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JPEG or RAW?
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Hi People
I’m just wondering what the real advantages are of taking photos in RAW format rather than a large JPEG. I know a jpeg is a compressed file but with the extra processing that a RAW requires, are the benefits of shooting in RAW that good?
What do most people use?Grant
If your camera supports it, you should shoot RAW.
Yes you will need more storage and processing power
but it is by far the way to go.As a friend of mine mentioned, “a RAW file is like going back in time”
Jpegs are compressed files where RAW files are not and
they hold true and more information of each shot.Some good reading can be got HERE.
Hi Grant,
This is what I do.
It might not suit everybody.My camera can store a RAW and a Jpeg.
I have it set to do this.
Most times the Jpeg suits my needs but sometimes I have to use the
RAW for some specific processing requirement.This means I don’t have to go through a RAW conversion for every image but
the RAW is always available should I feel the need to go back to it at any stage.This method uses on average 9-10Mb per image for my camera.
I know more recent cameras would require more memory space per image
but storage is getting less expensive.This method, if it is possible to do, is the best of both worlds and saves having to
decide which is best for you.Cheers.
John.
Hi Grant,
My main interest is wildlife and I started shooting RAW 2 years ago and never looked back. The benefits far out way the cons. Here are two examples of unprocessed RAWs and then the finished article.
You just cant do this with Jpegs. Its always best to get things right in camera if possible, but if you don’t there is RAW!
Thanks everyone for your replies.
They have all been a good help to me and I will now be shooting in RAW format!Aoluain,
That link you posted is excellent! Thanks for that. I’ve spent hours reading about loads of topics. Its full of information. It gave me a real understanding of what happens and why.Thanks again guys
Grant
Thanks lads and thanks Grant for posting the question. I’ve learned a bit too.
Here’s a spanner in the works.
Can the camera process the image faster shooting in RAW because it doesn’t have to compress it?
Or is it the same because the “file” is much larger than a JPEG?
Ta
:roll:
I started shooting Raw and Jpeg as suggested by John (5faythe) and haven’t noticed any difference in the speed that the images were saved. If there is a slowdown it is miniscule and I wouldn’t worry about it. Different cameras may process them slower though :?
For single shots it makes no difference. For machine gun shooting such as a sporting event the camera takes longer to process a raw file as it’s bigger. How much depends on your camera processor, your sensor size and the speed of your card. Normally you won’t notice this but when the system backs up with info you’ll find your machine gun slow between shots with raw before it does with jpeg.
Alan
Big Man Andy wrote:
Here’s a spanner in the works.
Can the camera process the image faster shooting in RAW because it doesn’t have to compress it?
Or is it the same because the “file” is much larger than a JPEG?
Ta
:roll:
I have been saving a RAW and the highest quality Jpeg on my
Canon EOS 20D for a couple of years now and have not had
any issues with the speed with which it writes to the card.I have it set to take one shot at a time.
I think it solves the issue of deciding.
Normally the Jpeg is fine but if I have an issue with something
like white balance I can always have a look at the RAW.Cheers,
John.Good thread and a very important topic that I’m having trouble understanding. I am using PS6 which is stone age but does the job until I find a buyer for my kidney. I don’t have a manual and am trying to teach myself. I have been struggling to get my Raw conversions to look as good as the in-camera JPEG conversion and it is challenging .
Thanks for the link Al
I found this link explained posterization well : http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/posterization.htm.
Sean
Jpegs are 8bit files and a RAW file is more depending on the camera, Canon 350d is 12bit, a 1Ds MkIII is 14bit etc. Nevermind the math ok. More bits = More information in the file.
If you save straight to Jpeg in your camera, you are allowing your camera to make a decision on the data and dump the rest. Not always bad but let’s take a look at this exposure.
The following is from a single exposure / photo, one click of the camera. (just to be clear)Here I adjust the exposure for the sky which was initially washed out (all white) and then I output the file as photoA.jpg. (Keep in mind what’s cool is that I took this picture about 4 years ago (350d) and I’m setting the exposure now.)
Now I reset the exposure for the skin tones and output the file as photoB.jpg
I open the 2 files in photoshop, slap one on top of the other, mask off the bits I don’t want, then finally output Photo3.jpg
Extra work = Yes. Superior shot = Yes!
Keep in mind that this is just 2 exposure settings. You can have fun and go for 7 or 8 exposure settungs by changing the stop settings on your camera at the time of shooting too – great effects can be achieved.
(note: I spent about 10 seconds masking this off for this example. A much finer and more exact job would be done before print.)
When to use RAW and when to use JPEG?
Shooting a wedding I’ll always use RAW because it’s easy for the camera to evaluate the Grooms black suit and blow out the white dress. RAW will give me 2 stops of recovery. Also effects like tthis example are handy to have available. Shooting weddings involves going indoors outdoors indoors and it’s easy to slip up on the camera.
Every bit of backup helps. Under studio lighting I use jpeg because it’s a fairly sterile setting.Also adusting light temperature in RAW is a 1 click job that’s valuable when you need it.
I hope this helps.
I use RAW because I can quickly correct white balance and exposure, and more recently, can use lens correction options (Canon). If you are trying to recover detail in whites or blacks, then RAW is the place to do it. Also, if you want to crop strongly, then RAWland is the place to start from.
That said, perhaps 70-90% of shots do not need these advantage. If taking a snapshot, jpegs are fine.
Some great examples there – thanks for sharing. I took photos at my friend’s wedding a few years ago and shot in RAW. Still haven’t worked out what to do with them. So thanks for inspiring me to dust off my RAW manual and start trying!
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