Canon Community

karven · ‎02-01-2014

I want to know what is the difference between RAW and JPG format?

smack53 · ‎02-01-2014

Karven,

RAW format is an unprocessed photo. The camera records what it sees according to the settings you use. Sort of a digital negative, this format allows you to recompose the shot by allowing you to change different settings than you would be allowed for a JPEG. All the information captured is recorded and kept, so if you used the wrong white balance for instance, you can correct that readily when you process the RAW file.

JPG (or JPEG) format is a processed photo. The camera uses the settings of the camera and finalizes the photo in the camera for you. There are limited changes you can make to the JPEG since whatever the processing did not use gets discarded. Things such as blown out skies are not as easily recovered as with a RAW image since the details are gone.

RAW files allow for much greater detail and to look closer to the way you saw the scene and want the finished product to look like. The downside to RAW files is the file is extremely large and cannot be viewed without special software. Canon provides the Digital Photography Professional software to view and convert the RAW files. JPEG's are smaller files and are readily sharable.

Hope this helps you understand the difference.

Smack53

View solution in original post

ebiggs1 · ‎04-29-2014

Unfortunately what the above definitions fail to state is RAW and jpg have their place.

It depends on what your intended use is. RAW is better in only the areas it is better!

For instance if your photos are going on Facebook, RAW is useless over jpg's.

If you are doing snapshots in the front yard of the kids for grandma, it is probably useless. If you are printing 4x6's at Walmart, you guessed it, it is useless.

Although Scotty is correct if you have software like Lightroom. The conversion is seamless but a RAW file can not be looked at in it's native unprocessed state. Also the RAW format does not stay the same. Canon changes it form time to time and some software, even Lightroom have to be updated to process RAW.

RAW is not a replacement for jpg. It is just another tool to use when you need it.

EB
EOS 1DX and 1D Mk IV and less lenses then before!