Shooting in RAW

Discussion in 'Photography Pad' started by krscraps, Jun 12, 2018.

  1. krscraps

    krscraps I'm a nerd.

    Messages:
    1,495
    Joined:
    May 6, 2013
    Who here shoots in RAW? Convince me it's better to shoot in RAW than jpeg.

    Thanks!
     
  2. Amson

    Amson Yoo-hoo!

    Messages:
    1,557
    Joined:
    Sep 30, 2010
    Me definitely. This is the only way that you have the ability to recover detail in shadows and highlights. Try taking a photo, with a lot of contrast, in both jpg and raw and you will see exactly what I mean. Let me know if you need any help. I've been shooting fully in raw for over 10 years now.
     
    jenn mccabe, bestcee and bellbird like this.
  3. bellbird

    bellbird Pollywog

    Messages:
    16,979
    Joined:
    Oct 10, 2010
    What she said ^^^ (I shoot in both ( combo of large jpeg & small raw or vice versa, depending on location\event\light) - it eats thru the card space faster but I think of it as an insurance policy, some of my jpegs have not transferred well to my ehd well in the past (the odd one in a batch has had the glitch effect from one of last month s challenges for real) & I haven't always noticed before clearing the card, but the corresponding raw is always fine, so it's kind of my backup as well as a high contrast fix point for me
     
  4. bellbird

    bellbird Pollywog

    Messages:
    16,979
    Joined:
    Oct 10, 2010
    (do you use lightroom or a program that can handle & process Raw files already? If so, it wouldn't be much of an extra step in scrapping your pics)
     
  5. krscraps

    krscraps I'm a nerd.

    Messages:
    1,495
    Joined:
    May 6, 2013
    I use PSE but wouldn't be opposed to Lightroom CC
     
  6. michelepixels

    michelepixels A pun is not fully matured until it is full groan.

    Messages:
    8,197
    Joined:
    Jan 2, 2015
    RAW means you have more latitude in processing your photos. Point and shoot cameras are getting smarter and smarter but they still can't read our minds and know exactly how we want our photos exposed. It will try to find a happy medium, but maybe we want the shadows in the background darker so our subject stands out, for example.

    And like has been said above, you can recover detail in highlights and shadows when you've shot RAW. The reason for that is that a RAW photo contains every bit of data that your camera's sensor took in. JPG images throw away a lot of data in the process.

    I highly recommend Lightroom, especially if you are going to be shooting a lot of photos in RAW and don't want to spend a lot of time processing your photos. In Photoshop you can only edit one photo at a time. In Lightroom, you can process a whole batch of them at once (assuming they have similar editing needs).

    I've been shooting RAW exclusively (when I use my DSLR) since 2013.

    Edited to add . . . I want to answer a different way. I learned to shoot manually in 2012 and have done so ever since. I've gotten pretty good at making decent exposures on the first try. Also I've reached a point in my life when I don't want to edit a lot of photos. So I've actually considered stopping shooting RAW, or at least consider RAW vs JPG before each shooting session or event. I wouldn't say exactly, "RAW is better than JPG." I would just say you should understand the difference and consider what you need. We don't need to process all of our photos.
     
    Last edited: Jun 12, 2018
    AJK and krscraps like this.
  7. BevG

    BevG If I can't remember it, it didn't happen

    Messages:
    5,711
    Joined:
    Dec 26, 2015
    If you have the room, shoot in both mode, so you get raw and jpg. FYI - the camera creates the jpg for you. It decides the adjusted exposure, white balance, contrast, etc. Even if you shoot in raw, the camera will create a jpg on the fly to show you in the review panel. You can only see the true raw file once it is on your computer.

    There are numerous approaches to processing photos. Probably the best advice is decide which handful of pictures are the best from a shoot and then only process those. Many people use pre-sets, some even use auto process - others do it all by hand, one setting at a time. Regardless, I recommend a non-destructive processor such as Lightroom. It leaves the original file untouched and then adds your processing changes on the fly to create a photo to show you on the screen. This means you can back up to any point in the processing and create another version (processing thread) of the same photo. When you get ready to scrap (or print) it, you can then save it as a jpg or tiff.

    I just got back from vacation and panicked over having enough space on my cards. I shot only in raw, so I guess I am going to get really good at this processing thing. Nothing like jumping in with both feet!!
     
    krscraps likes this.
  8. IntenseMagic

    IntenseMagic Some grannies cuss a lot. I'm some grannies.

    Messages:
    11,953
    Joined:
    Feb 28, 2012
    Most of the time, I shoot in RAW + JPG. I process a few of the raw files that I like the best and then I keep just the jpg of the ones I don't want to get rid of, but don't necessarily want to spend time processing. Kind of like @michelepixels said, I've been shooting in manual mode ever since I got my first dslr in 2007, so I've gotten pretty good at the settings and usually have quite a few that don't need a lot of processing for my use. My camera has 2 card slots, so I don't worry too much about running out of card space.
     
