Benefit of RAW

RichM

RichM

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263
Name
Rich
Edit My Images
Yes
Hey guys,

I have a question regarding the use of RAW images. To be honest the question is as simple as 'why?'. What is the actual benefit of shooting in RAW, i'm new to the game and would just like to know why it's better for me to use up even more of my already limited storage space... I'm utterly confused.. :O

Thanks

Rich
 
Raw files retain all the information and don't degrade as quickly as JPEGs when post-processing.

If you're just starting out, JPEG is fine while you get used to the camera but if you want to get the most out of your photos and learn how to process properly, raw is the way to go.
 
If you shoot in Raw then convert them to TIFFs for editing you will retain all the information in the RAW file.

Finally only convert to Jpegs when all processing and editing is done.

If you keep saving and re-editing in Jpegs you continually lose information because jJpegs are a "lossy" medium - meaning that some detail is lost in order to keep the filesize reasonably small.
 
Hello Rich. I'm sure this has been discussed before. You'll find that the main benefits are ability to control white balance, pull back overexposed highlights, adjust contrast and saturation etc WITHOUT degrading the image. However, it does add an extra to the work flow. I don't think it increases your file size, unless you choose to save low res .jpgs with your camera. If you are new to digital photography, stick with .jpg for a while, but use the biggest .jpg your camera can take. Once you've gained some experience with digital manipulation, you may see the added advantage. I never shoot anything other than RAW these days.
 
jpg is a compressed file format and while being compressed, most cameras add a few filters like a touch of sharpenening etc. Raw is uncompressed with nothing added or taken away, therefore giving you total control over what effects are added and to what extent in post production. As much as we try and get everything right in camera, occasionally, or in my case always, things arent quite right and a raw file is much easier to adjust things than a jpg, and with much better results.

HTH
 
I see, so the slightly compressed size of the JPEG means a loss of data/quality in the image?

Thanks for the swift responses, i'm switching to RAW as we speak :)
 
RichM said:
I see, so the slightly compressed size of the JPEG means a loss of data/quality in the image?

Thanks for the swift responses, i'm switching to RAW as we speak :)
Click to expand...

It doesn't really- but soon as you start editing the image, that's where the quality loss is.
 
RichM said:
Ah right, i get it now. So what file type should i edit in? TIFF?
Click to expand...

Depends how much editing you want to do, and which editor you are using. You can do the basic stuff, white balance, sharpen, exposure, contrast, crop etc. directly in your RAW editor of choice and then save in JPEG for posting to the web or Tiff for printing.
If you want to do more editing in eg. Photoshop, you would save in a lossless format that your RAW editor supports to import into Photoshop.
 
Raw is intended to give you full control over "development" of your photos (as in darkroom style development) to get the highest possible quality out of the camera. This is as opposed JPEGs where the "development" is controlled by camera firmware and settings.

Raw also having more bits per pixel which results in better quality processing of your photo - you have more room (more data) to manipulate your photo later should you need to (this includes highlights recovery or any other post processing). This results in better quality of the postprocessing (data-wise of course).

Whether all of these outweight the convenience of the out of the camera JPEGs is up to you - as it was mentioned already there were quite a few threads on RAW vs. JPEG here.
 
RichM said:
already limited storage space
Click to expand...

Storage is cheap compared to the investment in camera gear and effort in getting the photos.

Get more storage, and make sure you have backup storage too.
 
Thanks for all the comprehensive answers, i did reckon to have a gander for old posts... maybe i'm just blind. :bonk:
 
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