I enjoy digital photography while on the road, maybe more than most. It’s a great pastime for truckers because we always have something different around us for a subject. Family and friends get a better idea of what we do out here when they have a visual to look at too. The cost is relatively low and cameras that shoot RAW format photos are coming well within the casual amateur’s price range. I will explain this odd format that is starting to raise questions among casual users.
When I started reading about RAW, it sounded like a file format for professionals only. You need special software and only higher end cameras would write these files, so I assumed I didn’t need it for what I was doing. I was wrong. The only difficult parts of shooting RAW format photos is taking the extra time to convert the files when you load them to the computer and learning the software that converts them.
The basic difference behind RAW and JPEG files is simple. RAW takes all of the input from the camera’s sensor and writes it to a file. JPEG files take all of the information from the sensor and perform changes to that information according to the settings you have chosen on the camera, then compresses the file.
The advantages to each are -
- RAW - all the information is saved and you can apply any changes you wish with all of the original information.
- JPEG - you have a finished product that is roughly 1/2 the size of RAW photo
The disadvantages to RAW files are -
- Large file size
- Time is needed to convert the files to a usable JPEG format
- Special software must be obtained to convert the file. Usually lower end software comes with the camera.
- It takes a longer time for the camera to save the file and prepare itself for the next shot
The disadvantages to JPEG files are -
- To change your photo, you need to use software that may lower the overall quality of a photo. The raw format can produces changes to the photo without loss of information
- These files are ready to go right from the camera. You can take them to get prints made with no extra work, where normal digital photo printing shops normally cannot use your RAW files.
The only settings on your camera that RAW cannot change are the mechanical settings such as aperture, shutter speed, flash, and ISO sensitivity. If you can get those right and you can compose your photo well, RAW allows for a goof proof photo. For example, if you couldn’t tell from the camera’s viewfinder that the white balance was way off, you can change that white balance setting after the photo is taken and it will look exactly like it would have if the setting was correct when you took the picture.
As always, electronics improve. High end cameras now allow you to take photos in RAW and JPEG at the same time, where you previously had to choose which format you wanted. If you don’t have a $1,000 dollar camera, you have to make a choice between one or the other. General guidelines for this choice are -
- Use RAW when you absolutely want the photo to be perfect and you know you want to take the extra time to ensure the best possible photograph.
- Use JPEG for most common photos where a slight loss in quality if you need to make changes is not a problem.
The most important choice to make is the choice to get the manual out and use to learn the camera. There is hardly a digital camera made now that cannot take excellent pictures, regardless of the price. Do some searches for “photo composition” on the Internet to improve the look of your photos too. You’ll love the results you get from a few hours of study.
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Interesting. All my digital cameras, to date, have saved photos in the JPEG format and one problem I’ve experienced, at least with my editing software (don’t know if others compensate) is that the photo file is re-compressed, losing more detail, each time the photo is edited and saved.
I’m going to have to look into this a bit more because the opportunity to have a RAW proof from which to begin work, and work on again, later, is something that seems highly desirable. Good information. Thanks.
You’re welcome.
It took me a while to come to the conclusion of how RAW worked. All of the information was aimed at pro photographers. Once I figured out these basic concepts, I found there isn’t much to it.
Some pros argue that it’s a waste of time because you’re saving information that you don’t need and that the camera will do the work for you if you set it right. I suppose if you’re that good that you always have your settings right, they are correct. I tend to forget to change things for every different situation and some things like white balance are hard to detect on the camera viewfinder. You can correct any of this with Photoshop, but you loose quality.
My older cameras and my point and shoot that only use JPEG have the same problem you described. If you try converting the photo to the native format of the program (like a .psd for Photoshop), it helps.
You have to remember to keep the quality setting at the highest too. If it’s set to less you may be saving at 90% quality. Then you make changes to that file again and save at 90% quality again. If you’re doing this, you’re losing 10% of what the file was every time you opened it, not 90% of the original. That’s got me a few times.
When editing any image file, always work and save a copy of the original. That way, if you want to go back and change something, You have the original to work with. This could double up the amount of images you have on your HD, but HD’s are cheap.
Adobe Camera Raw is a free plugin (and free standalone software) that will process 100’s of type of RAW files. Usually it does better than your camera can and sometimes even better than the RAW software that came with the camera.
Another tips to getting great photos from your camera is to search the reviews and new for your camera model. Sometimes if your camera is doing something squirrelly with images, someone else may already have a solution.
BTW: Is it wrong to take pictures out the front windshield whilst driving 65 mph through a tunnel?
1. Put the camera on wide, if you have that setting.
2. Leave the camera in simple mode or something similar.
3. Turn the camera on when ready to take picture. Don’t make any adjustments while driving.
4. Just point and shoot out the windshield, don’t aim or worry about composition of the photo. Forget taking the photo if any traffic is around you.
5. Crop and straighten the photo later.
Now you have a low quality, but usable photo so long as you don’t have to many bugs on the windshield at the time.
Hope that makes you all feel safer.
I didn’t know Adobe’s plugin was free. I had been using a plugin for Gimp. Thanks!