Digital Photography 101

Chapter 7: Raw Files and Raw Converters

RAW files are the true digital negatives!

The better SLR (Single Lens Reflex) camera systems can save photos to a memory card in a format unique to that make and model of camera. These are called RAW files. For example Nikon has a RAW file format called NEF.

The same SLR camera will also save files to a card in the more common and popular JPEG format in various degrees of quality and size. Most amateur photographers will be shooting JPEG files and getting satisfactory results. What is the difference between JPEG and RAW files?

Firstly JPEG files are compressed data, which means much of the file information the eye cannot see is disregarded in a successful effort to save memory space. This memory space is measured in Megabytes. If you are shooting in JPEG format then the camera has done the compression of the files for you. I suggest you select the highest possible quality and resolution because you never know how big you are required to print your file in the future.

RAW files are uncompressed data and about twice the size in memory as a JPEG file. Some cameras will let you shoot in both formats at the same time, which can be handy for emailing proofs. You will want to email JPEG files of course! Why? Because JPEG files can be read on any computer while RAW files need specialist software to view and edit images.

The process of converting the RAW data has been taken away from the camera and placed in the hands of the photographer. The photographer will be using RAW conversion software to do this. But why bother if the camera can do this step? The simple fact is that you can do a lot of essential adjustments to a RAW file that you can't do with a JPEG, for example, white balance, exposure compensation and fill light. The software is designed to simplify the workflow of a professional photographer. I started my Raw File conversion workflow using Pixmantec Raw Shooter which was bought out by Adobe and turned into the amazing Photoshop Ligthroom. Raw shooter served me well but is not being updated to work with new cameras. I was skeptical at first because of the higher price tag on Lightroom. Now I use it every day and I can recommend it to anyone. Just buy it, save hours of time and don't look back. Try it free for 30 days!

 Adobe Photoshop Lightroom: The professional photographer's essential toolbox. Purchase today!

A RAW file can be adjusted in terms of exposure (EV Value) though nothing can beat a correctly exposed photo. Dark images can be brought to life. Tricky exposure compensation tweaking, you usually do in camera, can be done quickly in postproduction. White balance control is another huge advantage. It is easier to adjust an under exposed darker image then rescue an over exposed photo. Blown out highlights are white pixels and cannot be fixed without some very talented Photoshop painting work.

Another big advantage of the software is that it is very fast at processing the once cumbersome RAW files. You can also grade your photos and set an efficient workflow. This is my workflow using Adobe Lightroom.

It is important to note that the RAW converter will not change the original files but remembers what we did to them by creating a reference file holding this data. You may wish to back up these reference files along with the original files so any changes can be quickly accessed later if needed.

Another important note concerning JPEG files is that they should not be resaved more than twice and never over compressed if the purpose is for printing. If you do the results will be diminishing images quality such as Moiré and artifacts. When you work on your photos always work on a copy and keep the original intact, whatever format you are working in. However I have feel it is safe to resave JPEG files at high quality many times. I have tested it and I can't see any degradation of image quality. It is only when the files are saved at less then high quality, to save on memory size, that resaving becomes an issue.

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom: The professional photographer's essential toolbox. Purchase today! 

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