What the Heck is Raw, and Should I Use It?

If you spend much time exposed to photography talk, you'll soon start to hear the term "raw" bandied about (and you'll probably hear some strong opinions about how shooting raw is the best thing since sliced bread--or perhaps since plied yarn--or, alternatively, how it's a big waste of time and hard drive space). But what is raw?

A raw file, unlike a JPEG, is not an image. Rather, a raw file contains the information necessary to create an image. The information it contains was obtained at the time the particular photograph was made. Raw is often referred to as a digital negative since it is not usable without processing. The great advantage of a raw file is that it contains all of the information collected by the sensor when the photograph was taken. A JPEG, on the other hand, has compressed and discarded a significant portion of this data. This makes the raw file much more flexible than its processed counterpart. Raw files are also edited non-destructively, which means that you can do pretty much whatever you want to them without causing a decrease in the file quality (and you can't accidentally do something awful to your image and then save over the original, forever ruining it!). Basically, when you edit a raw file, you're just telling it how to display (and eventually create) the image it holds information about, without actually altering the file data. JPEGs, on the other hand, tend to degrade whenever you edit them, and because they have less information to begin with, you are more limited in the edits you can make.

Developing a raw file using darktable for Windows

More data, more flexibility, and non-destructive editing--sounds great, right? Unfortunately, there are a few disadvantages to shooting raw. First, raw files are significantly larger than JPEG files, so they will take up more space on your memory card (in camera) and your computer (after transfer) than the corresponding JPEG. Second, raw files require processing with specialised software. Processing will require additional time in your workflow (although once you are familiar with your raw processor, it can be quite fast), and many raw processors have a significant learning curve. If you don't get to know your raw processor well, your images may not look as good after processing as they would have if you'd just let your camera do all the work in the first place. Third, if you want to shoot many images in quick succession, shooting raw will limit you, because the larger files take up more space in the camera buffer.

So should you, as a fibre artist, shoot in raw? Ultimately, it's your decision, but here are some questions to consider:

• Does your camera even let you shoot raw? Many--and perhaps even most--do, but check your manual if you're not sure. If not, you're stuck with JPEG.
• Are you willing to learn to use a new piece of software? If not, stick with JPEG.
• Do you have very limited storage space for your image files? If so, you probably want to stick with JPEG.
• Are you interested in photography beyond your fibre art needs? If so, consider raw.
• Do you typically edit your JPEG files? If so, consider raw.
• Do you often forget to set your white balance in camera? If so, consider raw--you can change it when you develop your raw file without degrading your image.
• Do you frequently mess up your exposure, or shoot in uneven lighting conditions or with a broad dynamic range? If so, consider raw--you'll be able to recover a lot of extra image data.
• Do you want the highest possible image quality? If so, shoot raw.
• Are you just curious what all the fuss is about? Try raw!

Still undecided, not so confident in your processing abilities, or generally happy with your out-of-camera images yet occasionally wish you had more flexibility? If you have enough storage space, consider shooting raw + JPEG. This gives you the best of both worlds--JPEG files that are ready to go, but raw files that can be edited to your heart's content if you so desire. When I first started shooting raw, this was the method I chose. Now that I'm more comfortable with raw processing, I typically shoot only in raw because I like to develop my own images, although I do sometimes make exceptions for various reasons.

Earlier in my foray into raw processing, I used Canon's proprietary raw development software, Digital Photo Professional [DPP]. One of its benefits is that (as far as I can tell), your starting point for editing your raw file is the same as the JPEG you would have gotten out of your camera. Personally, I now find DPP rather limiting, but it was a nice way for me to ease into developing raw files. If you don't shoot a Canon camera you won't be able to use DPP, but you may want to look into whether your camera brand has its own raw processing software (most do), and see if you like it.

If you're interested in shooting raw, you can check out my post about raw processing software here. I hope you found this a helpful introduction to raw files. Happy shooting!