A camera file format is a method of compression for storing photographic images. File formats differ according to the type of camera you have.

For most film cameras, the options are either negatives or slides. While negatives are usually more convenient, less expensive, and easier to transfer to different media and sizes, some people prefer slide film as it does create beautiful colors and depth.

In digital photography there are two main types of camera file formats:

Every digital camera on the market will capture images in JPEG format. (JPEG stands for Joint Photographic Experts Group, the organization that developed the format.) A JPEG is actually a compression algorithm that takes the image data captured by your camera's digital sensor and compresses it into a set of binary data. This compression makes the file sizes of the images very small and compact, but in order to do that, the algorithm will toss out data that it feels is superfluous or unrecognized by the human eye. Because of this, JPEG format is referred to as a "lossy" format, meaning it loses data. For all intents and purposes, modern JPEG compression does an amazing job of preserving the majority of an image's detail with very little loss in quality, but due to the nature of this format there will always be some loss. In most instances and for most people, this loss will matter very little as the images that come out of the camera will suffice for the majority of your needs and the majority of image sizes you desire to print.

The main problem with JPEGs occurs when you start editing, touching up, or otherwise manipulating your images in programs such as Photoshop. When you manipulate your image data in an editing program, and are starting with a photo where a portion of the information has already been discarded due to its file format, you force the program to interpret that missing data in order to perform your adjustments. This interpretation of data can lead to significant imaging issues that can make it hard to print out your photo in a reasonable size or achieve the quality of image you desire.

To combat this image degradation, most medium and high-end digital cameras offer the RAW file format. RAW files contain the untouched and uncompressed image data that is captured by your camera's digital sensor. Basically, since there is no loss of information, RAW files contain every pixel of light that your camera's sensor detects. This means that a RAW file is similar to film in that all of the interpretation of these images can be done outside the camera itself in the "digital" darkroom.

As you've probably guessed, the thing to keep in mind about RAW files is that they require some post-processing on your computer. Whereas with JPEGs your camera can actually perform operations such as boosting saturation, increasing sharpening, or transforming your images from color to black & white in-camera, RAW files will have none of this in-camera editing applied to them. Because these files contain image data straight from the sensor, they require you to perform these operations after you've uploaded them to your computer.

Unlike JPEG, which is an image compression standard that is the same across all cameras and media, RAW files are tied both to the camera itself and the manufacturer of that camera. Each digital camera has its own particular RAW file format. This can make using a RAW file difficult as the program you use to edit the file on the computer must have the converter that recognizes your camera's specific RAW format. Most digital cameras come with software that will decode their own RAW file format. Though less of an issue than it used to be, this can still make working with RAW files much more tedious than working with JPEGs. Photo editing programs such as Photoshop, Photoshop Elements, Adobe Lightroom and Apple's Aperture all have built-in RAW decoders for most digital cameras and can vastly improve your RAW digital workflow.

In addition to JPEG and RAW formats, there are two additional settings that are available on some digital cameras:

A handful of digital cameras will allow you to save your images as TIFFs (TIFF stands for Tagged Image File Format.) A TIFF is a "lossless" file format not unlike RAW in that it preserves all the image data from the camera without throwing away, or compressing, any of the information. The advantage to the TIFF file format is that it is also an image standard, meaning that, like JPEGs, it can be opened and manipulated by almost every image editing program available today without the special conversion that is required by RAW files.

A bright spot for those of you who can't make up your mind, you may be glad to know that some cameras have a RAW + JPEG setting that allows you to make use of both types of file formats. When using this setting, the camera will simultaneously shoot images in RAW and JPEG, and save the image in both file formats on your memory card/stick.

Finally, a few notes about post-processing your digital images on your computer, no matter what file format you choose:

Once you edit a RAW file, it must be saved out as a different format like JPEG or TIFF. As we've discussed already, saving an image out as a JPEG after you'd done your editing means you will lose data from the file. In order to combat this, save files as JPEGS only after you've made your edits to preserve as much of the image's integrity as possible. In addition, try to avoid saving and opening and re-saving your JPEG images frequently as the images will continue to lose data.

The major disadvantage of both RAW and TIFF files, since they are lossless formats, is that they will take up a considerable amount of space both on the memory cards in your camera as well as on your computer's hard drive. If you move to using these formats, be aware that you will be able to shoot far fewer pictures on a card than you are used to and that space on your computer's hard drive will disappear at an alarming rate.

All in all, while RAW and TIFF formats are a fantastic format for photographers who are exacting about their image quality, JPEGs may be suitable for most of your photography needs.

Read through the article and in your own words (don't copy and paste) answer the following questions.
Name___________________________________
1. Explain what is a "file format"?


2. What are the two most common formats used with digital cameras?


3. What is the difference between a jpeg and a raw file? List the advantages and disadvantages of both?


4. Explain what a raw + jpeg setting would be on some cameras?


5. If I shoot in raw format can I save my final image as raw or do I have to change it to another format?


6. Conclusion what format should I shoot in?