In digital photography, what is a RAW file?

[10ClarionSt]

Can anyone helpwith this please? Thanks.

[vehelpfulguy]

When you take a digital picture it is usally saved in JPEG format on the camera.

To reduce the file size a JPEG picture is compressed using fancy algorithms, but this does reduce the picture quality slightly.

Of course professional photographers dont want their picture compressed in any way, so quality cameras allow them to save a picture in RAW format.

RAW is a pure uncompressed format.

It is supposed to be an industry standard, but each company (Canon, Nikon etc) do have their own format for RAW files.

Of course this makes the image size HUGE, far too big for the amateur picture taker.

More here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAW_image_format

[Fitzer]

Storage these days is cheap! Unless you are completely strapped for cash try to use RAW for anything you think will be important. You can mess around with the exposure settings etc to your hearts content on the computer and recover what might otherwise be a disasterously over or under exposed picture.

[fo3nix]

Unless you're a pro you don't need to use raw. Stick to jpeg. It'll more than suffice.

[ACtheTROLL]

most cameras have built in filters to clean up and adjust the colour balance etc in a picture before it is saved ....

A firmware update can completely change the "feel" of a camera

A RAW image is totally untouched .... exactly what the CCD sensor detected when the pikkie was taken.
and oddly ... it's different for every make of camera. So if you do decide to have a go make sure your camers is supported

Fine if you know what you are doing ... but difficult for amatures to cope with - and store.

Often the camera comes witha proggy that will process the raw image into a decent looking JPG later
... so Fitzer is right ... if you are unsure ... save as raw ....
process later

(it's probably true to say that 80%of amature slr owners still use the camera to point and click)

if you don't know how ... you can always process it to JPG
If you use raw - or JPG for that matter.... never rework the original .... always take a copy and work on that !

I think paintshop pro is the cheapest of the worthwhile progs that will cope with raw - photoshop the dearest (and best)

[bobtheduck-]

dont bother clarion at your age it isnt worth learning anything new :)

[Matheous]

Personally - I treat RAW files as if they were negatives and back them up to CD as often as practicable. -My Panasonic FZ30 duplicates each image in both RAW and JPEG or as another option- TIFF....