I’ve been having a discussion with a friend regarding the benefits and challenges of JPEG and RAW file formats. There’s already a lot of discussion on this topic out there but here’s a bit more.
The challenge my friend has with RAW is that the images are not as striking as JPEG. In fact, she says the RAW images are rather flat and she’s right.
There are two things to say about JPEG files. First, the computer in the camera processes the raw image and makes several ‘interpretive decisions.’ Some of these the photographer has some control over such as the amount of saturation, contrast and sharpness. Most cameras have menu options that allow setting these properties. But it boils down to the fact that the camera’s processor and the firmware that it executes makes decisions about how to render the image.
Point and shoot cameras have even more options such as program modes optimized for beach, portrait, still life, landscape and even fireworks. These program modes control exposure as well as saturation, contrast and sharpness to produce pleasing images. The good news is that these settings can save the photographer a lot of trial and error in coming up with the right settings.
The second thing about JPEG images is that the images are compressed and every time the image is saved it is re-compressed. The compression is what is call a ‘lossy’ compression; that is, data is lost. So each time a JPEG file is opened and saved again, it looses more information. As a result, JPEG files deteriorate a little each time they’re saved and it all adds up.
RAW is quite different from JPEG. First of all, all of the decisions the camera’s processer made when it generated the JPEG file are left to the photographer. There is no saturation, contrast, sharpening, white balance, and on and on. The good news is that the photographer gets to interpret the image in his or her own unique way. The bad news is that the photographer has no choice but to interpret the image.
RAW files are not compresses either and therefore are much larger than JPEG files. The good news is none of the data originally captured by the sensor is lost. The bad news is you need a much larger hard drive, maybe several.
So, when is JPEG the best choice and when is RAW. JPEGs are great when the way the camera renders the image is exactly what you need. JPEGs are great for sports, weddings, family gatherings, and such. However, if the photographer wishes to interpret the image then RAW is the best way to go. Also, if the photographer needs more after-the-fact-control over exposure, white balance, tonality, color, etc., then RAW is the best way to go (because all these controls are available in today’s raw image converters).
One last thing. JPEG images are pretty much ready-to-go when they come out of the camera. So if the exposure is good they can be ready in a very short time. RAW images require more effort and hence take longer to get to the desired result. But they provide total creative control over the final product.
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