Shooting Raw or Jpeg

[Mikoh4792]

If I am taking photos of snakes/animals to upload on photobucket/facebook/ssnakess, can I do this with RAW files? When I try to upload raw files to these sites for some reason an error pops up. Am I doing something wrong?

Also is the quality difference between jpeg and RAW that big?

[erichillkeast]

When you are shooting raw you will need to convert them to JPEG before you upload them. Each camera manufacturer has a different raw format (it even sometimes varies between models depending on when they were made). I use Adobe Lightroom to post process and convert them to JPEG. There are also many free programs online that will do this, and most likely your camera manufacturer will have one (although it will most likely just convert them with little ability to post process)

Yes and No. People will argue both sides endlessly. I am a fan of RAW. I shoot RAW for a few reasons. The first is it retains all of the information received by the sensor. The second is that when you are post processing the RAW file always remains unchanged, so no matter how many times you edit the photo, you can always revert back to the original (this can be done with JPEG as long as you save a second copy somewhere that you never touch). Third, all of the processing is done by the computer, so for really long exposures you don't need to wait as long between shots.

The big advantage to shooting JPEG is that you can use the photo directly off of the camera.

So really it depends on what you want to do. If you want to be able to do any post processing I'd recommend RAW. If you just want to take pictures and be able to use them right off of the camera use JPEG. If you aren't sure shoot RAW+JPEG (assuming your camera has that option).

[millertime89]

If your camera was RAW+JPEG shoot in that provided you have a large enough memory card. I do this most of the time because I never know what I'm going to use the pictures for.

I use the RAW files more frequently but it's nice to have the JPEGs if I just need to upload something quickly.

[formica]

RAW is great if you want to tweek things like exposure afterwards, but personally I lost interest in RAW images, they take up a huge amount of space compared to a jpeg, and the more photographs you take, the better they get, so altering the photo afterwards becomes less of a concern anyway - but its definitely worth knowing how it works and what you can do with it, there are lots of very useful functions you can perform using the software

you will need to install an extension for windows/mac to be able to view the images, usually this comes with the software, but not always

[Mikoh4792]

So can you convert the RAW file into a file that can be uploaded on websites without comprising the quality?

I know this is obvious to most people but just to point it out, I took a jpeg + Raw pic and the clarity/quality between the images is a huge difference. Just wondering if I could take the quality of that RAW file and upload it to facebook,ssnakess...etc

[formica]

So can you convert the RAW file into a file that can be uploaded on websites without comprising the quality?

I know this is obvious to most people but just to point it out, I took a jpeg + Raw pic and the clarity/quality between the images is a huge difference. Just wondering if I could take the quality of that RAW file and upload it to facebook,ssnakess...etc

most people cannot view a RAW image - exporting a RAW image to high quaility jpeg should render exactly the same image

there should not be any difference between the two (straight off the camera), unless you are setting a low quality Jpeg option in the camera - or unless your RAW editor is changing the settings when you load it up (optimizer maybe?)

the diffrence between the two should only come out after you have opened it with a RAW editor like the one the camera came with, or photoshop, and changed the settings

[millertime89]

Honestly most people viewing online won't be able to tell the difference between a photo originally in RAW or JPEG even if you notice it. So few computers can even properly display the high quality images that dslr's can capture.

[loud]

So can you convert the RAW file into a file that can be uploaded on websites without comprising the quality?

I know this is obvious to most people but just to point it out, I took a jpeg + Raw pic and the clarity/quality between the images is a huge difference. Just wondering if I could take the quality of that RAW file and upload it to facebook,ssnakess...etc

Yes, you can, but really the value of RAW files center around the information stored in the file rather than the appearance of the image itself. You have a much wider editing range with a RAW file than you would with a JPEG, but I also understand that sometimes the RAW file you have will be superior to the JPEG in brightness and perhaps clarity, though possibly lacking in contrast and vibrancy. I've had it happen a few times as well : )

If you have Photoshop or Lightroom, you can open the RAW file and then save it as a JPEG and it will be converted and ready to upload onto Facebook/Flickr/Photobucket/etc. Lightroom will automatically export files as JPEGs.

[KarenL]

I shoot RAW when I know that I will either want or have to edit the image (for instance if I'm shooting in crappy light and know I will need to adjust in Lightroom to recover the detail in the highlights or shadows) or if I plan on printing the photo in large format. I then export the files as JPEGs once I've completed editing the images. If am taking photos to share on social media I usually use high quality JPEGs which are plenty good enough.

[red ink]

Forum photos jpeg is more than enough... shooting for folio then RAW files is the go.

All RAW files really does is give you controll over all components of the image so you can alter/tweak them individually without affecting other parts of the image (hence the big size) and a non viewable format on the net. A RAW file isn't an image but rather all the components that make the image individually, hence you need software that can read all the data and present an image on your screen.

[Great Mormon]

As some have already mentioned... shooting raw is great when you need to do any post processing.

However, you will still need to convert the raw file to a standard format such as jpeg, png, gif, etc for viewing purposes, especially when it comes to the web.

You do not upload raw files to photobucket/facebook/websites due to the fact that no one can view your file unless they have a plugin or extension installed. Some websites such as photobucket may convert your raw file when you upload it to a jpeg or some viewable format.

As for myself, i prefer shooting raw. Its like keeping the negatives in a film camera. I am free to tweak the exposure, do some color correction without losing quality.