How do you pick a RAW editor?

[groovyone]

I know there are several "What editor is best" threads, but I want to decide that for myself. So...

What criteria do you use to pick you RAW editor?

I have been at it a while, somewhat short on time to really dig into them before the trials expire. I think I like DxO better than Lightroom with the A900, but have now added Capture One Pro to the mix! Anything is a huge workflow improvement over IDC, but I have had years of use with IDC to get the hang of it, and typically only a few days to adapt to these. It is hard to determine how well you'll be able to really master one in the 30 or so days.

So, what do you look at or test to decide?

Do you do comparison tests, like processing certain photos in each, or do you try them one at a time and seeing if you like the results?

Do you test certain capabilities, or just let it run on auto?

I kind of wish I had tested more capabilities, but I had little time with the first two so it ended up basically being an auto-processing test of shots I took in Colorado. That probably was not a fair comparison of the two, but it was all I could do at the time and likely the way they'd both see use on a daily basis.

[jeffkohn]

I think you should test them in the manner you plan to use them, but you should try to live with each one for a little while to 'get to know' it. If you tend to take the default/automatic processing in your workflow, then the default/automatic results are probably most important. If you tend to work on your images in RAW quite a bit, then you really need to learn how to work them in each converter before you can really make an informed decision.

In my case, way back when I started shooting raw there were only two choices: Nikon Capture and Adobe Camera RAW. It didn't take me long to figure out that I preferred the latter, and I've been using it pretty much ever since. I've tried other converters at times, but no other converter has had results that were significantly better than ACR and pretty much all of them have a terrible workflow in comparison to ACR.

For some reason ACR doesn't seem to handle Sony files very well, so it's probably a good idea for you to shop around a bit. Capture One Pro is highly regarded by many. I tried it but found it wasn't any better at base ISO for my cameras (more detail at higher ISO though), and I much prefer my existing workflow. At this point it's going to be difficult for something to dethrone ACR for me because I know it so well, and know how to get the results I want out of it without too much work even though I use some of the more advanced features.