera Raw Walkthrough – Using Camera Profiles
Chris Orwig – Making Local Adjustments in Camera Raw
That’s all for now, enjoy and learn!