DSLR cameras facilitate taking pictures in two formats –
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RAW format
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JPEG format
Let us try to understand the differences between the two formats.
RAW Format
It is not an image file. It has no loss of data. It just consists of data which is in binary format.
It can contain upto 14 bits of data which translates to approximately 4.3 trillion colours
It has high dynamic range allowing you to recover very dark and bright areas of the image.
It has a big file size out of camera as it holds a lot of information
One needs a RAW converter software to read a RAW file. Not suitable for use without post processing. Cannot be shared directly out of the camera
JPEG Format
It is a standard image file format readable by any imaging software.
Contains 8 bits of data which translates to 16 million colors.
Lower dynamic range resulting in loss of data in the very dark and bright areas of the image.
Small file size out of camera. The files are sharper with more contrast.
Can be used directly out of the camera and shared.
Thus, we can see that RAW files hold a lot more data than JPEG files and one is able to pull out more details from the RAW file than the JPEG file. Also, White Balance setting can be changed if you have shot in RAW when doing the post processing. This gives the photographer an opportunity to correct any color cast in the image due to wrong white balance settings used during the shoot or even if he/she wants to change the white balance for creatively processing the image.
