Help Camera Raw - Confusing

[craigb1970]

Whenever I open a camera RAW image in windows ,Ufraw, Rawtherapee or Canons 'Digital Photo Professional' it opens as a colour image.  I can change it to grayscale but otherwise it's a colour image.  Reading 'Make Every Photon Count', 'Digital SLR Astrophotography' and other references on line I get the impression I should be seeing a black and white image with a checkboard pattern on it.  I'm pretty much a beginner to AP and despite much reading I still don't get it.  I would be most grateful if someone could clarify whether I should see a colour  or black and white image when I open a RAW image in RAW image processing software and, if it should be black and white, any  suggestions as to why I see a colour image.

[Star Struck]

If you shot it in colour, then the RAW image will be in colour.

All of the RAW tools I have used will allow you to make the image b lack and white if you so wish.

[davefrance]

Whenever I open a camera RAW image in windows ,Ufraw, Rawtherapee or Canons 'Digital Photo Professional' it opens as a colour image.  I can change it to grayscale but otherwise it's a colour image.  Reading 'Make Every Photon Count', 'Digital SLR Astrophotography' and other references on line I get the impression I should be seeing a black and white image with a checkboard pattern on it.  I'm pretty much a beginner to AP and despite much reading I still don't get it.  I would be most grateful if someone could clarify whether I should see a colour  or black and white image when I open a RAW image in RAW image processing software and, if it should be black and white, any  suggestions as to why I see a colour image.

Unless you have selected B/W in camera the RAW image will be in colour. 

[craigb1970]

Thanks for the comments.   This is where I am confused for example in one of the books I mentioned it states "DSLR.... will need to be de-bayered to produce an RGB image" and in the other book "de-Bayerize (demosiac) the images,converting the Bayer matrix into colour pixels".   

[davefrance]

Thanks for the comments.   This is where I am confused for example in one of the books I mentioned it states "DSLR.... will need to be de-bayered to produce an RGB image" and in the other book "de-Bayerize (demosiac) the images,converting the Bayer matrix into colour pixels".   

I'm guessing here but I think this refers to processing from a camera that has been modified (debayered) so that the B/W images can be changed to RGB, but I could be wrong. No doubt someone on here will know for sure. 

[glowingturnip]

DSLR raw files are monochrome, and do need to be debayered before you can see anything useful.  In raw undebayered state, if you're able to view them like that, they will be greyscale and will show some chequerboard patterning.

Most of your software programs will debayer on the fly so that what they will show you on screen is what the file will look like once debayered, even though the data behind it is still raw.  I think even Pixinsight shows raw files on screen like that, though Maxim DL will show a raw file as properly raw.

Most processing software will handle the debayer for you under the hood so you don't need to get involved.

[craigb1970]

Thanks for the comments. I have now played around with the software and can see that Stuart is correct and in raw therapee in particular I found I was able to turn debayering off and I then could see the true raw image with the checkerboard pattern. No longer confused on this issue - I think!