The Photographic Touch Blog

Jpeg vs RAW: Which Should You Shoot?
by Steven Sawusch and Jordan Thunquest

You may be asking yourself: Do I shoot JPEG? Do I shoot RAW? Do I shoot JPEG + RAW?

We have had many lengthy talks with clients regarding JPEG vs RAW. Unfortunately, there’s no one easy answer for everyone to use because of the different requirements you may have.  However, this article will discuss the pros and cons of each option and give you some suggestions to help you decide which option best fits your style and needs.

First, we will discuss a little technical information about JPEG and RAW files.

JPEG:
JPEG is an 8-bit, processed, lossy compressed file format (more about bit depth in A Bit About Bit Depth). As you can assume, the more compressed the file is, the more information lost. Typically, a JPEG file has around 10:1 compression which results in minimal perceived loss. When a picture is taken as a JPEG, the camera takes the light information gathered and the white balance information (temperature and tint) then processes the image with programmed settings (contrast, saturation, black point, etc) into the programmed color space. This processing takes all of the actual captured colors from the camera, brings them into the color space and makes adjustments including black point, brightness, contrast, and saturation along with others. The result is an image that has saturated color and is ready to print or show off digitally easily. It is best to think of a JPEG as a second generation image because some information that the camera actually captured is clipped in the processing down to 8-bit and the selected color space.

RAW:
RAW’s are uncompressed, minimally processed files that are usually 12 or 14-bit in standard DSLR cameras. It is best to think of a RAW file as a negative. The file has all of the information that the camera actually captured, but it is not ready for print or editing because it has not been processed. There are many programs available including Adobe’s Camera RAW (Photoshop, Elements and Lightroom), that will process RAW files. These programs will allow you to process one image at a time or batch process many images at once. Because the files are unprocessed, you can easily adjust white balance and other settings that minimize information clipping. Being that most RAW’s are 12 or 14-bit (even though they open as 16-bit files in Photoshop), there are many more colors available compared to a processed JPEG. This difference is most noticeable in gradation areas in an image.

Advantages and Disadvantages of JPEG, RAW and RAW+JPEG

JPEG only

The Advantages:

• Takes up the least amount of space
• Image is processed and (should) have a color space assigned
• Easy to make smaller prints quickly
• Camera’s buffer doesn’t fill as fast

The Disadvantages:

• Lossy compression (there is now a lossless compression too)
• Artifacting
• Lower Quality Image
• Image is processed, no turning back
• 8-bit only, colors have been clipped permanently
• 2nd Generation file

RAW only

The Advantages:

• Lossless format (can be set in some cameras for no compression, lossless compression or lossy compression)
• Higher Quality Image
• 1st Generation file (Negative)
• The most amount of information you can get
• Easy to adjust image with no to minimal information loss (color profile, white balance, black point, contrast, saturation, etc)
• Larger prints are easier to create

The Disadvantages:

• Takes up multiple times more space
• Unprocessed

RAW+JPEG

The Advantages:

• Easy to use JPEGs and editing power of RAWs (Best of both worlds)

The Disadvantages:

• Takes up the most amount of space
• Cameras buffer fills the quickest

Suggestions

When to Shoot JPEG only

• Limited space on your memory card or hard drive. It is better to get an image instead of missing it because your card is full.
• When all you need is speed. JPEG allows you to shoot more images faster due to not filling up the camera’s buffer as quickly. If your subject is moving quickly or you frequently hold down the shutter for a continuous stream of photos, you may want to consider JPEG only shooting to shoot those images faster and longer without pause.
• All your work is going out to the internet and nothing is printed. The internet lives in small color spaces and inaccurate colors, thus you might as well save the space by shooting JPEGs if all you do is post pictures online.

When to Shoot RAW only

• Storage is plenty and you do not want to change cards as frequently but still need the editing power of RAW files.
• You will process your images anyway. For example, wedding photographers should shoot RAW only because they will process and edit a percentage of the images they take before showing the client. They want to show the client the better photos only and won’t bother with the bad ones.

When to Shoot RAW+JPEG

• If storage is not an issue then this is more than likely the option for you.
• If you go through a selection process after shooting, you can easily print your JPEGs into a proof book and make any selections for what you want to print at larger sizes, or take further editing steps to. Then you go back to the RAW files and edit those.
• If you want the best of both worlds: easy to use JPEGs and powerful RAWs.