Do you save RAW and JPeg? or just RAW?

Crotal Bell

Crotal Bell

Suspended / Banned
Messages
3,470
Name
Keith
Edit My Images
Yes
I've been saving both, but wondering if there's any point?

It means more photos to sort through on the laptop and I always edit the RAW.

am I missing something?
 
I save both on my Fuji, one format to each card, but only ever import the raws to Lightroom. I shoot jpeg as it allows for more zoom when reviewing images on the camera, and for downloading them with the phone app.
 
You mean in the camera?

If that's the case I shoot raw not jpeg or raw+jpeg. Once they're on the pc I process the raw and save the file as a jpeg and, obviously, keep both.

The only time I shoot jpeg is when it's just a record shot or test of some sort, like testing for sensor contamination.
 
Seems I have more to learn, I assumed that Peg were a poorer file with less editing capability, but you all seem to have use for them.
 
I shoot exclusively raw. I can’t remember the last time I shot jpeg. I process in Lightroom, sometimes sending to PS for work with layers etc and reimporting to LR as a PSD. If printing, I print this image from Lightroom. At no time during the post processing do I convert to jpeg. The only time I convert to jpeg is if the image is required for social media, club competition (projected) or entered into a BPE exhibition.
 
Crotal Bell said:
Seems I have more to learn, I assumed that Peg were a poorer file with less editing capability, but you all seem to have use for them.
Click to expand...
incorrect, it is just an easier file to use for most platforms, ie Facebook instagram or whatever.
Raw files have more info in them than jpegs, you cannot recover detail that is lost from a jpeg , but you can from a Raw file.

Actually png files are better than jpegs for keeping detail, especially when being blown up.
 
I used to recorded both raw and jpeg when I started out. Now, I only shoot raw and process all my images. In doing so, it forces me to review each image and consequently I a) have far fewer 'keepers' and b) gives me more time to review and analyse my work through the editing process so I can improve on my future work
 
Usually only RAW. Sometimes RAW and jpg to separate cards If I expect to be pushed for time. Then if suitable I'll do a very quick edit on the jpg and downsize before uploading.
 
Last edited:
I shoot JPEG only but can still offer my 2p's worth!

I save 2 copies of the original (as large and as little compressed as possible) before I do anything, as I would if I had raw files. With memory being so (relatively) cheap these days, I'd save any JPEGs I'd taken with the raw files as well - again, at least 2 copies. Once processed, I'd save the final product and if it was an important file, there would be backups of that too.
 
I shoot only in RAW
I cull the RAW files when processing and save those I have decided to keep, together with the final processed jpegs.
There are usually some RAW files that I have not processed but have decided to keep, 'just in case'. :)
 
Crotal Bell said:
Seems I have more to learn, I assumed that Peg were a poorer file with less editing capability, but you all seem to have use for them.
Click to expand...
Yes, in editing terms. But the JPEG is the final form once edited. If you are going to post something it will most likely be JPEG.
 
RAW only for me in camera. JPG is only used after the editing is finished to post to the internet or get a print. I store my images as RAW with editing data - the JPG is entirely disposable.
 
Last edited:
toohuge said:
I used to recorded both raw and jpeg when I started out. Now, I only shoot raw and process all my images. In doing so, it forces me to review each image and consequently I a) have far fewer 'keepers' and b) gives me more time to review and analyse my work through the editing process so I can improve on my future work
Click to expand...
.... Excellent work on your Flickr pages! I am now Following you.

I agree and work the same way as you but only RAW with JPEG as final output in most cases. It's all about striving to keep improving.
 
When I had a camera with one card slot I only ever saved the Raw. Now I have one with dual slots I have Raw on one card and Jpeg on the other, as a backup and for easy transfer to my phone if required If I want to do an Instagram post while I'm out and about. I only ever import the Raw into LR for processing.
 
RAW + RAW

If I wanted to take jpgs, I'd use my phone. :rolleyes:
 
Raw or jpeg or both, it depends. Messing with camera settings and testing, Jpeg. Shooting for keepers, raw, travelling or holidays, Raw+Jpeg. The other thing is I convert all raw to DNG these days, it's pretty much part of my import process.
 
RichardC27 said:
When I had a camera with one card slot I only ever saved the Raw. Now I have one with dual slots I have Raw on one card and Jpeg on the other, as a backup and for easy transfer to my phone if required If I want to do an Instagram post while I'm out and about. I only ever import the Raw into LR for processing.
Click to expand...

