When shooting with a modern digital camera, you have the option to save photos in two different file formats – RAW or JPEG.

Choosing between the two different file types can be overwhelming, if you do not know exactly what the difference is between the two formats and the biggest advantage each file type offers.

To help your digital photography be the best it can be, let us first define a few terms then explain the advantages of each format:

JPEG: A JPEG file is a compressed image file format. JPEG files are processed right within the camera and do not contain all the original data of the image.

Pros:

• Transferability – This is a very commonly used file format, due to its transferability. The format has a variable compression range, meaning you can scale an image’s resolution based on the quality desired. For example, images can be saved in high quality for printing, which requires a larger file size or saved in low quality (a smaller file size) for fastest transmission like through email or for posting on websites. Remember, the more compression, the smaller the file size, but the greater loss in image quality.
• Speed – One of the advantages of using the JPEG format is the speed. The JPEG format is perfect for rapid sequential shooting. Use the JPEG format to avoid the loss of time a camera needs to process and save buffered images. Images are processed right within the camera. Depending on the model of your camera, your camera has a preset function for determining the color temperature, exposure, brightness and contrast of your image. It will also automatically add blacks, sharpening, and noise reduction, rendering the file to a compressed format for quick saves to your memory card.
• Storage Space – If your camera does not have much capacity to store images, shooting in JPEG, unlike the RAW format, will allow you to capture two to three times the amount of images, ensuring you capture a perfectly composed shot of a fleeting moment.

Cons:

• Reduced Dynamic Range – While the compressed format is great for sharing photos, it is not ideal for photographers who wish to do any manipulation to a photo later. Once a photo is processed to the JPEG format, the digital information captured when the photo was taken is disposed of, so images are lower in dynamic range – the difference between the darkest shadows to the brightest highlights seen in a photo.
• Loss of Quality or Size – Photographers are forced to compromise on either the quality of the image or the size of the file.
• Limited Use – The format is not ideal for line drawings, lettering or simple graphics since a lot of the image is discarded during the compression, so the image loses clarity and sharpness.

RAW: A RAW file, also known as a digital negative – is uncompressed and contains unprocessed, raw pixel information straight from the camera’s sensor data. The file format records everything that the camera’s sensor sees through the lens when you take a photo. RAW files are what it looks like straight from the camera.

Pros:

• Quality and Detail – Raw images offer the highest dynamic range, better image quality, and greater levels of brightness and image detail using the more powerful processor in your computer rather than the limited image processor in your camera.
• Creative Control – RAW files include every bit of photographic detail within the photo file, offering unprecedented creative control over processing each image. The RAW format is ideal for photos constantly changing in terms of lighting, scenery, backgrounds, subjects, etc. Shooting in the RAW format allows you to correct over/under exposed images at home, instead of struggling to find the perfect setting on the go. Using home editing software, you can process the raw data and tailor photos, making needed compensation adjustments to the image’s white balance, color saturation, bit depth, color space, lens correction, noise reduction, exposure settings, etc.
• Non-Destructive Editing – The RAW format always keeps its original state. Any changes made to the image are saved as a small file, called a ‘sidecar file.’ RAW files maintain all details of an image, once an image is compressed to a JPEG file, the details of the image are lost forever.

Cons:

• Sizeable Files – RAW files are typically six times larger than an equivalent JPEG, which reduces the number of pictures that can be stored on one memory card. It also takes more time to download a RAW image from a chip and write it to a memory card.
• Proprietary – RAW files need to be processed with your camera’s software before you can see them. The RAW format is proprietary to the make and model of a camera and even camera firmware version. Without solid manufacturer support you cannot open your file or share it easily with others. Recommend archiving RAW files as JPEGs or TIFFs.
• Not Print Ready – Since there is no in-camera processing of your RAW file, the colors will appear flat, lacking contrast and sharpness, and much darker coming straight from the camera. Therefore, the RAW file is not suitable for printing directly from the camera. However, you will get better prints from RAW files after they are processed because of the file’s finer gradation of tones and colors.

As always, practice to find the format that you are most comfortable with for capturing the absolute best quality of images.

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