[pa79]

To anybody who can help:

I am just starting to use RAW instead of JPEG, but I am having an almighty hard time getting the results I am looking for.

My camera is a Samsung GX20.
I am using (or failing to use) the following software on Linux.
Raw Therapee
Picasa
F-Spot view

When I shoot in RAW, I still usually specify a white balance. I know it's not absolutely necessary, but I find it helps when looking back at the shots on the camera. When I look at the files on my computer, via F-Spot view, the computer seems to take the in-camera white balance settings, and the photographs look the same as they do on the camera's screen. However, if I use Picasa, it automatically re-sets the white balance and makes the colours appear more muted. Even if I try to alter the colour balance manually, I am unable to get back to the starting point. If I use Raw Therapee, I have a similar problem, although the muting effect is less pronounced - even if I specifically ask it to use the camera's WB settings. I am still working through my ignorance in Raw Therapee, and I am sure that I will eventually be able to get the colours as I want them, but why is it so complicated? If F-Spot view doesn't seem to have any conversion capabilities, and seems to be just for looking at what you've got.

Is there any other software which people can suggest (either for Linux or Windows)? I have been using open source software so far, but I might be willing to spend some money to make life easier, although there's no way I can afford Lightroom!

Many thanks for any help.

Philip