Never understrand the RAW to one card and JPG to the other, surely most of us want a backup, I write RAW+JPG to each card (I only write the JPG as Fuji's allow a greater level of zoom on the back of the camera if the JPG is present). I had a card failure recently where one card stopped getting images after about 30 shots, I carried on shooting as I wasn't pixel peeping. Got home to discover I only had 30 shots, fortunately the other card was ok and had all the RAWs (IMO much better than just having JPG backups!!!)

Unless you are in a speed demon situation, I think shooting RAW to or RAW+JPG to both crads is the way to go - its a backup after all.
 
Last edited:
I will shoot either RAW or JPEG very unusual I will shoot both in camera, but for most of the time it is JPEG only.
 
RedRobin said:
.... Excellent work on your Flickr pages! I am now Following you.

I agree and work the same way as you but only RAW with JPEG as final output in most cases. It's all about striving to keep improving.
Click to expand...
Thank you @RedRobin - very kind of you to say! I'm off to Hawaii (hopefully) at the end of the month and hope to enjoy the challenge of in surf surf photography :)
 
toohuge said:
Thank you @RedRobin - very kind of you to say! I'm off to Hawaii (hopefully) at the end of the month and hope to enjoy the challenge of in surf surf photography :)
Click to expand...
..... Oooh, lucky you! I always wanted to go to Hawaii for surf photography. I recently returned from a couple of weeks in Nazare Portugal.

Surf, wildlife, and railways are my subjects - I have an Instagram page for each.
 
I have never been able to work up enthusiasm for RAW or even TIFF.

I save everything in the camera's native JPEG and keep that version as an archive. When I want to share an image, I copy the archive version and work on the copy. It's adequate for my needs.
 
Just a quick thought on culling pictures once they're on the pc.

Unless a file is a complete write off for some reason and in these digital days those should perhaps be few and far between, I usually keep everything for a while. This is because when I think a picture should be binned I try to remember that I must have seen something there because I made the effort and took the picture and sometimes after revisiting the picture over a period of days or even weeks I decide that I do in fact like it :D I have many pictures that I like that I initially very nearly binned.

So that's my advice. Bin the obvious and total write offs but keep the rest, see if they grow on you and if they don't only then bin them :D
 
I have cameras with dual card slots so I shoot a mixture.

- on running / athetics events I generally shoot small JPGs as per my brief, to each card so I have a backup in case of card failure

- on motorsport events I shoot a small JPG to one card as its quicker to process at the circuit with limited time and limited access to power.

- for my other photographic requirements I'll shoot RAW to one card and a large JPG to the other.

If I'm in the mood for shooting black and white, I'll shoot RAW to one card but shoot a monochrome version of the photo to the other, so I can have a better idea of how the image looks in black and white before processing afterwards.

As for retaining images, I keep them all, I'd prefer to do something more interesting than spend ages culling images to reclaim a comparatively small amount of hard drive space.
 
Last edited:
Plain Nev said:
Yes, in editing terms. But the JPEG is the final form once edited. If you are going to post something it will most likely be JPEG.
Click to expand...
Thanks, I think I understand now. All my posting to social media is done after the pictures are transferred and edited, so in my scenario, probably little point in saving JPEG as I only end up making another that I prefer anyway, before the images go anywhere.
 
Reading through this thread there is clearly no right way nor wrong way regarding writing RAW and JPEG files onboard your camera - We each do what suits our individual needs best.

But obviously a dual card slot camera body makes more choices possible.
 
Last edited:
Crotal Bell said:
Thanks, I think I understand now. All my posting to social media is done after the pictures are transferred and edited, so in my scenario, probably little point in saving JPEG as I only end up making another that I prefer anyway, before the images go anywhere.
Click to expand...
.... In case you don't know, image files with 2048px as their longest side tend to work best on social media. For example, when 2048px they avoid Facebook applying their automatic algorithms to change your image size hence reducing image quality.

Although Instagram's official size grid is 1080 x 1080 px I find no problems with my 2048px JPEG images posted there. For convenience I output all my keepers at 2048px longest unless for Giclee printing or commercial purchase.
 
Last edited:
AndrewFlannigan said:
I have never been able to work up enthusiasm for RAW or even TIFF.
Click to expand...

I think for a lot Its like people wanting linux over windows.. or only shooting in manual because it makes them look clever .. Theres a reason cameras have the jpg option guys :)

How bad are peoples pictures they need to do that much editing to make them presentable ?

