Shooting in RAW

Raw format is the camera manufacturers proprietary file format, and as it's name suggests is usually the image exactly as the camera sees it without any enhancement. Because each camera manufacturer uses their own version, and indeed this can vary from camera to camera made by the same manufacturer, there is no single RAW format, but a multitude of them. Adobe are currently trying to get their DNG or Digital Negative file adopted as an industry standard RAW format, although it would then be up to manufacturers to adopt this format or continue with their own.

Raw files require special software to access them, either the manufacturers own software or third party software designed to do the job. Cameras that are capable of shooting in Raw Format will usually be supplied with a copy of the manufacturers software on a disc, or the software can be obtained from the manufacturers web site. Other third party Raw "Converters" can also be purchased, such as Adobe's "Lightroom", Phase One's "Capture One" as well as free software available for download such as "Raw Therapee". This software will enable you to do a varying degree of work on your Raw files and will enable you to convert them to a more manageable format such as Tiff or Jpeg.

So why shoot in Raw? Shooting in Raw, as has been already said, gives you the image as the camera sees it before any changes or enhancements are made. Nothing has been added or removed, all the file information that the camera recorded is there, giving the photographer the greatest possible control over the final image. Typically Raw images straight from the camera look washed out and dull, and will almost always require a certain amount of post processing to polish them up to their best, but because of the untouched state, there is a lot more scope for polishing a Raw file exactly as you want it.

Jpeg images on the other hand are converted in camera using the cameras software to polish the image using the generic settings built in by the manufacturer, and because Jpeg is a "lossy" file format, some of the original information is not only changed, but removed altogether. This means lower file sizes, but at the price of some of the original file information being removed, and once it is gone, it is gone for ever, unlike Raw where all the information is stored in the Raw File. The changes made by in camera Jpeg conversion also limit the scope of the photographer looking to polish their images further in programs such as Photoshop.

Most people find crossing over from using Jpeg to using Raw a traumatic experience as, at first, things usually get worse before they get better. It usually means learning how to get the most out of your images using image manipulation software such as Photoshop, as well as getting to grips with a Raw conversion program as well. For many the added effort is simply too much, but all we can advise is to stick with it if you want to get the absolute best from your images, it does get easier as you become more familiar with the software, and the results are worth it. Also, Raw Format is the ideal storage format for your images, and as your software skills improve, you can go back to the Raw file at a later date and re-polish an image using your newly improved skills, knowing that all the possible image information is secure in the Raw File.