How to install dcraw on Debian 8.3

How to install dcraw on Debian 8.3

The dcraw is an open-source application used for reading numerous raw image formats, typically the ones produced by high-end digital cameras. The dcraw is a simple to install tool and also can convert these raw images into the standard PPM and TIFF image formats. This tutorial explains the installation procedure of dcraw on Debian.

Installation procedure

To start the installation procedure, execute the nano command to open the sources.list file.

root@linuxhelp:~# nano /etc/apt/sources.list

The sources.list file is opened. Now add these lines at end of the file. Save and exit from the file.

deb http://ftp.debian.org/debian/ stable main contrib non-free
deb http://ftp.de.debian.org/debian jessie main

Next run the apt- get update command to update the apt sources-list in the target system.

root@linuxhelp:~# apt-get update
Get:1 http://ftp.debian.org jessie-updates InRelease [145 kB]
Ign http://ftp.de.debian.org jessie InRelease          
Get:2 http://ftp.de.debian.org jessie Release.gpg [2,373 B]
Get:3 http://ftp.de.debian.org jessie Release [148 kB]                 
Get:4 http://ftp.de.debian.org jessie/main amd64 Packages [6,776 kB]
Ign http://ftp.debian.org stable InRelease                                       
Get:5 http://ftp.debian.org jessie-updates/main Sources [15.5 kB]
Get:6 http://ftp.debian.org jessie-updates/contrib Sources [32 B]         
Get:7 http://ftp.debian.org jessie-updates/main amd64 Packages/DiffIndex [7,900 B]
Get:8 http://ftp.debian.org jessie-updates/contrib amd64 Packages [32 B]
Get:9 http://ftp.debian.org jessie-updates/contrib Translation-en [14 B]   
Get:10 http://ftp.debian.org jessie-updates/main Translation-en/DiffIndex [2,704 B]  
Get:11 http://ftp.debian.org stable Release.gpg [2,373 B]                 
Get:12 http://ftp.debian.org jessie-updates/main amd64 2017-03-14-2025.02.pdiff [526 B]
Get:13 http://ftp.debian.org jessie-updates/main amd64 2017-04-15-2027.16.pdiff [528 B]
Get:14 http://ftp.debian.org jessie-updates/main amd64 2017-04-15-2027.16.pdiff [528 B]
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Fetched 23.4 MB in 6min 22s (61.3 kB/s)                                                           
Reading package lists... Done

Then execute the apt-get install command to install the dcraw package.

root@linuxhelp:~# apt-get install dcraw
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree      
Reading state information... Done
Suggested packages:
  gphoto2
The following NEW packages will be installed:
  dcraw
0 upgraded, 1 newly installed, 0 to remove and 264 not upgraded.
Need to get 148 kB of archives.
After this operation, 331 kB of additional disk space will be used.
Get:1 http://ftp.debian.org/debian/ stable/main dcraw amd64 9.21-0.2+b2 [148 kB]
Fetched 148 kB in 5s (25.7 kB/s)
Selecting previously unselected package dcraw.
(Reading database ... 136857 files and directories currently installed.)
Preparing to unpack .../dcraw_9.21-0.2+b2_amd64.deb ...
Unpacking dcraw (9.21-0.2+b2) ...
Processing triggers for man-db (2.7.0.2-5) ...
Setting up dcraw (9.21-0.2+b2) ...

Once the package has been installed, run the dcraw package by executing the following command. It displays the options that can be used with dcraw package.

root@linuxhelp:~# dcraw
Raw photo decoder " dcraw"  v9.21
by Dave Coffin, dcoffin a cybercom o net
Usage:  dcraw [OPTION]... [FILE]...
-v        Print verbose messages
-c        Write image data to standard output
-e        Extract embedded thumbnail image
-i        Identify files without decoding them
-i -v     Identify files and show metadata
-z        Change file dates to camera timestamp
-w        Use camera white balance, if possible
-a        Average the whole image for white balance
-A < x y w h>  Average a grey box for white balance
-r < r g b g>  Set custom white balance
+M/-M     Use/don' t use an embedded color matrix
-C < r b>   Correct chromatic aberration
-P < file>  Fix the dead pixels listed in this file
-K < file>  Subtract dark frame (16-bit raw PGM)
-k < num>   Set the darkness level
-S < num>   Set the saturation level
-n < num>   Set threshold for wavelet denoising
.
.
-4        Linear 16-bit, same as " -6 -W -g 1 1" 
-T        Write TIFF instead of PPM

Wasn' t that an easy installation procedure? The dcraw is renders the raw image sensor data into a viewable form.

Tag : debian dcraw
FAQ
Q
How to launch the dcraw from the command line ?
A
To launch dcraw on Debian 8.3 from command line run the following command

#dcraw
Q
what is the command to install dcraw on Debian 8.3?
A
The command to install dcraw on Debian 8.3 is

#apt-get install dcraw
Q
How do you view RAW Bayer mosaic image on dcraw on Debian 8.3 ?
A
I believe DCRaw is able to do that. This is a console application. I once tried it, the image was completly grey.
> https://www.cybercom.net/~dcoffin/dcraw/
Q
Do you have any specifications describing raw photo formats for dcraw on Debian 8.3?
A
Yes, but they tend to omit important details, like how to decompress the raw image or decrypt private metadata. See the TIFF spec, the TIFF/EP spec, the Adobe DNG spec, the CIFF (CRW) spec, a
Q
Why don't you implement dcraw as a library on dcraw for Debian 8.3 ?
A
I have decided that dcraw shall be a command-line program written in C, and that any further abstraction layers must be added around this core, not inside it