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Sarah Halstead

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RAW or JPEG?

Filed Under: Family, Photography

I took these photos of Dustyn this evening. I am trying out RAW files again. I have been an aspiring photographer and then professional photographer since 2009. If you can believe it I normally only shoot JPEG. RAW files are just soooo huge and take so long to process. Now that I have this fast, new to me, computer I figured I would try again. Most photographers say how much they love RAW files, but I just have not noticed a huge difference in the photos. Well I decided it was time to put it to the test RAW or JPEG.

Here are my RAW files edited in Lightroom then transferred to Photoshop.

RAW or JPEG

Here are my JPEG files edited the same exact way.

jpegedits

RAW or JPEG?

RAW or JPEGI am sure I could have gotten the JPEG to be close to how the RAW looks but I wanted to show you what they looked like with the same exact editing used.

Side by Side SOOC. I zeroed the RAW out in Lightroom but to me it still looks very contrasted.

RAW or JPEG

What do you think? Did I show the RAW SOOC correctly? I am still pretty new to the whole editing thing with Lightroom, so not sure if I did something wrong but I imported them all in together then edited one and synced them.  I do think it looks sharper overall. I am still not convinced that I would need RAW unless I totally screwed up a photo. Though this article I found today was very helpful in explaining why RAW is so much better then JPEG. I think I will definitely start doing my professional photo shoots in RAW.

Do you shoot RAW or JPEG? Why? Do you edit in Lightroom then export to Photoshop?

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Comments

    • Meg @ Snap Happy Mom says

      Raw is not technically a picture file- it's all the information your camera recorded, and it needs certain software to be "read" as a picture. You shoot in raw for the editing benefits, then you save to jpeg to view and use the file as a picture. Basically, raw is an intermediate step that you ultimately still save to jpeg format. However, using raw gives you better color handling and contrast, which you can see here in the final jpegs.

  2. Bethany the ngnrdgrl says

    What a cutie! And some great information. I've been really curious about shooting in RAW. So far I have only shot in jpg. Your RAW files definitely look more vibrant while the jpg files look washed out. Like his shirt had too many cycles through the washing machine. The resource you reference looks very informative! I pinned it for reading later, but some of the visuals were really interesting. He had a close up of his hair that definitely showed more detail with the RAW file. I would love it if you would share this or any other photography related posts with us at Photog Show and Tell link party. Cheers! ~ Bethany

  3. Meg @ Snap Happy Mom says

    I love shooting in raw! I've saved quite a few pictures because they were in raw and not jpeg. It's not for everyone though- I'll wrote about it recently on my blog, in case anyone wants to understand when they should be using which format. http://snaphappymom.com/2013/08/16/understanding-raw-vs-jpeg-formats-in-a-dslr-camera/ http://snaphappymom.com/2013/08/19/understanding-raw-vs-jpeg-formats-and-when-to-use-them/ Love these pictures- your guy looks good with a bucket. :)

  4. Karly says

    To me, the RAW looks more vibrant. I find working with RAW to be easier, but the huge file size has led me to use an entire external hard drive for the sole purpose of storing all the photos, otherwise my computer slows to a crawl and starts messing up.

  6. Amy @ Marvelous Mommy says

    I recently compared my JPEG and RAW photos and have been shooting in RAW for a few months now. I agree, the JPEG's look flat and lack contrast. And I feel like I have more control in Lightroom with RAW photos.Thanks for sharing this comparison, your pictures are adorable as usual! :)

  7. Rosemary says

    I'm just starting my photography business, and I've only shot RAW for about four months! I love it! I don't find that it takes any extra time compared to what I was already doing in Lightroom. I try, as I'm sure you do, to get the photo as close to what I am looking for straight from the camera and then adjust exposure or colors a bit!

  8. Kimberly says

    The RAW files look more vibrant to me. The colors pop. The JPEGs look flat to me. I shoot exclusively in RAW. I gradually went from only JPEG, to both, to just RAW. I find that RAW files are easier to work with and make adjustments to when needed. Although I use PSE, not Lightroom. Yet. I open them in Adobe Camera Raw and make exposure adjustments, etc. then open in PSE. BTW, Dustin looks cute with a bucket on his head. :)

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