Raw or JPEG

D

Danny133

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Daniel
Edit My Images
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I dont want to spark a mac vs windows debate kind of thread just want your opinions on whats better for ME

I PP all my photos's not one leaves the camera and ends up printed or online - not because there crap (they might be) not because im lazy i just like to learn PP so the more i do it the better i get.

Does this mean as im always going to PP i should shoot in RAW? That way i have more scope to edit my pics when im PP'ing as the options are better to me?

What benefits will i have from editing with RAW that i wont have with JPEG?

Thanks guys
 
Jpeg's are lossy files, which means that the more you mess with them the more they will start to deteriorate. However, there are ways around this, such as saving a copy and PP'ing that instead. If you just PP them a few times then there won't be any noticeable loss.
If you're using Aperture or Lightroom then there's no need to worry as they save copies anyway and preserve the original.

RAW's contain more detail, are bulletproof and have a bigger colour space, but will cost you in file size.
 
only reason NOT to go raw is 1) size 2) buffer filling too fast if you do continuous shooting

otherwise, it's a no brainer.
 
tomqh said:
only reason NOT to go raw is 1) size 2) buffer filling too fast if you do continuous shooting

otherwise, it's a no brainer.
Click to expand...

There are quite a few more reasons than that to shoot Jpeg, but if you're going to be doing full post editing on the files anyway then RAW makes more sense.
 
Danny133 said:
What benefits will i have from editing with RAW that i wont have with JPEG?
Click to expand...

In JPGs PP is applied in camera. You'll have lost the dynamic range available in RAW if you need to play around with exposure or white balance.

You need to PP if you shoot RAW too IMO......RAWs are unprocessed images
 
Danny133 said:
I dont want to spark a mac vs windows debate kind of thread just want your opinions on whats better for ME
Click to expand...

RAW v JPG debate ALWAYS sparks a riot...:naughty:

I PP all my photos's not one leaves the camera and ends up printed or online - not because there crap (they might be) not because im lazy i just like to learn PP so the more i do it the better i get.
Click to expand...

Nothing wrong with that, the more you play the more you learn.

Does this mean as im always going to PP i should shoot in RAW? That way i have more scope to edit my pics when im PP'ing as the options are better to me?
Click to expand...

Obvious answer would be yes, but there may be times when shooting JPG is what you need to do, so long as you know the limitations of JPG then you can make an educated decision based on YOUR needs. Modern cameras can produce excellent ooc JPG's.

What benefits will i have from editing with RAW that i wont have with JPEG?

Thanks guys
Click to expand...

I think you should be able to answer that one now
 
Danny133 said:
I PP all my photos's not one leaves the camera and ends up printed or online - not because there crap (they might be) not because im lazy i just like to learn PP so the more i do it the better i get.


Thanks guys
Click to expand...

Hi

If you are going to PP all your photos ,then RAW is the best way to go as there wont be detoriation and you wont lose any pixels.

thanks
 
how do i then convert to jpeg if i shoot raw .. copy to mac and then open in cs5?

just saving it as a jpeg when its edited?
 
Danny133 said:
how do i then convert to jpeg if i shoot raw .. copy to mac and then open in cs5?

just saving it as a jpeg when its edited?
Click to expand...

Basically yes. But when you open the raw image, it will be a different interface to why you're used to.

Steve

Sent from my iPad using TP Forums
 
Can I ask whats the difference between TIFF & Jpeg & why would you save as another file & not leave as RAW? I am new to all this & I was playing about with RAW shots too but I havent put them on my pc as yet
 
I personally process my work in RAW, then open the edited image in photoshop (to possible make a few little more tweeks or edits). I then save the file as a TIFF. For me ,a saved TIFF File will be bigger the a Jpeg file. I Only ever use Jpeg should I wish to upload an image to a web site. I personally cannot see any other advantage to having a Jpeg file. Others will almost certainly disagree. They are smaller a lower or quality
 
Can I ask whats the difference between TIFF & Jpeg & why would you save as another file & not leave as RAW? I am new to all this & I was playing about with RAW shots too but I havent put them on my pc as yet
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Hello again Carole :)

Rather than thinking about it in terms of Tiffs, JPEGs and Raw, think about it in terms of compressed and uncompressed as all image files fit into one of the two categories.

JPEGs are compressed, 'lossy' files and all raw files (Tifs along with PSD, DNG, CR2, NEF, SRF and a whole host of others) are uncompressed. They contain every pixel of data mapped out and can be saved and resaved without loss in data. The confusing part is that 'raw' is just a word used to describe the uncompressed file that comes out of the camera.

If you look at the file extensions on these files they come as '.CR2' for Canon cameras, '.NEF' for Nikon, '.SRF' for Sony etc. You can open them in something like Adobe Camera Raw and make changes to the raw file which are saved alongside it (while it stays as a .cr2, NEF etc) but if you open it in photoshop and want to save it then you have to choose something like .TIF or .PSD.

It's still uncompressed and 'raw' but just saved with a different file extension.
 
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Tiff files are not necessarily uncompressed, the file format has many, many variations that include compression and 16 or 8 bit colour depth.

I currently shoot raw + JPEG (jpeg just so I can organise my files in windows explorer as Panasonic don't make a codec for Windows XP), I then twiddle the file about as necessary in the raw editor, I do as much as I can with that as it's playing with the Raw data, then if it needs more work, IE needs to go off and be stitched into a panorama or whatever then it gets saved as a 16 bit uncompressed Tiff, which doesn't introduce any compression related quality issues. When I'm finished with the image it'll get saved as a JPEG.
 
If i'm shooting landscapes it has to be RAW, if i'm shooting military aircraft i will shoot RAW, if i shoot motorsport etc(continuous high) i will do test exposures and shoot jpeg for maximum 8GB card space and quickness of uploads :)
 
Thankyou Peter, Dave & Alan for your replies, Its certainly alot clearer now. One more question though, can I edit RAW files in PE?
Thanks :)
 
Not sure about previous version but you can edit RAw files in Photoshop Elements 8.0

Roy
 
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