User guide

22 Getting Started
Opening a raw image
High-specification SLR digital cameras give the option of saving your photos as
JPG, and more recently, as raw files. On some cameras, you may have the best of
both worlds, by saving as both simultaneously.
Quite why you would choose one format over the other depends on a host of
factors, such as the type of workflow and the level of detail you want to work to.
This is best summarized in the following table.
JPG raw
Basic level of color or grayscale
detail, with 8-bit images
Highest level of color or
grayscale detail, with 16-bit
images
Small file sizes (so faster write-
to-card time)
Larger file sizes
(so slower write-to-card time)
JPG files are automatically
processed by camera
raw files are unprocessed by
camera
Limited adjustment control
(post-shoot)
Absolute adjustment control
(post-shoot)
There is a healthy debate in the photographic industry about which format to
choose. Professionally, the old idiom "horses for courses" applies. For example,
the need for fast shoot-to-print time (using JPGs) is essential for sports
photographers where post-shoot adjustment is not practical. Conversely, a
wedding photographer may wish to work with the maximum amount of color
information (using raw images) and then typically make post-shoot adjustments,
maintaining flexibility and high detail throughout.
For the amateur or semi-professional photographer, the same factors apply, but
format choice may be governed more by quality expectations or cost, rather than
"workflow" issues.