This may seem like a silly question, but… Can you get acceptable adjustment latitude when working with in-camera processed jpeg files?
I ask because I’ve shot Raw files since I bought my first digital camera (Canon DSLR’s and a Canon G2). Now I’d like to buy a new compact camera for travel / informal shooting, but it seems Raw is a thing of the past on most compact cameras.
I typically use PS for tweaking white balance, color balance, de-noise, highlight / shadow recovery, sharpening, and occasional soft focus effects. I’m afraid, I’ll lose the ability to produce quality photographs if I start from a jpeg. Should I be??
It almost feels like relying on the local pharmacy to process all my photos rather than a pro lab.
Learn how to optimize Photoshop for maximum speed, troubleshoot common issues, and keep your projects organized so that you can work faster than ever before!
Can you get acceptable adjustment latitude when working with in-camera processed jpeg files?
No.
Well I suppose it all depends of your definition of "acceptable"; but JPEGs will never give you anything approaching the adjustment latitude of RAW images.
We cross posted, Buko. I had not read your post when I clicked on post. My second post was meant to emphasize a point in my first one; it was not meant to contradict you at all. [Just trying not to aggravate Allen’s and Peter’s JPEG ulcers. :)]
I’m just typing extra slow today. I’ve got some kind of hip or lower back problem on my right side that forces me to use my left hand to keep me in some semblance of an upright position, and it also keeps my right hand in an almost closed-fist position, so I’m typing with only the index finger and middle finger of my right hand. :/
Thanks, Ann. It’s most likely my hip again, which started acting up upon my return from my last China trip in 2000. Usually clears up in couple of months.
Wish it did, but it doesn’t. Actually, the ideal is to extend the space where the ball of the femur fits into the acetabulum. Cold temperatures narrow it.
Yeah, that would do it. 😀 Except the myalgic encephalomyelitis has left me absolutely alcohol intolerant. A tablespoon of the stuff is enough to make me very, very ill. :/
Thanks for weighing in, especially for Ramon working in pain. Hope it gets better soon.
Back on topic. Your comments are what I expected I’d hear. The "suitability" of in-camera jpgs really is the heart of my question about "latitiude." My DSLR in-camera jpgs (shot along with raw) are rarely acceptable to my eye without some work in PS. No matter how I set the camera processing parameters, they’re never quite dialed in. Occasionally I use these versions for quick postings to the web or to give to family members, or when I’m not particular about quality.
But I still have the Raw files to rely on to do real fixes and polishing. I’m afraid w/ jpeg only, I’ll eventually be stuck with some potentially nice photos that can’t made really nice because I can’t make the needed fix in PS. Yes I know it happens with Raw too, but a lot less often.
I suppose the convenience of a compact camera comes with risks of quality anyway. In the film days, it was equivalent to which photos are you willing to trust to Walgreen’s (or worse, the Polaroid)?
Frankly I think camera makers are insulting our intelligence to stop offering uncompressed formats on the compacts. It’s like they’re saying, "Sorry you ignorant photo-snappers, you can’t have your own negatives." 99% of the digital camera users probably don’t care, but it would be nice to have the choice.
Hi Marshall, Some love ’em, some hate ’em, but if you can live with the Panasonic noise factor, you can have RAW in a compact camera with a Leica branded lens: just Google Panasonic DMC-LX2 or the older DMC-LX1. With good lighting you get great RAW shots with this pocket-sized camera. Use it after dark and you’ll be glad of Camera RAW’s features for reducing color noise which actually do a really good job. Pat
This may seem like a silly question, but… Can you get acceptable adjustment latitude when working with in-camera processed jpeg files?
Now that we routinely have RAW as a choice that our cameras, apps and hardware can handle well, I agree that the relative answer is no.
I’m afraid, I’ll lose the ability to produce quality photographs if I start from a jpeg. Should I be??
Yes you should be concerned. Shooting highest JPEG quality it is possible to produce quality photographs. However it is almost always possible to achieve better image quality from RAW. Now that we have decent DSLR RAW capture workflow software (Aperture, Lightroom) and fast high capacity CF cards at reasonable prices (I use two 8 GB Sandisk Extreme IV cards) there really is no excuse not capture RAW 100% of the time.
I agree completely. I’d never shoot anything but Raw if given the choice. Unfortunately the camera makers decided to stop enabling Raw in most all compact cameras.
I like to keep a small camera with me almost all the time when I can’t tote the SLRs around. It would be nice if there were more compact options with Raw.
