RAW is not an acronym - it's just a generic term for a file that contains the raw data from a camera's sensor

RAW is not an acronym - it's just a generic term for a file that contains the raw data from a camera's sensor

0100011110001010101011010100100011110001010100011010101101010010001111000101010101101010010001111000101010101101010010001111000101010101101010010001111000101010101101010010001111000101010101101010010001111000101010101101010101000111100010101010110101001000111100010101010110101001000111100010101010110101001000111100010101010110101001000111

Every camera shoots RAWs but most convert into a standard JPEG file for ease of use

When you shoot in JPEG adjustments are applied to the image via the camera's image processor at the time of capture

01000111100010101010110101001000111100010101000110101011010100100011110001010101011010100100011110001010101011010100100011110011010100100011101010110101010001101011101

Converted by camera

RAW FILE JPEG FILE

Then the RAW data is deleted – LOST!

01000111100010101010110101001000111100010101000110101011010100100011110001010101011010100100011110001010101011010100100011110011010100100011101010110101010001101011101X JPEG FILE

Leaving you with a nicely exposed JPEG photo – but you’ve lost all the extra RAW data!

JPEG FILE

You can adjust colour temperature, contrast, shadow depth, highlight brightness, saturation, sharpening, exposure...…without ‘degrading’ the image

RAW file is a bit like a digital version of an old negative

These adjustments take place in special RAW conversion software

In traditional photography you always get the best quality photo by printing from a neg…

35mm NEGATIVE

PHOTO / PRINT

Likewise in digital photography – using RAW means you expose the JPEG not your camera!

35mm NEGATIVE

PHOTO / PRINT

RAW FILE

JPEG FILE

Adjustments made off a negative/RAW contain far more precision than a print/JPEG

You adjust the print

You adjust the print

35mm NEGATIVE

PHOTO / PRINT

RAW FILE

JPEG FILE

RAW FILEJPEG FILE

RAW FILEJPEG FILE

RAW FILEJPEG FILE

RAW FILEJPEG FILEORGINALS

RAW FILEJPEG FILEORGINALS

Imported through Adobe Camera RAW (ACR) plug-in

Software that came with your camera

UFRaw for GIMP or RAW Therapee

If you just want to quickly view RAW images before properly converting them use an image viewer such as XnView:

Or the softwarethat came withyour camera