RAW vs Jpeg (All in one thread)

Higbee wrote:

RAW files are uncompressed and unprocessed snapshots of all of the detail available to the camera sensor. Because RAW files are unprocessed, they come out looking flat and dark. ... There is a vast difference in the amount of information retained in a RAW file compared to a JPEG as you will soon come to see.

I noticed this when when doing some A/B shots of a guitar headstock. The raw file had 'more' colour (not sure how to word this). It seemed richer. But I also couldn't honestly say one looked better than the other, they just looked different. Zooming in to 100% and there seemed to be a bit more definition in the raw file than the jpg i.e. line edges were better defined. Not massively so, just a bit. Worth pointing out that this thread is 10 years old so maybe some advice given early on needs to be updated? Is it possible that Updated tech and software has closed the gap to a certain degree?

But what do I know, I'm just a beginner.

• But I also couldn't honestly say one looked better than the other, they just looked different.

The initial RAW rendering seen in an editor depends on the camera profile that the editor is using.  These vary from editor to editor.  Some may nail the JPG look, some may look flatter, some may have more saturation (though this is the rare case).  The point of RAW is not that initial camera profile.  It is what you can do to improve the image beyond the JPG.  No effort, no gain.

Kelly Cook


A RAW data file is an unalterable proprietary format, it is NOT an
image but only data that can be previewed in a dedicated converter
by means of a jpeg temporary file — as on the camera back screen.
It may be compressed losslessly or not.

WHAT IS RECORDED is only chrominance and luminance. The qua-
lity of RAW files depends directly, but not exclusively, on the expo-
sure and the consequent recorded data — in this, the histogram is
one’s best friend.

HOW IT IS RECORDED includes other parameters that will impact
the quality of captures such as WB, focus and DoF, etc. Note that
RAWs have no colour spaces but may be instructed to record in a
biased way.

Given the unalterable nature of RAW files, all tweaks will be saved as
sidecar files that are usually kept in the same folder than the originals
The converted final rendition of a RAW file will apply all the tweaks to
the chosen image format.

Jpg, tif, png, etc  are directly editable images in a pixel editor — some
with layers, different levels of compression, transparency support, etc.

KCook wrote: The initial RAW rendering seen in an editor depends on the camera profile that the editor is using.  These vary from
editor to editor.  Some may nail the JPG look, some may look flatter,
some may have more saturation (though this is the rare case).  The point
of RAW is not that initial camera profile.  It is what you can do to
improve the image beyond the JPG.  No effort, no gain.

Nikon Shooter wrote: 
A RAW data file is an unalterable proprietary format, it is NOT an
image but only data that can be previewed in a dedicated converter
by means of a jpeg temporary file — as on the camera back screen.
It may be compressed losslessly or not.

WHAT IS RECORDED is only chrominance and luminance. The qua-
lity of RAW files depends directly, but not exclusively, on the expo-
sure and the consequent recorded data — in this, the histogram is
one’s best friend.

HOW IT IS RECORDED includes other parameters that will impact
the quality of captures such as WB, focus and DoF, etc. Note that
RAWs have no colour spaces but may be instructed to record in a
biased way.

Given the unalterable nature of RAW files, all tweaks will be saved as
sidecar files that are usually kept in the same folder than the originals
The converted final rendition of a RAW file will apply all the tweaks to
the chosen image format.

Jpg, tif, png, etc  are directly editable images in a pixel editor — some
with layers, different levels of compression, transparency support, etc.

Great explanations. My photography skills are pretty undeveloped as I never really bothered to learn the ins and outs. I spent the weekend taking raw photos and realised while viewing them later on that the extra info also highlights the flaws and my lack of skill. Jpg photos seemed to smooth things over a bit. Time to start practicing the basics...