RAW vs. JPEG

RAW vs. JPEG? Which file format is advisable for photographers who are just starting and even those who are already professionals? Each has their own opinions on which of the two they preferred the most. Some prefers JPEG, and some loves RAW. Many have been asking which really dominates among this two so I decided to share some thoughts and experiences on this debate. Before I got my first DSLR, I have read several articles about this. By the way, to those who are new, I'm talking about which file format saving you use with your photos in your camera.

I took two images with a RAW+JPEG FINE mode; 1 overexposed and 1 underexposed. I created two presets for the underexposed and overexposed images to adjust it back to a usable image. I applied the same preset to the underexposed RAW and JPEG images and other preset to the overexposed RAW and JPEG images. See the difference when you apply the same preset to the RAW and JPEG files. Did you notice how the two differs? Observe carefully how the underexposed RAW turned into a nice image while there is a little distortion on the colors of the underexposed JPEG file. Also try to observe closely the overexposed photos with applied preset. Let us try to elaborate further these two shooting modes.

RAW

Shooting in Raw provides you with plenty of flexibility when deciding how the final image looks when you post process it on programs like Adobe Lightroom. RAW files hold all the RAW data captured by the camera, uninterrupted and unaltered. It can be thought of as digital negatives. Raw gives you maximum control in the digital darkroom.  It allows you to change white balance, exposure, saturation, sharpness, curves, etc with less quality loss than you’d experience with JPEG. Somehow shooting in RAW only allows you to shot less than shooting in JPEG. RAW files consume more memory on your card since it holds all the RAW data captured by the camera. Viewing a raw file is not a big problem at all, you can download softwares like PICASA Photo Viewer.

JPEG

JPEG file contains less data which depends on the specified size and compression/quality settings. JPEG compresses image data into a smaller file size. The advantage of JPEG is that it is easy to view and edit with any image editing program. You can maximize your memory card which allows you to shoot more since JPEG are stored in small file sizes.  However you have less control over the way the final image appears since it is a compressed file which loses some image data. Correcting mistakes of color and exposure will be a little harder compared with the RAW shoot.

If you're the sort of person who always dreamed of developing your own film, then RAW is the perfect choice. Shooting in RAW usually makes the most sense if your goal is to get the highest quality image possible. On the other hand, if you enjoy taking photos much more than manipulating them, JPG is a much better option.