<KIPAX Runs for the Hills>
 
KIPAX said:
I think for a lot Its like people wanting linux over windows.. or only shooting in manual because it makes them look clever .. Theres a reason cameras have the jpg option guys :)

How bad are peoples pictures they need to do that much editing to make them presentable ?

<KIPAX Runs for the Hills>
Click to expand...

It's not about looking clever and what's so attractive in looking like your brain is on holiday? Not wanting to look clever seems to be a modern thing and it flatters no one. Maybe there are reasons why many people interested in the quality of their output and the control they have over it shoot raw?

If after careful thought someone decides it's jpeg all the way for them that's just great and there are advantages if people want to apply an in camera filter or they can't match let alone better the jpeg output when shooting raw or because they shoot 1k jpegs an hour and need them ready immediately. In these cases jpeg may well be the best choice but please lets not drag this down to the level of questioning peoples motives.

Please lets just engage those brains, look clever and make the correct decision for ourselves based on our own needs and preferences.
 
Mr Perceptive said:
Never understrand the RAW to one card and JPG to the other, surely most of us want a backup, I write RAW+JPG to each card (I only write the JPG as Fuji's allow a greater level of zoom on the back of the camera if the JPG is present). I had a card failure recently where one card stopped getting images after about 30 shots, I carried on shooting as I wasn't pixel peeping. Got home to discover I only had 30 shots, fortunately the other card was ok and had all the RAWs (IMO much better than just having JPG backups!!!)

Unless you are in a speed demon situation, I think shooting RAW to or RAW+JPG to both crads is the way to go - its a backup after all.
Click to expand...
makes sense for me for events as it seems to give me the fastest FPS results, the end product is the JPG (and for which I'm using a custom JPG profile to get it looking how I want straight out of camera) and the raw is backup plus option for additional editing if needed for one or two images.
 
KIPAX said:
I think for a lot Its like people wanting linux over windows.. or only shooting in manual because it makes them look clever .. Theres a reason cameras have the jpg option guys :)

How bad are peoples pictures they need to do that much editing to make them presentable ?

<KIPAX Runs for the Hills>
Click to expand...
I agree, use in-camera jpg when it makes sense and save time you can spend taking more pics :)

I do use raw for studio portraits and landscapes.
 
Low quality JPEG on one card and RAW on the other.
The idea being that it is quicker to sort the JPEGs to see what I want to keep.

However, I will be changing to JPEG only for most things now, finding with the G9 the JPEG quality is generally excellent.
Will then save high quality JPEGs to one card and RAW to the other if I think I may need the RAWs

I think that with all the expertise, money and effort that manufacturers put into the JPEG creation in camera must be better than my efforts at processing RAW :) even if there are times I like the RAW available when things don't work that way.
 
In camera, no-one can hear you save. ;)

It doesn't matter what format you save in - no one knows what format you use unless you tell them. But there can be some compelling reasons for using one or other format and it IS important to use the right one or risk disappointment.
 
Personally I shoot RAW to both cars purely because the second card is purely redundancy.

I know others that shoot RAW to one card and jpeg to the other as the with the second card just being redundancy they are happy enough to take the risk, as this allows the buffer to clear quicker. Plus the jpegs are handy for a quick crop, straighten and give.

I guess it depends on what you shoot.
 
gramps said:
I shoot only in RAW
I cull the RAW files when processing and save those I have decided to keep, together with the final processed jpegs.
There are usually some RAW files that I have not processed but have decided to keep, 'just in case'. :)
Click to expand...
That's my way, too...
 
Sangoma said:
Low quality JPEG on one card and RAW on the other.
The idea being that it is quicker to sort the JPEGs to see what I want to keep.

However, I will be changing to JPEG only for most things now, finding with the G9 the JPEG quality is generally excellent.
Will then save high quality JPEGs to one card and RAW to the other if I think I may need the RAWs

I think that with all the expertise, money and effort that manufacturers put into the JPEG creation in camera must be better than my efforts at processing RAW :) even if there are times I like the RAW available when things don't work that way.
Click to expand...


Never bothered with low quality JPEGs (although raw shooters will argue that JPEGs are ALL low quality...), I've always gone for as large as possible with as little compression as possible to keep what quality IS there, there. I've tried raw and maybe it's my processing but a large majority of people have preferred the cameras' choices in processing to mine, as have I!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top