Why I Like to Shoot Raw
Raw and JPEG are both file formats. They differ in that JPEG is highly compressed to reduce file size, but this also reduces the quality of the image as well as the amount of data associated with the file which is useful during post-processing.
What this means is that there is a larger degree of flexibility when processing your image while using the RAW format. I took this absolutely terrible shot below and opened that same picture in my RAW editor and was able to fix it. I was amazed at how much the RAW editor was able to fix my terrible images.
Original shot, RAW, underexposed image.
Same shot after using Adobe Raw Editor
The main reason I shoot RAW is that I get a second chance to nail my shot.
Pro's for Shooting in RAW
- Higher Quality Images
- More Detail
- Non Destructive Editing
- Easily Correct under/over exposed images and white balance issues.
- It’s the pro-choice
Con's for Shooting in RAW
- Largest File Size
- Needs post-processing
- Can slow the camera down
PRO TIP!
Since storage has drastically dropped in price over the last few years you cant really say that RAW format is too large. From faster/cheaper SD cards to larger/cheaper external hard drives there really isn’t a space argument anymore. Get yourself enough storage to always shoot in RAW format as it will help you nail the best shots and give you the pro advantage you might have been missing.
