Tag: photography technique

Looking at the settings of your camera or listening to photographers, you will have known that, in addition to JPEG, a very common format for saving photo files is RAW, now also in the most recent smartphone models!

But what are the differences between the two formats? And how to choose the best one for our photos?

Let’s compare them and try to understand together!

JPEG and RAW: what are them?

JPEG are raster files, meaning images made up of pixels, and are popular for sharing, creating, and viewing photos.

When a JPEG file is generated, it is subject to lossy compression, which means that all the nuances of color, and therefore the details, that the human eye can hardly see are eliminated, creating groups of pixels with homogeneous color.

When you take a JPEG image, you will have an 8 bit file. The number of bits represents the color depth of the image. Each pixel of an 8-bit image consists of a numerical string of 8 digits 0 or 1, which combined together determine a colour. In this way it is possible to have 256 (2⁸) different combinations and therefore 256 shades of color for each of the three primary colours.

RAW files are still raster files, even if they are represented by code and require software processing to be converted into images.

When a RAW file is generated, it does not undergo any type of compression or data loss during recording. This means that it contains a large amount of data within it.
All digital cameras can take photos in RAW format and now some of the latest smartphone models can do it too, making them ideal for amateur or professional photographers.

Digital cameras can shoot at 12 or 14 bit, depending on the type of camera, and this means that if we save the file in RAW, the color gradients will reach 4096 or 16384 for each primary color.

But let’s see the main differences, the advantages or disadvantages of the two formats and learn which one to choose in each situation.

1. The weight

JPEG files are about 5-10 times smaller than RAW.

JPEG files are the most used for saving and sharing images online, they are light in terms of MB, which allows them to be opened, sent and shared quickly, while still maintaining good quality online.

RAW files, on the other hand, containing a greater amount of information, are much heavier. This means that uploading, sending and sharing take much longer. Furthermore, specific programs and software are needed to open these files, while JPEGs are universally recognized.

RAW files, for example, cannot be sent as simple email attachments, as they exceed the maximum capacity allowed and to manage them easily, the computer on which they are processed must offer high performance.

In the image below we report the weight in MB of the original RAW image taken with a Sony digital camera and the weight of the same file exported from Photoshop in JPEG.
During export, there are various settings that can be modified to further reduce the weight of the JPEG, according to different needs, but we still start from a size 7 times smaller!
The same image, used as the cover of this article, has been reduced to 1 MB, in order not to weigh down the page and maintain fast viewing times. Despite this reduction, for a website display, the quality is still enough.

2. The quality

RAW files have higher quality than JPEGs.
The choice depends on the use we will make of that photo.

JPEG files are subject to lossy compression, which means that some detail, and therefore image quality, is sacrificed to reduce file size and allow for easier management. However, this also alters the image, slightly modifying the colours.
The quality of the JPEG file is still good for viewing from a computer or smartphone, for use on websites, which very often have limits on the weight of the uploaded images, for social networks or for printing in the classic smaller photographic formats.

But if we have to modify that image and process it with post-production software, or enlarge it dramatically, it is precisely the details that the JPEG loses, which do not allow us to continue viewing a quality file and a high definition image. This is where the RAW format comes into play.

In fact, this certainly guarantees a much higher image quality, because it doesn’t compress the data collected by the camera. It therefore has a multitude of more details and records millions more colors than a JPEG image, returning a wider range of colors and tones. This guarantees greater control over the image.

Below we compare two photos, one taken in RAW and one in JPEG, first in the original shot size and then in an enlarged detail.
While in the first image it is more difficult to grasp the difference in quality, in the second it is certainly more evident.
In this case, the photo taken in RAW format was first edited, enlarged and then exported in JPEG, while on the right the image already taken in JPEG was edited, enlarged and saved in the same format.

3. Photo editing

RAW is the best format for photo editing.

As we said before, if the image needs to be processed, post-produced, modified, altered, or printed in large dimensions (such as for a poster), surely RAW is the right format to choose to maintain the quality of the photo. This is why it is the format most used by professional or amateur photographers.

The high quality of the RAW file allows you to change a wide range of settings after shooting, ensuring maximum flexibility during editing.

Very often RAW images are processed in the main post-production programs, such as Photoshop and Lightroom and then saved in JPEG or other lossless formats, such as PNG or TIFF, based on the use that will be made of them.

Of course, to view and edit RAW files through a computer, it must have good performance, in terms of graphic memory and storage space.

Photoshop and Lightroom, as well as other editing programs, are also available in smartphone app format, in free and paid solutions. If our smartphone allows shooting in RAW, we will therefore be able to obtain excellent results after editing our photos, even without going through the computer.

