When I first looked at my camera’s options and read the handbook, I was unsure what RAW was and why I should consider utilizing it. JPEG is a no-brainer: it’s the standard image format for most smartphones and point-and-shoot cameras, so we know what to anticipate. However, when I first learned about the RAW image format, I was eager to learn more about how it affects photographs because the name “raw” piqued my interest. So I went ahead and set my camera to RAW and attempted to shoot a photo. The first thing I noticed was how little my memory card had suddenly become. “Wait a minute, how did the number of pictures go from tens of thousands to a few hundred
A RAW image sometimes called a “digital negative” is a file that comprises raw or minimally processed data from the sensor of a digital camera. A RAW image must be post-processed in software before it can be printed, shared, or displayed on a display device, just like raw food ingredients must be prepared and cooked before consumption. RAW is a proprietary format that is connected to a certain camera model, unlike JPEG files, which can be easily opened, viewed, and printed by most image-viewing / editing tools. As a result, in order for the software to work with a RAW file, it must be compatible with the camera used to capture the RAW image.