  9. krscraps

    krscraps I'm a nerd.

    Messages:
    1,495
    Joined:
    May 6, 2013
    I shoot in manual or one of the priority modes. I just got a 128 GB card from Best buy on sale. I'm going to throw zoo this weekend and will try shooting in both to get a feel for it.

    Thank you!
     
  10. bestcee

    bestcee In love with places I've never been to

    Messages:
    19,372
    Joined:
    Dec 18, 2013
    I shoot in Raw +jpeg in really bright light, and in really dark light where I know that the camera won't process it the way I want it to.
    Snow: I use raw. It makes it easier for me to correct the white balance.

    But, I don't like to process every photo. So, I use jpeg mostly. In playing with photos, I've discovered when those times are that I want to use RAW for sure (ocean with the glaciers in Alaska) and when I'm okay with just jpeg (backyard trampoline).
     
  11. jenn mccabe

    jenn mccabe She's OUR sunshine!

    Messages:
    21,540
    Joined:
    Jan 5, 2013
    I shoot raw and have this size card as well. You can fit SO SO SO many images on this size card. It's awesome. Like the others have said shooting RAW is a beautiful thing - especially to correct highlights and shadow detail and working with Lightroom is a breeze. BUT ... you can also do a lot of the same things with Adobe Camera Raw and PS or PSE. ACR should be an option under Filter in photoshop ... if you can't find it, google how to get to it with your version of PS/PSE. Watch a few videos on how to use it. The sliders are so easy to use! White balancing is easy too! Enjoy!
     
  12. jenn mccabe

    jenn mccabe She's OUR sunshine!

    Messages:
    21,540
    Joined:
    Jan 5, 2013
    **You can batch edit with ACR and PS/PSE - ACR and LR work off the same "engine" so the editing is similar.
     
    bestcee likes this.
  13. Beckie

    Beckie Active Member

    Messages:
    265
    Joined:
    Jul 6, 2011
    I only shoot RAW. I import all photos onto my computer through lightroom classic and I apply a basic film emulation preset (VSCO) that is edited/tweaked to my liking that runs automatically on import. this way, all of my images get edited easily without any extra work from me! I still do tweaks and final edits, but it's always 90% of the way there.

    I prefer RAW for two main reasons: 1) i shoot a lot of soccer pics. when the sun goes in and out and I'm distracted by the game, I sometimes end up with under/over exposed images by accident. I can easily recover them in RAW. 2) I find that I get a much better range of edit with RAW vs. JPG. If I take a JPG file and a RAW file, a slight move of a slider makes a big change for RAW, vs. large move of slider required for jpg. Since I have all that set up on import it really isn't much extra work!
     
  14. jenn mccabe

    jenn mccabe She's OUR sunshine!

    Messages:
    21,540
    Joined:
    Jan 5, 2013
    I prefer my flies RAW - does that count? I shoot with my tongue!

    [​IMG]
     
    michelepixels likes this.
  15. busywoman139

    busywoman139 Wish and hope and ... poof! There it is!

    Messages:
    781
    Joined:
    Oct 5, 2012
  16. sakura-panda

    sakura-panda Well-Known Member

    Messages:
    492
    Joined:
    May 14, 2013
    I shoot both, but I don't post-process, so I only use the jpeg photos. My thought is that I might someday decide to post-process, and because I'm always behind -- currently wrapping up 2006! -- I'll still be able to post-process my old photos if I want to. I have a 64 GB memory card that I regularly (at least annually) download and it doesn't seem to fill up; I haven't come across any reason to *not* save both.
     
  17. marijke

    marijke Weekends are for wine.

    Messages:
    5,128
    Joined:
    Jul 2, 2010
    I only shoot raw ... and process my photos with LR and if necessary I finish in PS ... When you see the difference between a processed RAW photo and a JPG ... you don't doubt ...
     
  18. bcgal00

    bcgal00 Say, "birdseed!"

    Messages:
    9,136
    Joined:
    Nov 18, 2010
    To put it simply, shooting raw retains the most digital info of the image for processing, allowing you more leeway in preserving and enhancing the image when editing. The amount of time it takes to open and view in an editor to convert to jpeg for printing and online viewing is so minimal that I stick with shooting raw. I tried jpeg a few times recently and although it rendered a really good image, it wasn't quite what I would have done myself in editing, so I prefer shooting raw. Do I think a jpeg image can be great? Yes. But not always and at those times, believe me, you would wish you had shot raw and been able to achieve a better result in editing. If you want fast and easy, jpeg can be loaded directly from your camera with wifi (in some cameras) and if you don't want to edit at all, jpeg is the way to go. It's a personal choice and I think the best way is the one that fits your schedule/preference and software.
     
    bestcee likes this.

Share This Page