To JPEG or RAW, That's No Longer the Question

[Henrycrafter]

Originally Posted by THEME

Hi,

Recently a thread in this forum had to be closed because of unruly behavior.

JPEG vs. RAW is a highly emotional topic among photographers.

In essence though it's all about file sizes and work flow.

Perhaps we can give the topic another try?

For a starter, I wrote down some thought here

Why Shooting JPEG Instead of RAW Could Make More Sense With Late-Model Cameras | THEME

Please be open-minded. But is RAW a thing of the past?

I have been shooting raw because I like the results.
So without contraversy I was looking for answers.
Without endorsement I suggest viewing this article which describes the issue without judgement so that a logical opinion can be formatted.
Understanding RAW Files Explained

[Mark McCall]

No RAW is not a thing of the past.
Jpgs have a limitation that simply cannot be overcome.
They are created by camera algorythms, tossing out important information, compressing the rest. Your simply putting too much control into the hands of the equipment with Jpg.

I hear the term often..."get it right in camera and Jpg works great".
It's not all about exposure. You lose color too during the save process in camera.

Raw is a much more forgiving format, gives you more control over the final image, and actually takes less time to produce since non-destructive changes can be applied globally.
While it's true you can use a Raw converter to make the same changes to a Jpg, you do so at a huge quality penalty.
If done in PS, changes to Jpg can only happen one at a time, not hudrends or thousands at a time like Raw.

I wouldn't consider Jpg to be a viable option over Raw. There's too many disadvantages to overcome.

[THEME]

Originally Posted by Henrycrafter

I have been shooting raw because I like the results.
So without contraversy I was looking for answers.
Without endorsement I suggest viewing this article which describes the issue without judgement so that a logical opinion can be formatted.
Understanding RAW Files Explained

Excellent article, thanks for mentioning.

[Preeb]

Originally Posted by Henrycrafter

I have been shooting raw because I like the results.
So without contraversy I was looking for answers.
Without endorsement I suggest viewing this article which describes the issue without judgement so that a logical opinion can be formatted.
Understanding RAW Files Explained

Great article! It explains clearly why it's so much easier and more effective to make edits on RAW images. Excellent read. Thank you.