Jeff Stephens from Bibble Labs and I had a chance to chat recently about Bibble, RAW, and digital workflow. Jeff has been a member of the forum for a while and Bibble Labs is a Premiere Sponsor for the PhotographyCorner.com 2006 Photograph of the Year Contest. Here are some of the things that Jeff and I chatted about.

Bibble Labs has been around since 2000. Tell me about the history of Bibble Labs.

Bibble Labs got started with Eric, our Founder & CEO, bought his Nikon D1 – only to find out that the conversion software was not included with his camera. Knowing he wanted to shoot RAW, he decided to write is own conversion program. From there its grown into the most feature complete RAW Workflow application out there.

There are a lot of misconceptions about shooting in RAW. What key points would you make when talking to an amateur photographer who was unsure of whether or not to photograph in RAW?

The two most common myths about shooting RAW are that the RAW conversion process is complex and time-consuming, and that RAW files are too big to be used for every-day shooting. With the advent of RAW Workflow applications – applications that allow you to perform the majority of your image editing while in RAW – the first myth has been busted. Working in RAW can actually be faster, due to a more efficient Workflow – but more on that later. While RAW files are larger that in-camera JPEG’s – about twice the size for most cameras – the flexibility you get with RAW files typically makes up for the extra space. By that I mean you won’t have to bracket exposures as much, and you will be able to save more shots with slightly blown highlights or shots underexposed a bit. Also, memory cards are so cheap now, so just pick up another 1GB or 2GB card and rest assured that you’re getting all the quality and detail that your camera is capable of.

How does Bibble stack up against other RAW conversion/workflow software?

There are many RAW Workflow or conversion packages out there, and I believe they all offer free trials, so I encourage folks to grab one or two and try them out for themselves. Bibble is the fastest application in terms of conversion speed, and is very configurable to suit many different workflow types: for example, its usually used as a stand-alone application, but can also be run as a Photoshop (or Bridge) plug-in for folks that really like a Bridge-based workflow. It also has a broader range of image adjusting tools – things like Noise Ninja from Picture Code, Perfectly Clear from Athentech for one-touch image optimization, lens distortion correction, and many, many more. I’m clearly a biased judge, so folks might check out RAW conversion comparison sites like the one by Steve Hoffmann (http://www.sphoto.com/techinfo/rawconverters/rawconverters.htm) for an independent assessment. Also, we’re the only RAW Workflow tool out there that includes a plug-in interface with allows 3rd party developers to create additional image adjustment tools that work directly within the RAW image pipeline. There are about a dozen plug-ins available now, with more being developed all the time. Many are listed at http://www.bibblelabs.com/products/bibble/plugins.html.

You have 2 different versions of Bibble (Pro and Lite). What are the differences between the two products?

Pro & Lite share the same image conversion and optimization technology, so the image quality from them are identical. The Pro version adds several features geared towards high-volume photography – like Work Queues for organizing pictures, tethered shooting, and IPTC caption and metadata tagging. Pro comes with a plug-in for Photoshop CS or Elements, while Lite only supports Elements. Also Pro enables folks with a Noise Ninja license to access a ‘Registered Noise Ninja’ tool within Bibble – this provides more control over the noise reduction process, and allows photographers to make custom noise profiles if they want to. Pro also allows customers to install it on more that one machine, like a Mac Book they take into the field and a Windows workstation back at the home or studio.

Bibble is currently at version 4.9.5. When can we expect Bibble 5 to be released?

5 has been in development for a while now, but still has a way to go. I’m really excited by Bibble 5, and can’t wait to start showing it off. But, we’re going to keep 5 locked up in the Labs for a little while longer… Also, its worth noting that anyone who buys Bibble 4 from now until the day 5 is launched will get a free upgrade to 5 when its ready.

In addition to being RAW conversion software, Bibble also doubles as professional workflow software. For those that aren’t familiar with workflow, can you describe the benefits of a good workflow, and why it’s especially important to today’s digital photographers?

Bibble Pro started out just as a conversion tool – a way to convert camera RAW files into JPEG or TIFF while making adjustments to individual images. While this produces great results, you only fully benefit from the “RAW Advantage” by moving to a RAW Workflow tool – like Bibble Pro & Lite.

RAW Workflow applications allow photographers to make adjustments to 1, 10, 100, or even 1000 images at a time – and do so “non-destructively”. They allow you to make most of your image adjustments while still in RAW – making sure you have access to all the color detail your camera is capable of.

“Non-destructive” means that the original image file is never overwritten or altered, so you are free to experiment as much as you want without even losing detail or altering your original image. This also ensures that you can return to that same image several years later and use the newest applications and tools to re-convert your images, perhaps correcting things that seemed beyond repair when you took the shot (I’ve done this with many, many high ISO images, using the Noise Ninja technology built into Bibble Pro to clean up pictures that seemed like throw-aways).

So, “Workflow” is just a fancy word for the process you go through between the shutter-release and printing (or sharing on-line) of your final image. For many new shooters, they will create a new Workflow every time they shoot, while professional photographers will have a more structured, repeatable Workflow that prevents them from skipping steps (like forgetting to make backups).

Also, its good to note that many RAW Workflow applications – like Bibble Pro – will allow you to work on JPEG pictures and camera RAW files with the same workflow. That’s great for folks who are just starting to shoot RAW and have tons of JPEG images around.

Wow, some great stuff in there, Jeff… thanks for taking the time to chat with me for a bit. To download a free trial of Bibble Lite or Pro, visit: http://download.bibblelabs.com/. If you have any questions specifically about Bibble, RAW or workflow, why not just ask him? He is a member of the Corner after all.