I’m not a format snob (jpeg Vs raw) and here’s why.

I know, it’s an old conversation that has plagued digital photographers since the dawn of time. It’s reminiscent of playground fights when we would argue over the best 8-bit computer, the ZX Spectrum or the Commodore 64 (or whatever your computer was). You have a love for one or the other, and that is just human instinct, and a lot of photographers have that irrational behaviour over jpeg Vs raw.

Before we begin, let’s look into the benefits and negatives of jpeg vs raw (but, even if you shoot jpeg, he is why you should still shoot raw.)

3 benefits (of many) of raw:

• Far more information kept in the digital file of the image (68 billion colours), for very smooth transitions and more detail. 

• Recovery of shadows and highlights much better with so much digital data.

• Non-destructive file, you can edit it endlessly and it doesn’t lose quality.

For more examples of The Advantages Of Shooting Raw click here.

3 benefits of jpeg:

• Images are compressed and much smaller than raw files (leading to around 16 million colours), you may see artifacts in certain situations. 

• The image comes out of the camera already edited. 

• Transfer speed, both in camera and externally are much faster.

For more examples of The Benefits Of Shooting In Jpeg click here

What do I use? 

On a typical photoshoot, I will generally use the raw files first and do my initial edits. However, this isn’t always the case, and occasionally I will just use the jpeg files. 

I back up all my jpegs to Google Photos, so 90% of the time, any images you see after my initial raw edits will be edited jpeg files, just because I like to play with the files using my phone.

In all honesty, if you get your exposure correct in camera, for most case scenarios, there is little difference to editing a jpeg Vs editing a raw file. I know the world is full of people telling you that you “must” use raw, but if your exposure is right, your white balance is near enough right, then honestly, jpegs give you more than enough latitude.

If I’m using my phone when with the family, although it can shoot raw, I almost always just leave it in jpeg mode, and because of the way phones edit images, I’m more than happy to use those jpegs, or just add a LUT to them and then use those images.

People know I like to experiment with colour profiles and getting a certain “look” straight from the camera, so there are days that I put aside to only ever shoot in jpeg and not edit those files. It’s a challenge and it’s fun to know you’re getting quality images, straight from camera, because you’ve taken the time to set up everything beforehand.

What should you use? 

Honestly, I know amateur photographers who swear by using raw files and I know professional photographers who swear by using jpegs. Use what you are happy to use, because at the end of the day, the people who see your final images will never know what you use. You can make bad edits of raw and jpeg files, just as easily as you can make good edits using either format. 

As I mentioned, I like to shoot in both raw and jpeg, and I always have shot that way, so I will always have the option to use whatever I want to use. 

Have a think to yourself though. When you look at your jpeg images, are your highlights controlled and your shadows not fully black? There are options on your camera such as Nikon’s “D-Lighting” that can help you with controlling this, and it really does work well in every situation you throw at it.

Conclusion

Just like every aspect of photography, you’ll have different people telling you what you should and shouldn’t use. The amount of elitism and snobbery in photography is overwhelming, and many people feel pressured about using raw over jpeg. Of course raw has it’s advantages, there is no denying that, but in everyday shooting, in great lighting and in most situations, those advantages are next to non-existent if you get it right in camera. 

And that’s the low-down, using your camera and it’s settings for the environment around you. If you’re going to be doing night photography, or a specific photography that needs a lot of latitude in the image files, then sometimes it makes sense to use raw over jpeg.

When people ask you if you use jpeg or raw, and you know they’ve seen your images and are happy with your images and you’re a jpeg shooter, just say to them “does it really matter?”.