Any owner of a digital SLR is advised to download RawShooter and try it. dpexpert compared it with the expensive Nikon Capture and also with the free Photoshop RAW add-on and we found the newcomer to be much faster than Nikon Capture and more sophisticated than Adobe’s add-on.

Converting RAW files is sometimes a matter of trial and error to get the best output to JPG or TIFF. RawShooter offers a high level of automation which sometimes produces excellent results and sometimes doesn’t. It’s easy enough to try and then revert to the pre-try condition of the image and then proceed with manual manipulation.

Whatever the algorithms are that the Pixmantec people have developed they seem to produce better output images more easily than in any other raw converter that we have tried. The “fill light” (akin to Photoshop “shadow/highlight”) which lights up shadow areas is brilliant.

Like this: The graphical user interface of RawShooter is gorgeous, intuitive and a pleasure to use. The 72 page instruction manual (pdf) is a masterpiece of clarity.

Dislike that: There is nothing to dislike about RawShooter unless you happen to be a Mac owner. This is PC only software.

Parting shot: Being of a suspicious turn of mind Imaging can’t help wondering if there is a catch in a commercial product that is perfect being given away. If there is a catch then we can’t see it.

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