Whether you are taking pictures with your camera or your phone, you may have often heard about an option that allows you to take pictures in RAW.
This is the right way to go, but a lot of times, people have little to no idea about what RAW format actually is and how to properly use it.
The reason why most people tend to stay away from this file format is that they either are unaware of this format.
or they simply don’t know how to properly utilize or work with it.
That is why, in this article, I am going to tell you all about the benefits of shooting in RAW format, so you have a better understanding of what you should be doing and what you should be avoiding.
Remember, shooting in RAW format is only going to help you out even more because this way, you will truly be able to bring your images out even more. So, let’s not waste time and have a look, shall we?
What is a RAW Image?
If you have been in photography for some time, you may have heard someone asking for raw photos.
What they mean is RAW, not to be confused with raw, untouched photos.
RAW, in photography is simply a digital image that is stored on your camera or smartphone.
The images are normally completely unprocessed and have no compression whatsoever.
In addition to that, all the detail of the images are stored inside the RAW file, these details can be then manipulated without any issues, whatsoever.
The image data usually contains shadows, highlights, contrast, exposure, color, tint, saturation, and everything in between.
And since all this data is present in the RAW file, you can go ahead and adjust these variables based on your requirement and while it might look like something that is very minor, the effect it actually has on the image is drastic and often ends up giving you an image that looks entirely different.
Don’t believe it? Here is a video by Peter McKinnon in which he is editing RAW files sent to him by his subscribers.
You can see the difference between the RAW image, and all the difference editing makes.
The video is slightly on the longer side, but it does give you an idea about how and why RAW images are so much better when it comes to photography.
Benefits of Shooting in RAW Format
Now that you know what RAW format is, the next thing that you should know is the benefits of shooting in RAW format.
Photo by Alexey Elfimov on Unsplash
Whether you are thinking about taking landscapes in RAW, portraits in RAW, or shooting products in RAW.
I would always suggest that you are sticking to this setting as it is going to make the overall photography experience infinitely better.
With that out of the way, we are now going to look at the benefits of shooting in RAW format, so let’s not waste time and have a look, shall we?
Stores All the Image Data
Now, I already mentioned this before but let me take you into a bit more detail.
When you are shooting RAW, it might look complicated at first, especially when it comes to understanding the purpose behind it but I can assure you that it does come at a benefit, to be honest.
For instance, RAW file format ensures that all the data of an image is stored in it.
The data can be viewed using various programs but that is not what we are going to look at.
So, what does this data do? Well, this data relates to exposure, highlights, shadows, saturation, colors, tint, and every other aspect of your photo.
and all of this data is not processed, allowing you to manipulate the image in any way you want.
I do understand that some might feel that this is sort of cheating but the images you can create through this method are excellent and can be adjusted based on your own requirements.
Now, learning all of this could take time but in most cases, you will be fine and you won’t have to spend a lot of time figuring things out.
RAW Format Lets You Adjust White Balance
Another benefit of shooting a RAW file is that it lets you adjust the white balance based on your own requirements.
This might not be something that is easy for a lot of people but adjusting the white balance is key because you can easily get the type of image you want and that too, without any complications coming in the way.
For instance, if you truly want an image to look good, you can just adjust the white balance before you decide to share the image.
Uncompromised Quality
Another benefit that you are going to get with RAW images is that you are going to get uncompromised quality in terms of the images that you are going to get after you edit.
RAW photos are not processed at all. Sure, you are going to put them through processing on your own but this processing would always result in the quality not being compromised a lot or in some cases, at all.
With tools like Photoshop and Lightroom at your disposal, you can assure that the image you get as an output is in excellent form, ready to be shared with your friends, family, or even your clients, provided you are doing it on a professional scale.
The point I am making here is that you can get the best pictures just because you are deciding you want to shoot in RAW.
Have Full Control of the Dynamic Range
Moving further, when you are shooting in RAW, the benefit that you get is that the moment you put that image in an image processing software.
so you get to have full creative control over the dynamic range of the image.
You can easily go ahead and take care of all the aspects of dynamic range and create an image that is truly reflective of what you are looking for.
I do understand that this might not be an easy thing for some because there is a learning curve involved here but the more time you spend learning Lightroom and Photoshop, the better.
Plus, we highly believe that these are skills that you should always be aware of.
RAW Images Allow You to Correct Exposure Mistakes
Now, this is something that almost all photographers have gone through at least once in their career and that is when you take a picture while being under the impression that everything is perfect, only to realize that you messed up the exposure.
Therefore, you are now with a picture that is either overexposed or underexposed.
In circumstances where you may have taken that photo in JPEG, you can kiss it goodbye because there is nothing you can do.
However, if you have taken that image in RAW format, then you are in luck because you can actually fix the exposure on the image by simply using a slider.
I do know it might sound like magical to some but that is how it works, and it is not something that you should be ignoring.
Offers Excellent Looking Images You Can Print
Another benefit that you can get out of RAW images is that you can get some stunning pictures that you can actually print.
Don’t get me wrong, the same can happen with JPEG as well, but you cannot really edit JPEG all that much since the image is already processed.
But since RAW is unprocessed and it is only processed once after you put it through post-processing, the result you get is stunning and much better for anyone who wants to go ahead and print it.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the benefits of shooting in RAW format vs JPEG?
The benefits of shooting RAW instead of JPEG are already mentioned in this post.
Simply put, you get images that are much better in almost every aspect, and that too, without any complications that might ruin your experience.
Does shooting RAW increase resolution?
No, shooting RAW does not increase resolution but does increase the amount of control you can have over an image.
What is the RAW file format used?
The RAW file format is used when you take pictures from your phone or camera in RAW format.
The images can later be edited with ease and flexibility.
Conclusion
I do understand that most people feel overwhelmed when they have to handle RAW files.
but in all honesty, if you are looking for the best way to edit your photos and make them look stunning and better than they look when they are straight out of the camera, this is the best way to do that.
RAW photos can be a challenge to work with but the reward alone is so good that you will have to keep coming back to them.
In addition to that, if you are looking to take your pictures to a professional level, taking pictures in RAW makes a lot of sense and you will be able to edit the pictures for your clients the way you want to, and that too, with ease.
Read more ( IF you like shooting in RAW )…
- RAW vs JPEG | Are Raw Images Sharper Than JPEG?
- *FREE* Lightroom Alternative To Edit Raw Photos | DarkTable
- Quick Way To Edit RAW Images for Free Using Snapseed Mobile App
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