Can you edit a JPEG with a photo editing program?
Yes, it is possible, but in addition to having fewer editing options, the quality of the photo, if you make substantial changes, is compromised even more and you risk damaging the file, rather than improving it.

In the example below, the same photo was shot in both RAW and JPEG.
After making the same changes while editing, it is clear the immense difference between a RAW file compared to JPEG. The areas of light (overexposed) of the sky on the horizon are not recovered in the JPEG (they remain white), while in the RAW the details of the scene become visible again.
The RAW file also has many more details and shades of color. Just look at the main facade of the lighthouse.

Below, a detail of the area of the sky damaged during the editing of the JPEG photo.
Unlike RAW, post-production in JPEG has worsened the quality of the original JPEG file, altering the colors of the sky, which no longer has uniform shades, but bands of different tones with sharp divisions.

4. Usability

JPEG files are more convenient to use.

This is because not all photo viewing programs allow you to open RAW files. To view them, it will therefore be necessary to download specific software or convert them to JPEG.
Furthermore, it may happen that we see RAW files in many different extensions, such as .CR2, .RW2, .NEF, .ARW, .SR2, .ORF, .PEF, .RAF, depending on the brand of camera used, which are not universally recognized as JPEG instead.

Furthermore, being much heavier, RAW files can slow down applications, unless the computer has good performances.

Given that usually these files are then sent, shared, uploaded to social networks or websites, most people who work with RAW files, once the editing is finished, save them in more manageable formats, such as the JPEG.

Once these points have been clarified, let’s now see some technical and practical aspects that will help us in passing from one file to another.

5. RAW or JPEG: how to set our devices

The format in which you want to shoot can be selected in all cameras and in the most recent smartphones, by accessing the settings menu.
Naturally, since RAW files are much heavier, the maximum number of photos stored in the phone’s memory or in the camera’s SD card will drastically decrease. The choice will always depend on the use we want to make of them.
In cameras, it is also possible to take a photo and save it in RAW+JPEG at the same time: in this way two files will be generated, a JPEG ready to use and a RAW to be worked on. Sometimes this choice can be very useful, but remember that in this way the memory space will run out even faster.

6. Converting a RAW file to JPEG

You can convert a RAW file to JPEG by opening it in an editing program and saving or exporting it in a different format from the File window.
In the images below, we see how to export a RAW file to JPEG with Photoshop.
There are also some easy-to-use online apps where you can directly upload a RAW photo, by dragging it to the web screen, to convert it to JPEG or other formats.

If we need a higher quality than JPEG, especially in occasions such as large prints or fine art prints, or if we have to archive many files before editing, but we want to preserve their quality, we can choose to export the file in PNG or TIFF, which are subject to compression but lossless.

So again, the conversion depends on the use of the file.

After clicking Export As…, you’ll find a screen where you can choose whether to export to JPEG or other formats, a preview on the left of the file size, and further settings on the right to change the weight and quality of your file.

7. JPEG or RAW? Some practical examples

Let’s see, therefore, some examples to choose when to shoot in JPEG or RAW.

If we’re taking photos that we’re not going to edit with post-production and we’ll have to use for social pages or online sharing, it’s perfectly fine to shoot in JPEG: so we’ll have files that are light and fast enough to view, share, download, upload online.

If, on the other hand, we intend to modify the file in post-production, also to use it on the web, or we want to print our photos, perhaps in fine art or simply in a format larger than the simple 10×15 or 12×18, such as posters, then we should opt for the RAW format.

Naturally, for all professional work, such as photos taken for events, exhibitions, graphic work or for any client, a minimum of post-production is practically a must, so the RAW format must be chosen.

8. One last tip: the EXIF files

Every time we take a photo, the EXIF (Exchangeable Image File Format) data is associated with it, which provides information concerning the time and date of shooting, the make and model of the camera, the settings about the aperture, the shutter speed, the ISO, and even the geographic coordinates of the shooting location (where active or if can be activated) and copyright information (where entered).

These data, less detailed than digital cameras, are also present in photos taken with smartphones.

To view them, just access the properties of the photo taken, both from a smartphone and a camera.
The EXIF data remains attached to the file even after exporting and editing, compressing and sending the files, unless you want to remove them on purpose with specific software.

These files are very useful for analyzing and verifying the images produced, for understanding the settings used in a photo that we like and for repeating them in similar lighting conditions.
From EXIF files you can really learn a lot if you want to improve the technique, both by analyzing and comparing your own photos, taken with different settings, and by taking inspiration from the images of others, especially if you are approaching the manual settings for the first time.

What are you waiting for?

Follow our advice and tag us in your photos, we will publish them on our pages Instagram and Facebook.

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