Will shooting RAW make my photos brighter and sharper than JPEG?
Asked 2/21/2014
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I often struggle with photos that look too dark, and they still don’t look right even after editing in Photoshop. I’ve read that many photographers shoot in RAW instead of JPEG. If my goal is simply to get brighter, sharper images for my blog, will switching to RAW help, or will it just add extra post-processing work?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
12y ago
2 Answers
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Always shoot RAW if you can. A RAW file is a capture of all the light that hit the sensor photocells at the time of exposure. This allows you to read, interpret and convert that data in any number of ways. A JPEG is just 1 out of 1000+ ways you can interpret that RAW data. Depending on your scene, camera and the sensor, a RAW file will give you anywhere from 3-7 stops of exposure compensation. Think of it as realizing your shot was under exposed (not enough light) and now you can go back in time and essentially re-take that shot at the right exposure from the comfort of your laptop/computer. This is referred to as Dynamic Range. Assuming you are using a DSLR or mirrorless, you may as well use a point and shoot if all you do is shoot JPEG. The benefits of RAW files and interchangeable lenses are the two main reasons to use a DSLR or mirrorless camera.
Originally by user26226. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user26226
12y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
RAW can help, but it won’t automatically make photos brighter or sharper.
For brightness: RAW keeps much more image data than JPEG, so you usually have more room to recover exposure and adjust tones after the shot. That can be very useful if an image is underexposed. But the best fix is still getting the exposure right in-camera by adjusting shutter speed, aperture, ISO, or exposure compensation.
For sharpness: RAW is not a cure for softness. Blurry or unsharp images are usually caused by focus errors, camera shake, subject movement, missed exposure settings, or lens limitations. You need to identify the cause of the softness first.
So: if you want maximum editing flexibility, shoot RAW. If you want the simplest workflow, JPEG is easier. RAW does add processing overhead, but it gives you more control—especially for difficult lighting. A common compromise is to shoot RAW+JPEG while you learn.
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