DSLR Cameras - What does that button do? pt.II - RAW VS JPEG
In this series I would like to show the difference between taking a photo in RAW and JPEG file format, what are the differences and the advantages.
Maybe you already heard of about RAW file format but never used it or wasn't sure how to use it, well today I would like to convince you to drop the JPEG and adapt RAW format.
This is aimed at people who would like to start using it but don't know how or why. I hope this is enough evidence to drop your old habits.
All images are unedited and unaltered. The camera was set to default without adjusting setting in the menu.
Advantage
| RAW FILE: | JPEG FILE: |
|---|---|
| Best quality photos | Small size photos |
| Wider tonal range | Common, easy to read files on all devices |
| More natural colours | No further processing is required |
| Any adjustment of white balance, exposure, contrast, colour intensity | |
| Easy removing noise or sharpening pictures |
Disadvantage
| RAW FILE: | JPEG FILE: |
|---|---|
| A large size that can slow down your camera and computer | Compression that affects quality loss |
| Required processing | Limited white balance change |
| Additional software required to edit the photo | No exposure adjustment without loss of detail |
To see the difference, click on the image to see it full size.
Correct colours
Raw | JPEG |
|---|---|
 |  |
 |  |
As you can see the jpeg file added a nasty looking green colour to the background and is over saturated and tight. Whereas the raw file not only has correct colours, the robot light did not over expose.
Correct Tone
RAW | JPEG |
|---|---|
 |  |
 |  |
Here we can see that the raw file has a bigger dynamic range, meaning the shadow is not as dark as the jpeg file, and again the red colour is slightly over saturated on the right.
Sharpness
RAW | JPEG |
|---|---|
 |  |
 |  |
 |  |
If you have a closer look to the zoomed in images, you can see the sharpness difference, even before doing any post editing.
HDR
Canon 30D - 18-55mm
@tomekkk
Very interesting post my friend. I like the details and the most important we can totally see the differences ;)))) Have a good one ;)))
Thank you, I think attention to detail is important :)
What about a .tiff image. Whats the difference?
Great comparative post too.
tiff file is also lossless format, but most dslr cameras don't save it as that file, just raw & jpg. If I get my hands on a camera that saves as tiff I'll post it.
Also tiff files are massive and don't have any advantages over raw format.
Good info. Thanks. Why produce a tiff image then if RAW is compatible but more manageable size wise?
Just like any other image format eg; gif, png all serve different purpose.
I could be wrong on this, but raw file is data dump straight from the camera sensor to a file, and jpg/tiff is a saved file.
Now you got me intrested :]
i hardly notice the difference. but qll i know that by using RAW file, it will makexit easier for post processing.
thank you for letting me know.
That is correct :)
You need a really good display to see a difference in colors but anyway a good piece of work!
That is true, but I get pretty obsessed with detail :P
Good for you!
Amazing pics. That shade of blue in the .jpeg version of the robot really stood out in my view. I kind of like it.
Thank you mate!
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