RAW or JPEG??

[JamesB]

Originally Posted by rogerfsmith

RAW image have far more information available and thus can be considerably sharper than JPG images. Keep in mind that the camera converts the RAW data into a JPG and applies sharpening according to the camera's parameters. With RAW, the sharpening, if any is done by the RAW converter or in Photoshop or some external large software program on a large very powerful computer system (when compared to the small computer chip inside the camera and its limited memory). Here is a photo that shows a side by side comparison. It is blown up to 200% so you can easily see the differences:


Naturally, shooting in JPG, can give a slightly faster workflow, but when fully understands how RAW works, one can have the best of both worlds by shooting RAW and doing a slight re-tailoring of the workflow.

cheers,
roger

I don't see enough difference to make a difference for what I do. Thats the point everyone is missing. for what I do I don't care about the benefits of RAW over JPG, you may care, but I sure dont, and I still get great prints.... call me


James

[APC^2]

I'm very new to the idea of shooting in RAW. Members have suggested that I try it, and I plan too, but I after reading this I see that there is more work involved. What exactly does that entail? Do I need a converter for the files or something? I only have the very basic software that comes with the Rebel XT kit, so I'm not sure if there is something I need to get before I try. I'm really excited about learning this though. Any help would greatly appreciated.
-Asha

[kenw]

Numerous programs can work with and convert RAW files to JPG. PaintShop Pro works very well and I use it daily. On a simpler tone, Picasa (free download from Google) works well.

If all else fails, the software that came with your Rebel will work with and convert RAW files.

[TXhummer2]

Free XnView will open, even batch process, raw files.

www.xnview.com

[APC^2]

Thanks so much. I will definately try these links.

[toverman]

Most cameras that shoot RAW come with some kind of conversion software (like Ken said above). Canon's Digital Photo Professional is pretty easy to use (check your stuff; I had it for awhile before actually loading it onto my computer).

I'm still learning about RAW, too. What it essentially means is that the camera doesn't do any processing on the images. With JPEGs, the camera applies some sharpening (and compression, making the files smaller).

[Cope]

Originally Posted by Mongo

WoW!!! I dont even remember starting this thread! lol.

Actually, Al Gore started it right after he invented the internet.