Do RAW photo files degrade over time, or only the storage media?
Asked 8/20/2019
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2 answers
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A photographer told me not to rely only on digital RAW files because they can "deteriorate" over time. From a software perspective that sounds odd, so I’m wondering what actually changes.
If RAW files are stored on reliable media with backups, can the files themselves degrade? Are integrity checks useful for confirming a file hasn’t changed? And is there any difference between RAW and JPEG in terms of long-term preservation?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
6y ago
2 Answers
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RAW files no more deteriorate over time than a DOC file would. As long as you store them correctly (with backups of course) the file will be fine.
It's true that the software that you use to process them will change but in general that is a positive. Files from older cameras often look much better in modern RAW processing software than at the time they were taken. Things have improved enormously there.
If the files that you have are from any reasonably common camera then you don't have much to worry about as far as compatibility. And there are some free apps that also support more or less everything and have source code available in the worst of cases.
Originally by user11411. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user11411
6y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
RAW files do not inherently “deteriorate” any more than other digital files like DOCs or JPEGs. If the data remains unchanged, the RAW file remains unchanged.
What can happen is:
- storage media can fail or develop corruption/bit rot
- files can be accidentally deleted or damaged
- RAW-conversion software can change how the sensor data is interpreted over time
That last point is important: a RAW file is not a finished image, but sensor data that must be processed. So the same RAW may render a little differently in newer software, often for the better. JPEG is more fixed because it is already a rendered image.
So the issue is usually not the RAW file “aging,” but storage reliability and software compatibility. Good practice is to keep multiple backups and, if desired, use integrity checks/checksums to verify files have not changed. For common camera RAW formats, long-term compatibility is generally not a major concern.
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