RAW v. JPEG

[SHANEA]

Moderator note: split off from here

Way off topic, but what the heck exactly is RAW format as opposed to JPEG or BITMAP or TIF?  Guess I need to go to your photo school that you will be holding someday at BBNP.  I've tried reading the manuals and everything else, and it's just beyond my feeble little brain.

[Don H]

Way off topic, but what the heck exactly is RAW format as opposed to JPEG or BITMAP or TIF?  Guess I need to go to your photo school that you will be holding someday at BBNP.  I've tried reading the manuals and everything else, and it's just beyond my feeble little brain.

Shanea, that's a big 10-4 for me as well!!

[RichardM]

I've been mildly curious about that topic as well, but not curious enough to Google up any info...until now:

http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/raw.htm
http://www.photo.net/learn/raw/

In a nutshell, RAW is unmodified sensor data which is then converted to JPEG, TIFF, or whatever format you're working with.  If your camera is saving images as JPEG, then it's doing the conversion for you.  If it saves it as RAW, then you have to manipulate the image on your PC and convert it there.  This allows you much more flexibility with image manipulation but requires more time, effort, and memory than most of us hacks are willing to expend.  The camera does its conversion using whatever settings you give it, so it's easier for data to get lost or screwed up by the photog having improper settings.  I like one of the quotes on the first page:  If you have to ask then just shoot JPG.

[chisos_muse]

Way off topic, but what the heck exactly is RAW format as opposed to JPEG or BITMAP or TIF?  Guess I need to go to your photo school that you will be holding someday at BBNP.  I've tried reading the manuals and everything else, and it's just beyond my feeble little brain.

Shanea, that's a big 10-4 for me as well!!

10-4-4?
I am sooooo not friggin worthy to the photo God!!!!
BTW, when is that school again? I'm still learning......OH, did I fail to mention that once you hit 40 you officially start the whole process over again? (learning)

[SHANEA]

Yea, that's probably why I shoot JPEG - let the camera do the work.  Shot over 500 pics on the last trip and culled it down to 200ish.  That would be a lot of work to mess with RAW.  You know what would be RAW if I attempted to fix em.  New Olympus camera I have has a whole bunch of automagic settings for you - just tell it what you are trying to shoot and it does the rest - sunrise/sunset,snow,portrait, landscape, museum, water, etc.  About 20 different options.  [/size]

I'm a POINT AND CLICK.  I admire others work and tenacity.  
[/size]


 Just Playing with fonts and colors...  Don't really like it - too cumbersomee   BOLD

[chisos_muse]

Dam baby look like yo font on VIAGRA!

[randell]

Most cameras embed the date taken in the photo as well as other camera settings and information.  

If you use Windows XP, this information will show up in the "Date Picture Taken" field when you view a folder with photos in it and also when you right-click the photo and view Properties("Created" field).

Also, if you right-click on the photo and view Properties, then go to the Summary Tab and click the Advanced button, you can see most of the data that is embedded in the photo (Camera Model, Aperture used, etc).

Some photo editing programs will delete this information so you have to make sure your program will save it.  

I make use of this feature to get away with not having a date stamp on the photo and still know when my photo was taken.  

I am, of course, only talking about photos taken of BIG BEND (just trying to stay on topic).

[Casa Grande]

richard, you are exactly right  nice research!

sorry, i never shoot jpg unless it's just family pics, etc.  RAW images allow me to correct exposure problems after the fact...i've burned myself a few times not shooting in RAW while in the park!  not good!

[Bobcat]

If I had a digi, I'd take it RAW.

[xseption]

If it saves it as RAW, then you have to manipulate the image on your PC and convert it there.  This allows you much more flexibility with image manipulation but requires more time, effort, and memory than most of us hacks are willing to expend.

It requires more time until you get the hang of it. Many times you can "adjust" several photos all at once. Many, many photos have been saved by shooting RAW when I was very new with photography.

~ edd