14 Jan
2009
If you have a digital camera that is even minimally sophisticated chances are it gives you a choice of 2 or more types of photo file systems.
The most common type of photo file is the venerable JPEG, or Jpeg, or JPG, that is used to capture your digital images.
There are other formats, many of them in fact, and you should at least know that they exist and when you might want to use them.
What's wrong with what you've been using all along the JPEG?
Nothing, except for the fact that it's "lossy", which means that every time you open the file and modify it you lose a bit of detail when it's "closed" or "saved".
If you like to manipulate you image files in a graphics program and tend to work on them, close them, work on them, etc, you're losing a bit of detail with each session.
There are other formats, such as TIFF and there's always RAW, which is about as basic an image file as is possible to create. These are 2 examples of formats that are lossless or nearly so and are a better choice for the heavy post processing image manipulators out there.
Obviously we cannot cover all the types of image formats out there, some are only useful in certain applications, and others aren't all that useful, so we'll concentrate on a few that have practical purposes for the amateur.
Check out this excellent posting about the most commonly used digital photo formats.
Take a camera with you whenever possible, and look around, you'll find a picture somewhere.
Photo Source: iStockphoto Image#1974562
Carey
15 Jan 2009
“If you like to manipulate you image files in a graphics program and tend to work on them, close them, work on them, etc, you’re losing a bit of detail with each session.”
This is not completely true. Any graphics program worth your time will only recompress the parts of an image that it needs to. For example, if you add text, there will be a box of recompressed (and thus slightly degraded) image around that text, but the rest of the image will not be altered. The damage done through multiple rounds of editing and saving is vastly overstated.
Adria
16 Jan 2009
Not many people know there is any loss of quality when editting a jpeg, so this is a good article when it comes to quality every little helps.
We see many guest wedding pictures at http://www.weddingphotoshot.com and most are Jpeg if we are doing any serious editting we always prefer to see if the client has a raw file.
Regards
Adrian
http:/www.weddingphotoshot.com
Yaffa
16 Jan 2009
Thank you for explaining the differences of jpg, tiff and raw file.
I was just wondering about that recently and saw your blog from google alert, decided to see if I can find out the answer.
Thank you.
Jamie
8 Feb 2009
I generally work in RAW, ut it’s worth mentioning that if you are looking at process a large number of images it will greatly reduce your work flow. I know alot of studio photographers who will shoot in jpeg and RAW, processing mainly there Jpegs but having the fall back option if rerquired.
NIck
20 Apr 2009
Use Raw, its the ponly way to retain all the original features of the camera.
Thanks
Nick
http://www.uploadourday.com
an original modern alternative to disposables since 2005