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RAW vs JPG

RAW vs JPG

RAW is not a single format, but a class of formats that contain the unprocessed sensor data from a digital camera. JPG is the processed, compressed, and finalized image.

RAW JPG

Advantages

  • • Maximum dynamic range (recover blown skies)
  • • Non-destructive editing
  • • Complete control over white balance

Disadvantages

  • • Massive file sizes
  • • Requires special software (Lightroom) to view/edit
  • • Looks flat before processing

Advantages

  • • Ready to share instantly
  • • Takes up little space on the SD card
  • • Camera applies nice contrast/color automatically

Disadvantages

  • • Highlights and shadows are baked in
  • • White balance is difficult to correct later

The Verdict

RAW (For Editing)

When to use RAW

Always shoot in RAW if you plan to edit your photos later in software like Adobe Lightroom or Capture One.

When to use JPG

Shoot in JPG for casual family photos, sports photography where buffer speed is critical, or when you need to hand off photos instantly.

More Format Comparisons

WebP vs JPG

WebP was designed specifically to replace JPG on the web. It uses predictive coding to encode images, resulting in smaller files than JPG at the same perceived quality level.

GIF vs WebP

Why animated WebP is better than GIF.

HEIC vs JPG

HEIC (High Efficiency Image Container) is Apple's modern alternative to JPG. It uses advanced HEVC video compression technology to store photos in half the size of a JPG.

HEIF vs JPEG

HEIF and HEIC are essentially the same format. HEIF stands for High Efficiency Image File Format, and it offers significantly better compression than the legacy JPEG format.