This means that an 8-bit file has the ability to show up to 16.78 million colour tones at each pixel. By multiplying each channel together (256 x 256 x 256) you get a theoretical maximum color depth of 16,777,216. A JPEG is an 8-bit file, which means each channel (red, green and blue) in a pixel can record up to 256 levels of luminosity. Let’s look at a little bit of math to explain a few ways why you can achieve higher overall quality with a RAW file thanks to the technical reason-bit depth. While that’s true from an “ease-of-use” standpoint, more serious photographers who want greater editing flexibility will find a RAW file is worth the extra editing time. That doesn’t sound like a hard choice, the JPEG sounds much easier to deal with. What software can you use to edit the RAW files? You can either use Nikon’s free Capture NX-D software which is able to see and keep all the same settings that you have set in the camera (such as Active D-Lighting, Picture Control, Vignette Control) or you can use third party software, keeping in mind that third party software cannot read much of the camera settings, giving you a little bit more work to do on your photos since you’re starting from scratch.Ī JPEG is smaller and can be shared right out of the camera while a RAW file is much larger and must be edited before it can be shared. That means more time will be spent on post-production since you must edit your files but it also means you can make many different edits without any loss in quality thanks to the non-destructive nature of the file. Due to all of that extra data, the file size is much larger than a JPEG, and because the data is in a “raw” form, specific photo-centric software is required to edit the photo. You can actually change the compression settings of a JPEG by selecting whether you want it to give priority to image quality or file size in the camera.Ī RAW photo on the other hand contains all the image information captured by the camera’s sensor, along with all the metadata (the camera’s identification and its settings, the lens used, and much more). Options without a star use a type of compression designed to produce smaller files files tend to be roughly the same size regardless of the scene recorded. Image quality options with a star next to them use compression intended to ensure maximum quality the size of the files varies with the scene. Much of the information encoded in a JPEG is baked-in, meaning that any edits done to the file are destructive and there will be a slight loss in quality. This makes it very easy to share but it also comes with some downsides: JPEGs are a standardized format that are designed to be a smaller file size that can be read by all computers, smartphones, tablets and other devices without the need for specialized software. Let’s take a look at what JPEG and RAW files are before we talk about why each one should be used. Whether you should shoot RAW or JPEG (or both) can depend on several factors. Just because people get very passionate about their choice doesn’t mean that there’s only one right answer, because just like most other topics in photography, each person has their own circumstances that influence choices. If you ask a photographer, “do you shoot RAW or JPEG?” be prepared for a very passionate answer, as the different file formats provide a very polarizing split between photographers.
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