Save photo as JPEG? TIFF? What format should I save it as and why?

[CtrlAltDel]

It took years for me to switch over to shooting in RAW. Now that I have finally done it, I can never go back. I read a post (cant remember which one), last week, that made me question whether saving my edited images as jpegs, was the right choice.

Should I save as jpeg? I have a Smugmug site that I upload to and let customers order prints from. Should I upload them as jpegs, tiffs, something else?

[Flea77]

What you should save it as depends on your intended use. Tif files are great because just like RAW and PSD they do not degrade as you edit them. Repeat editing of a JPG causes severe degradation due to the repeated recompression. I only save final deliverables as JPG, everything else is RAW, PSD or TIF (you can save layers in TIF as well!)

Allan

[stephenpinn]

+1 to Allan. The only exception is when sending files to labs for processing, most prefer jpeg, but since that is only 1 generation compressed it is usually no biggy

[Buddha]

+2 to Allan.
RAW has the most data and I keep them as master images. Edited images are saved as TIF's, with a -1 added to the RAW filename for traceability. JPG's are strictly for previewing or for sending to the printer. If I need to edit again, I go back to the TIF file.

[GypsyHighSide]

Smugmug will accept JPEG, GIF AND PNG file types. But prints can only be ordered from images that are uploaded as JPEG. Also be sure to look at the color space you are using. Smugmug suggest that you use sRGB. SmugMug Help: What type of files can I add to my SmugMug account?

[rwwright]

if your editing is in lightroom, you just leave it in raw format. if i go from lightroom to cs5, i save it in psd format. if i go to my hdr software it automaticly saves in tif.

of course, to post the photos on any web site, except for printing, you should save in jpg, 72 bpi, sRGB. if you are setting it up for a printer, use the settings they recommend. then post those photos in that format. but keep your masters on your computers in raw or psd.

i know a lot of people love tif files, but i have some older tif files that i can no longer open in any of the adobe products. and i no longer have the nikon editor. so i just dont trust tif.

[venchka]

File type is only one of several parameters that should be specified when saving for the general public. Lightroom and user defined presets makes this very quick & easy for an entire folder of files.

[CtrlAltDel]

WOW! Thanks for the tips everyone!

[Sherman79]

great info

[rhoffart]

I shoot everything in RAW, purge the unusable files, and save all RAW images on an external hard drive with folders by category and date. I never delete raw files that are keepers.

All my edits are saved as JPEG’s at the highest quality and if I ever need to re-edit I go back to the RAW file. I rarely re-edit an image. I found with my editing skills “less is more”. The more I screw with the shot the worse it starts looking.

[hue-e]

my usual workflow is

shoot=raw
process=psd (my processed photos usually end up with a few layers).
export/deliver=jpg (it's pretty hard to tell print quality between jpg/tif imo)

tif is lossless but not emailable in most cases. I'd really only use this if I was hand carrying a cd to the lab. even then, you can even take a psd and they'll be able to open/print it.

[Buddha]

Not to be argumentative, but I would like to digress for a moment. I rarely delete images. When I do, it's only the most out of focus or so dark as to be unseeable that get deleted. With storage space so cheap, saving them all is practical.
What I have found is that often times later, I will have software with new features that could be used to 'save' the image if I had the skill. So, I use those not quite good enough images as training material and test material. I manage to make some printable while others are just practice. Regardless, I have a way, through those old images, to increase my editing skills and make current images usable where otherwise they would not be.

[Outlaw]

I shoot in RAW, edit in Camera RAW, touch-up in PS4, save final version to JPEG. Any images I don't process to proofs to show my clients, I delete - same with my RAW files once I've got my final JPEGs.

The best answer for you may be different from other folks - it depends on your shooting style, workflow, and business model. Keeping a folder of fully processed JPEGs works perfectly for what I do and how I do it.

[venchka]

Originally Posted by rhoffart

I shoot everything in RAW, purge the unusable files, and save all RAW images on an external hard drive with folders by category and date. I never delete raw files that are keepers.

All my edits are saved as JPEG’s at the highest quality and if I ever need to re-edit I go back to the RAW file. I rarely re-edit an image. I found with my editing skills “less is more”. The more I screw with the shot the worse it starts looking.

Amen! This should be engraved on monitor screens.

Isn't this how one is supposed to work with RAW files? RAW is for editing. JPEG is for viewing on monitors.

[David Whatley]

18 months ago, I did a family shoot and delivered the prints. Several of the shots had the familys 2 pets in them. Duting the shoot, I happend to take a cpl shots of just the 2 dogs. Last week they called because one of the dogs had dies and they wnated to know if I still had any of the pictures. Since I "NEVER" delete a file, then of course I still had them. I delivered 11 more prints this morning, of just the 2 dogs togeather plus a few additional that they hadnt ordered before.
There might be a lesson to be learned here.