There’s been much misinformation and disinformation regarding what RAW image files are and why one should shoot in RAW mode or avoid doing so. Let’s investigate!

What is RAW?

A RAW image format contains the complete (lossless) data from your camera’s sensor. It contains the image as captured by the camera with little processing made to display it as a colour image. It is a proprietary format, so to view and edit this type of format you will require special software, usually supplied by the camera’s manufacturer. Nowadays, software like Adobe Photoshop can also process RAW image formats.

Reasons to shoot in RAW

There are several reasons why you should shoot in RAW:

1. Image Quality:

   RAW files contain the exact information that your camera’s sensor captured. That means that the photographer is able to extract the maximum possible image quality without any loss of information.

2. White Balance:

   Little processing was applied to the image which means that if you selected an incorrect WB setting, you can simply go in your RAW file converter and change it to the correct setting. If you’d done the same thing with a JPEG file you’d have to alter it manually, which is time-consuming.

3. Exposure Latitude:

   The data in each pixel inside a RAW file is usually stored using 12 or 14 digital bits. If the camera stores the pixels in 12 bits (2^12) then each pixel allow the file to record 4,096 possible brightness levels. If the camera stores in 14 bits (2^14) then it can record 16,384 different brightness levels. The JPEG file stores each colour using only 8 bits. That means that it can record only 256 different brightness levels! That becomes a problem if you want to rescue an underexposed/overexposed image. Making changes, you’ll quickly find out that JPEG file hasn’t stored enough detail in each pixel.

4. Processing Power:

   The internal processing power of a camera is limited in how fast it can convert a picture into a JPEG file and store it in the camera. With the power of a PC processor the conversion algorithms (File linearization and colour filter array) can be more sophisticated; resulting in a higher quality JPEG file that the JPEG file converted within the camera.

Pitfalls of RAW files

Enough people avoid shooting in RAW due to some pitfalls of RAW files. Here are some:

1. Large file sizes:

   RAW files occupy much more space that JPEG files due to the amount of detail they have stored in each pixel, therefore less RAW files will fit on a card. Large file size means that RAW files will also require a high amount of bandwidth and will make it difficult to transmit online.

2. Post-Processing Required:

   RAW files are not as sharp as JPEG files. RAW files also look more washed-out, having a lower contrast than JPEG files. This requires for some post-processing to bring RAW files back to life. Post-Processing requires time and skill which many photographers may not have.

3. Proprietary Format:

   Although they’re generically referred to as RAW files, there’s no single format. Each camera stores its RAW files differently with different extensions as well. Canon’s RAW files have an extension of .CRW, Nikon of .NEF, Olympus of .ORF, Pentax of .PEF and Fuji of .RAF. Depending on the support the manufacturers provide the public, your photos may become unreadable if the manufacturer drops support for their RAW files. You can overcome this problem and convert the RAW files into Adobe’s DNG Format. This format still preserves the “rawness” of your files but it converts the data to a consistent RAW format, with an openly published specification.

There’s no denying that RAW is less convenient that JPEG but the benefits you gain from using RAW files are worth the inconvenience. Share your thoughts on this issue below. I’d be very interested to hear your opinion on whether you prefer RAW files or JPEG files. 

NEXT POST: How to convert your RAW files into DNG instantly.

References:
“Understanding RAW files” by Michael Reichmann
"Working in the RAW” by Helen Bradley “RAW vs JPEG” by Darren Rowse
“Mastering File Formats” from the book The Ultimate Guide to Digital Photography.

Source Files are unavailable for this tutorial! No Source Files