JPEG Vs. RAW - Battle Royale!

Good and Evil, Black and White, Yin and Yang: meet JPEG and RAW, the newest members of the never-ending battle royale club.

Visit most photography forums today and you’re bound to find an intense discussion on the benefits of shooting one file format or another. Everyone has an opinion, and they might as well be arguing about political candidates.

Most DSLR’s (and some pocket cameras) today support shooting in JPEG and RAW modes. Put simply, RAW is the image directly as it comes off the sensor. It has no changes to it whatsoever. However, add some predetermined settings for color, white balance, file size, and more, and you end up with a JPEG file. The settings that each camera performs on the image are a mystery, but for the most part the images look good.

The majority of everyday shooters out there go with JPEG because it’s easy, the file sizes are smaller, and there’s no post-processing required. Pros, on the other hand, probably tend to shoot as least as much RAW as JPEG, if not more. This wasn’t true in the early days of digital cameras, but it’s becoming more prevalent as photographers learn the benefits of RAW.

What are the benefits of RAW?

RAW allows you to adjust the color temperature (known as the white balance), the exposure, and other settings without disturbing the actual pixel data. It’s simply the best quality image you will get out of your camera.

When should I use it?

As a general rule, try RAW when you:

• may ultimately make an 11×14 or larger print
• are shooting in weird lighting conditions and want the flexibility to change it later
• are unsure if the exposure is correct at the time the shot was taken
• want to tinker with the image

RAW images must be converted at some point to JPEG or some other format before you can do anything with them, and that’s the downside - they take extra time and require software to adjust. But the quality can be quite noticeable. Plus, you can always go back to the RAW file and start over, as the adjustments you make are not permanent! With that quality and flexibility comes a price in file size. RAW files can be several times larger than the corresponding JPEG file.

What about JPEG?

For everyday shooting, JPEG is great! The file sizes are much smaller, and the images are already adjusted to what the camera believes looks good. Because the sizes are smaller, you can get more pictures on your memory card than you can with RAW.

When should I use it?

Use JPEG when you:

• are shooting to record an event, and may not necessarily make prints later
• are shooting in even lighting and even white balance (i.e. outside, shade, or anywhere where the light color is consistent throughout the scene)
• have a limited amount of memory card or drive space
• are just starting out or are practicing techniques

JPEG files come out of the camera looking great! However, if you push them too hard in Photoshop or some other photo editing software, your image quality may start to degrade.

Eventually, you may find that RAW has the quality that you are looking for. Or, you may stick with JPEG for its considerable benefits. In either case, know that you have options and it’s worth exploring both of them!

Eric Doggett is a photographer in Austin, Texas. He has a site specifically for baby photography tips at ShootTheBaby.com, as well as BoxOfficeBaby.com, a site where you can order custom birth/party announcement posters - a unique gift newborn children can keep forever. You can reach him at babydaddy -at- ShootTheBaby.com.