RAW or JPEG: what you really lose when shooting in JPEG
You press the shutter button on your camera. The light is perfect, and so is the moment. And yet, once you see it on the screen, the photo disappoints you a little. The shadows are flat, the colours a bit dull, and editing doesn’t do much to improve it. It isn’t necessarily your eye that’s to blame. It might well be your file format.
The choice between RAW and JPEG is often made quickly, by default, without really giving it much thought. Many photographers stick with JPEG because it’s convenient, takes up little space and is immediately viewable. But behind this convenience lies a real cost: the data that’s silently sacrificed with every shot.
The difference between RAW and JPEG: two opposing philosophies of the image
Before making a decision, you need to analyse what’s actually happening inside your camera the moment you press the shutter. RAW and JPEG aren’t just two different file sizes. They’re two radically different approaches to photography.
With JPEG, the camera makes the decisions for you. It compresses the image, adjusts the colours, discards certain information deemed superfluous, and then finalises the file. What is lost is lost for good. With RAW, nothing is interpreted, nothing is discarded. You retain everything the sensor has captured, raw, intact and ready to be processed.
Which image format offers the best quality?
The answer is clear-cut. The RAW format offers superior image quality, and this is down to its very nature.
A RAW file contains between 12 and 14 bits of information per colour channel. A JPEG, on the other hand, retains just 8. In figures, this may seem abstract. In practice, it represents millions of additional shades, particularly in highlights and deep shadows.
When you photograph a sunset, a backlit portrait or a high-contrast scene, this is precisely where the difference becomes apparent. JPEGs become saturated, blow out the highlights and crush the shadows. RAW files, on the other hand, retain this information. You can recover it during post-processing, with a level of freedom that JPEGs will never offer.
We should also mention compression. JPEG uses what is known as ‘lossy’ compression. Every time a JPEG file is opened, edited and then saved again, it loses a little more data. In an image that has been edited several times, gradients gradually become posterised and fine details are lost. With RAW, the source file remains intact regardless of the changes made.
How can you tell if a photo is in RAW or JPEG format?
The distinction is often simpler than you might think. The first place to look is the file extension. A JPEG has the extension .jpg or .jpeg. A RAW file, on the other hand, varies depending on the manufacturer. It may be called .NEF, CR2, CR3 or ARW. Kodak cameras, meanwhile, use the extension .KDC or .DCR depending on the model.
On your camera, this information can be found directly in the shooting settings. The image quality or file format is usually indicated in a dedicated menu. Some cameras also display this information on the front control screen or on the rear screen in real time.
On a computer, if you cannot open a photo with your usual image viewer, this is often a sign that you are dealing with a RAW file. These files require compatible software, such as Lightroom, Capture One or even the Photos app on recent versions of macOS. A JPEG, on the other hand, opens anywhere, immediately, without any prerequisites.
What are the benefits of the RAW format for editing and workflow?
RAW is often talked about as a format reserved for professionals. This is a persistent misconception. In reality, RAW is of interest to anyone who cares about their photos and wants to retain control over the final result. Editing and workflow organisation are two areas where the difference compared to JPEG is felt very tangibly, on a day-to-day basis.
What is the best photo format for editing?
Photo editing is based on a very simple principle. The more data you have available, the more you can correct without damaging the image. This is exactly where RAW comes into its own.
When you open a RAW file in editing software, you’re working with the raw data captured by the sensor. The exposure can be increased or decreased by several stops without the image quality deteriorating. White balance, which is fixed in JPEGs the moment the photo is taken, remains fully adjustable. Blown-out highlights can be recovered. Clipped shadows can be brightened.
With a JPEG, the scope for adjustment is much more limited. The file has already been compressed and processed by the camera. Increasing the exposure by more than one stop introduces noise. Brightening the highlights reveals shapeless patches where there should be detail. It’s not a question of software; it’s a question of missing data.
For wedding, portrait, landscape or sports photography, RAW offers a level of reliability that JPEG simply cannot guarantee. A slightly overexposed RAW photo can be salvaged in a matter of seconds. The same image in JPEG may be beyond recovery.
