I write this post from the back seat of a car, on the way to Destin, FL for a little rest and relaxation time. I am SO looking forward to catching up on my sleep and reading and getting a tan. Or, in my case, getting freckles. Lots and lots of annoying freckles.
It’s been a while since I’ve posted anything. I’ve had hard drive troubles which caused me to get behind. BUT…. I’ve got some great posts on the horizon that I’m super stoked to share with you! Until then, I thought I’d take a little time and answer a question I’ve been asked a lot lately.
“Do you shoot in RAW or JPG?”
I shoot in RAW. And here’s why:
- RAW files have more color depth, tonal detail, and more image information to work with. A JPG image is an 8-bit file, while a RAW file is usually a 16 bit file. If you think of an image as a line of 1s and 0s, you can either have an image with 8 numbers in a line (a jpg image) which, when all that math stuff is applied, gives you 256 shades. Or, you can have an image with 16 numbers in a line (a RAW image), which gives you over 65,000 shades! The extra image data is useful when editing. Plus, with more of the original image data being recorded, you have a better shot at rescuing detail from over exposed highlights or under exposed shadows.
Which brings me to my next point.
- You can edit RAW files non-destructively. Edits done to a RAW image are applied to a copy or ‘sidecar’ for you to work on. You can edit, save (as a PSD or TIFF file ***see side note on psd and tiff files***), edit a little more, save, edit, etc, without losing any image quality. Every time you save a JPG file, the file is compressed and a little bit of quality is lost -this compression also happens a little bit IN CAMERA, which is why JPG files are smaller than RAW files. Repeatedly saving a file as a JPG can noticeably reduce the quality of a photo. Eventually, you’ll likely have to save an image as a JPG (or TIFF) for the final digital product, but wait until the very end to do so. This also applies to editing in 16 bit or 8 bit mode. Do as much editing as you can in 16 bit, and then convert to 8 bit when you’re ready to send to print (or when using some Photoshop actions that only work in 8 bit mode) because once you go to 8 bit and save the file, you can’t go back. Well, you CAN go back to 16 bit mode, but the information is already lost.
***I have a little side note about PSD and TIFF files too. Once you edit a RAW file in Photoshop, you can’t save it in the same format. If you are completely done with your edits, you can save it as a JPG and call it a day. If you’d like to save it and come back to it later, you’ll have to chose which file format to save it in – PSD or TIFF
Saving as PSD doesn’t change the data in the image, just the format. So the picture information is not touched. All that’s altered is the tiny bit of the data at the beginning of the file that tells the computer what to do with this info.
Like JPG, a TIFF file is a compressed file, (which is why it takes longer to open in Photoshop) but unlike JPG, it’s what’s called a ‘lossless compression’ and does not loose any image information. (while jpeg DOES lose info – by compressing and dumping data as it goes)
PSD is not a compressed format so your file size will be bigger, taking more room up on your hard drive, but will open faster in Photoshop. Both file formats will keep any layer information you might have done in previous editing sessions. So basically, either file format is great. It really comes down to personal preference.***
So, those are just 2 reasons why I shoot in RAW. Please don’t get me wrong, just because I shoot in RAW doesn’t mean you have to. And honestly, I don’t feel like shooting in RAW is necessarily right for every person. It does require some additional software in order to open a RAW file, so I always suggest that hobbyists begin by taking some kick a** photos in jpg format and then, if they want to start taking things further, think about shooting and editing in RAW. Also, there are quite a few professional photographers that shoot in JPG and produce great images! They have their reasons just like I have mine. I just wanted to share what I do.
HOW DO YOU SHOOT AND WHY? RAW OR JPG?
And with that, I’ll leave you with a few iPhone photos of my current view:
