Lesson 3 of 18 · 6 minute read
Raw against JPEG
JPEG is a finished photograph. Raw is the ingredients, and it forgives mistakes that JPEG cannot.
A JPEG is a decision already made. The camera took the sensor data, applied white balance, contrast, sharpening and colour, then discarded everything it did not need. The file is small and it looks finished.
A raw file keeps the sensor data more or less intact. It looks flatter and duller straight out of camera, because nothing has been applied yet. In exchange, you can move white balance after the fact with no penalty, recover highlight and shadow detail that a JPEG would have thrown away, and change your mind about the look entirely.
The practical rule: shoot raw when the light is difficult, when the moment cannot be repeated, or when the image matters. Shoot JPEG when volume and speed matter more than latitude, such as a long event where you are delivering hundreds of frames quickly.
Most cameras will shoot both at once. If you have the card space, that setting is the sensible default while you are learning, because you can compare what the camera decided against what the data actually held.
Keep your place
- A free account saves which lessons you have finished.
- It unlocks modules two to eight and the quizzes.