RAW or JPEG/TIFF file format for photos

Buy any book about digital cameras and digital photographing and the first thing you will notice is a long speech about RAW file format and the need to use it.

Generally, when you are a photographer to take photos of your family, friends and some other occasions, you really do not need to benefit from RAW file format.

The benefits of RAW file format are:

• possibility of white color balance;
• adjustment of exposure;
• details in the photo.

White color balancing is very important for digital cameras and post processing of digital photos. When the photographer used a classic film for taking photos, it was easy – the right film has to be used according light conditions. With digital cameras, the right temperature of colors must be set. With a compact digital camera you have no worries as it is set automatically for you, but when you want to make some additional adjustments and corrections in the photo, you need to make a picture in RAW format. Balancing white or setting the temperature of the photo is an easy task, when the photo is in RAW format.

RAW format includes information about exposure of the photo and it allows additional corrections and changes in exposure of the photo. It allows you to get more details from the photo and to make the photo look more sexy. It is not a general cure, it is an option to make photos look better.

RAW file format is a lossless file format. Everything, what digital camera sees is stored in the file. No details are lost for the future. In JPEG the details are lost from the photo and it limits potential corrections and adjustments. The details can be sometimes very important for the play with the photo.

But as RAW file format has several advantages, it also has one big advantage. With RAW file format, you have to make some kind of post-processing the computer. It is not a file format for direct presentation and also, when you ask for the print outs of photos, you cannot send it in RAW format. You have to convert it.

Using RAW file format is great, when you plan to make additional post-processing with the photo, but when you plan just photos for memories, go for JPEG. It is quicker, a lot more comfortable and no one will recognize any major difference.