RAW file Processing on Android

Since Google hasn't yet implemented any way to save RAW files from the camera phone, thus you may want to have a go at editing RAW files from your camera of choice. This capability has been around for a while from TS Systems, proud purveyors of mobile photo editing software. Editing the files on their app is simple enough but you need to be able to handle large files, something which the Apple iPad has difficulty doing with the limited RAM. Enter the Google Android.

Photomate R2 is touted as the perfect companion for serious RAW shooters who want to squeeze more out of their mobile work flow. 

Mobile Workflow on the Go

Photogs who are travelling will find this a great help. I know a few who might find this useful but all this depends on how you work with your images. For me at least, I prefer to store all my photos and take it back to a desktop and edit them at the comfort of the office or home.

Outdoor photo assignments will benefit from this too as you are able to pick out the best, process them and send it to your clients almost immediately — something done at your own peril because clients will at times demand more from you since you're still out there and the price is not negotiable. However if you are a member of the press or photojournalism community, then any pictures will do.

I am a firm believer that technology is suppose to help you in your work and not impede it. For that, I do see very little use for this for instagramers, facebook socialites and camera whores.

The idea behind processing photos on the fly is demand. If you have a camera phone already capable of Facebook or Instagram, why bother with a DSLR?

Hardware Concerns

TS Systems has been pushing out new apps for image processing for some time now. The original Photomate won them some fans. R2 (revision 2?) is probably pushing the limits as there is one small caveat.

You need to have the hardware to do this well and this means a 2GB RAM device with at least a dual core. Even with this type of hardware, you will encounter problems if you have too many pre-installed apps that take up RAM space. Cleaning your RAM cache is a must before firing up Photomate R2.

Lastly, it is priced at US$9.99. Wow. This is going to appeal to less people who stubbornly refuse to ante up on apps. We have all seen how Adobe fucked up selling its suite of apps at this price before discontinuing them to the aghast of users. 

TS Systems has made a name for itself in this area of expertise. So much so that I think that Adobe should buy this one up and change the app to Adobe Lightroom Mobile. It might not have the post processing power of Lightroom as yet but that doesn't meant it won't in the near future.