What is the benefit of the RAW format?
Beyond editing, RAW also changes the way you organise and manage your images in the long term.
A RAW file is a digital negative. Like film, it remains unchanged. When you edit a RAW file in Lightroom or Capture One, the adjustments are saved separately in a companion file. The original remains intact, forever. You can revisit it in ten years’ time using newer software and achieve an even better result, because the development algorithms will have improved.
RAW also provides access to corrections that JPEG does not allow. Correcting optical distortion. Removing chromatic aberrations. Adjusting clarity or microcontrast. All of this can be done with far greater precision when the raw data is available.
For photographers who deliver images to clients, a RAW workflow also allows for standardised processing. Applying the same development profile to a series of RAW files produces a visual consistency that is very difficult to achieve with JPEGs. This is particularly true when lighting conditions have varied during the shoot.
Finally, there is the question of archiving. A RAW file retains a wealth of information that makes your photos usable far beyond their immediate purpose. An image captured today in RAW can be reworked tomorrow using tools that do not yet exist.
Switching to RAW without changing everything: what Kodak actually enables you to do
Many photographers are reluctant to take the plunge. Not because they’re not interested in RAW, but because they fear having to learn everything from scratch. Changing formats means changing habits, and that can be daunting. However, the transition is far less radical than one might imagine. Kodak cameras are designed to support this shift, without forcing anyone to start from scratch.
How do I open a RAW image?
A .KDC or .DCR file cannot be opened like a JPEG. It requires software capable of interpreting the raw data from the sensor.
There are plenty of options. Adobe Lightroom remains the most widely used choice amongst both amateur and professional photographers. Its Develop module allows you to open, view and process Kodak RAW files with great precision. Capture One is another highly regarded solution, particularly for colour management and skin tone rendering. For those who prefer not to install anything, recent versions of macOS include native support for many RAW formats directly within the Photos app or in Preview.
On Windows, the Photo Viewer can read certain RAW formats provided you install the RAW codec pack offered by Microsoft, which is available free of charge. GIMP, a free and open-source image editing programme, also handles RAW files via the darktable or RawTherapee plug-ins. These are two robust and comprehensive open-source tools.
The key takeaway is that opening a RAW file is not a complicated process. It simply requires the right tool, and these tools are now accessible to users of all levels, whether you’re just starting out or have been practising for years.
Converting a RAW image to JPEG?
Working in RAW doesn’t mean giving up on JPEG for good. The two formats coexist very well within a well-organised workflow. The RAW file remains the source file – the one you edit and archive. The JPEG becomes the output file – the one you share, send or publish.
The conversion can be carried out using any RAW processing software. In Lightroom, simply use the Export module. Then select the JPEG format, set the desired quality and start the export. The process takes a few seconds per image. Capture One offers a similar workflow, with highly customisable output options depending on the intended use.
Some cameras also allow you to generate both a RAW file and a JPEG file simultaneously with every shot. This is particularly the case with the Kodak Pixpro AZ653, a 20-megapixel bridge camera featuring a 65x optical zoom, which offers this dual capture natively. You immediately have a usable JPEG, whilst retaining the RAW file as a safety net for editing.
Conversion can also be done in batches. If you return from a shoot with several hundred RAW files, Lightroom or Capture One can export them all to JPEG in a single operation, whilst you get on with something else. The time saved is significant, and the quality of the resulting files isn’t compromised.
So, RAW or JPEG: which should you choose?
JPEG has its place. It’s fast, lightweight and handy for sharing a photo without having to edit it first. But if you care about your images and if you want to be able to correct them, enhance them and archive them in the best possible condition – RAW isn’t a luxury. It’s simply the format that does justice to your work.
Every shutter release is a fraction of a second that will never happen again. You might as well ensure that all the information captured that day is properly preserved. RAW guarantees this. JPEG, on the other hand, makes choices for you, and those choices are final.
Switching to RAW means regaining control over your photos. Not just at the moment of capture, but also long afterwards, when you really decide what the image will become.
