Raw vs JPEG

Updated: Oct 29, 2021

This is one of the great debates of the last twenty years. Especially with the advent of 'Social Media'! The general public want instant gratification, people want to post there photos instantly and get immediate feedback.

Shooting in RAW gives you a much greater photo editing latitude. The RAW format captures additional image data that JPEG files simply don’t. This permits dodging, burning, exposure, HSL (hue/saturation/luminance), monochrome filter adjustments, and much, much more.

Shooting in JPEG will save you time. JPEG files transfer to memory cards faster and transfer to computers faster, giving you more time to review your images and less time waiting for them to load. This will let you review your work faster, which is so important when you are learning what works and what doesn't work.

Most digital DSLR and Marrowless cameras allow you to shoot Raw and/or JPEG. Remember that shooting both formats take more space on your memory cards. The latest and greatest newer cameras have dual memory card slots.

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There is no right or wrong answer to Raw vs JPEG. Photographers that tend to spend time doing post preproduction on images need to shoot Raw. If you or your client plan to do large-size prints, then Raw is best.

If you want instant gratification and plan to only post your images on 'Social Media' then JPEG is the way to go. Note that most digital DSRL and Marrowless cameras offer low, medium, and high-quality JPEG. When I shoot JPEG only, I always set my camera to high quality JPEG.

Characteristics of RAW

RAW files are just what they sound like—raw data from your camera of the photo you took. These files are technically not images at all, but data that only specific programs can read. While RAW files are large and difficult to access, they are also highly detailed and don’t have much, if any, compression.

Characteristics of JPEG

A JPEG is a type of image file that is popular for online uploads and media sharing. While some professionals consider JPEGs to be the image file format for amateur's, high-quality JPEGs work well for photo prints and web design due to their small size. Because it is a compressed image, pixilation may occur in close-ups or after editing.

If you are doing a photo shoot and the client/friends want to see immediate results that they want transferred to 'Social Media, then I would suggest bring extra memory cards & extra flash drives. Shoot both Raw and high-quality JPEG, just in case the client/friend decides they want a bunch of prints.

I found this great video explaining Raw vs JPEG by Steve Perry

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I know photographers that shoot Raw and spend hours in post productions of their images because they enter the photos in competitions. Some people are more artists than true photographers.

I shoot both Raw & JPEG, but tend to keep my photography more realistic, and gritty for street photography. When I am shooting general photography that I am just posting on 'Social Media', I tend to shoot high quality JPEG. The entertainment photography I do is very much for the immediate gratification of the subject, but sometimes they want prints. Better to be safe then sorry and shoot both formats.