|
The Final Analysis
Let's put all of this information into a broader context. First, realize that when you choose the JPEG format you are largely committing yourself to the most important aspects of image quality at the time of exposure. Each JPEG photograph comes out "fully baked," like a slide or final print. To continue the silver halide comparison, think of a RAW file as analogous to an exposed but undeveloped piece of film, from which you can extract the maximum possible image quality, now or in the future, using a variety of techniques or new processing technologies.
When shooting JPEGs, therefore, you must take extra care with your image settings and limit post-processing to modest changes. When shooting RAW files, you have the freedom to make decisions about these settings at a later time. RAW also allows you to make significant changes on a picture-by-picture basis on the computer. By choosing JPEG you are limiting yourself to the existing RAW processing software built into your camera. Shooting in RAW mode gives you the opportunity to do the conversion on a more sophisticated platform -- your computer. And as RAW software technology continues to improve, you can revisit your original files any time in the future, and work on them all over again.
Although I admit that JPEGs have valuable uses, you can tell that I'm a big fan of RAW -- and growing more enthusiastic every day. I'm especially happy about Adobe DNG, a universal RAW format that may ultimately dismantle the Tower of Babble that proprietary RAW formats have created, and make RAW accessible to everyone. (See American Photo, July/August 2005, for more about Adobe's DNG initiative.) I'm also excited about Apple's just-announced Aperture, a state-of-the-art imaging application that lets you view, sort, catalog, process, retouch, print, and even publish your photos all without ever leaving the RAW workspace. (See this article for more about Aperture.)
In my opinion, anyone looking for the best possible image quality -- especially if relatively large prints are the images' final form -- should shoot in RAW mode whenever possible. If you absolutely need in-camera JPEGs, consider using or buying a D-SLR that lets you save both RAW and JPEG files simultaneously, as a number of models now do. This of course requires even more storage space. But with memory cards, hard drives, and recordable DVDs at all-time low prices, the extra cost is relatively small. Working this way does demand careful record-keeping, as well as diligent back-up and archiving procedures. But that subject will have to await a future column!
Michael Reichmann is a photographer, photographic educator, and author whose limited-edition portfolio, Bangladesh: First Impressions, is available through his Website, The Luminous Landscape (luminous-landscape.com).
|
