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DPChallenge Forums >> Tips, Tricks, and Q&A >> what is RAW mode?
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 01/18/2004 01:18:22 AM · #1
What is RAW mode? I kind of have an idea of what it is, but am not sure. And how does it work? All I know is that you can adjust the white balance and stuff after the picture is taken. Is it true that you can focus it as well, after its taken?
 01/18/2004 01:34:13 AM · #2
I don't have RAW mode on my camera (wish it did) but I can give you a brief idea of what it is. When a camera exposes a picture and the light intensities are converted to digital bits, before it's recorded onto your memory, the cameras internal electronics processes it according to the parameters that you've set on your camera, such as White balance, sharpening, saturation, contrast and so on...

This digital and processed information then gets recorded on your memory in either Tiff or jpeg (compressed) file formats. But if you record in RAW mode, then the camera is not performing any kind of post exposure processing and all post processing will be done by you in the puter. Gives you the most control over the image and also records as a smaller file than Tiff, but not quite as small as jpeg.

If you're recording in Raw, then you have to have a piece of software that will convert the RAW file to either jpeg, tiff, bitmap or any other file format you decide.
 01/18/2004 01:38:46 AM · #3
Nikon's RAW format, and I assume all are similar, is a combination of "instructions" and "data". Remember that this is just a computer file. The "data" portion is the exact data recorded at the CCD in the camera. The "instructions" are whatever is used to modify the "data" portion as set in the camera controls - things like the white balance, exposure compensation, tone compensation, or hue adjustment. Since focus is produced by the optics of the camera before the light hits the CCD that would NOT be something which could be modified after shooting in RAW mode. Hope this helps.
 01/18/2004 01:59:47 AM · #4
TIFF is not compressed. It too is uncompressed. At least thats what my manual tells me
 01/18/2004 02:01:57 AM · #5
I'm still a little confused.

So what are the advantages of shooting in RAW or TIFF mode?

There should be a tutorial on uncompressed images and RAW mode, or something.
 01/18/2004 02:31:43 AM · #6
RAW = True representation of what the image sensor sees.
TIFF= Tagged Image File Format. A lossless form of saving so quality is not lost.
JPEG=Joint Photographic Expert Group.The most common form of compression. The more times you resave information is lost.

What not always use RAW or TIFF? Only the higher end cameras have this feature. Both RAW and TIFF takes a while to save. Sometimes you need the speed to take a lot of shot fast and JPEG is the prefer mode. Also RAW and TIFF takes up a lot of memory.

TIFF mode 128MB =8 images@ 3.34 Megapixel
JPEG mode 128MB =100 images@ 3.34 Megapixel

You can't really tell the difference unless you print very large.Poster size or bigger.

If you have studio setup, time is not an issue, you have a lot of memory it would be a good time to use RAW or TIFF.

Message edited by author 2004-01-18 02:38:24.
 01/18/2004 02:33:09 AM · #7
Originally posted by eswik:
I'm still a little confused.

So what are the advantages of shooting in RAW or TIFF mode?

There should be a tutorial on uncompressed images and RAW mode, or something.


RAW & TIFF mode doesn;t compress your shot and does not decrease the quality of your shot. This is why they are larger files. If you are going to do editing on your shots, you have more freedom & MUCH more to work with on an uncompressed shot than a compressed one. If you have a high megapixel camera, this advantage may be hard to see but it is definitly worth doing regardless. The best way to really understand this, in my experience, is to try it out & compare the quality of compressed versas uncompressed.

If I had the card capacity, I would take ALL my shots in RAW format. I hope this helps you out a bit more.

Message edited by author 2004-01-18 02:34:40.
 01/18/2004 05:45:09 AM · #8
You use RAW when YOU want to do all of the post processing and not allow the camera's controls to do any. It gives you total control of image manipulation in your post processing.

You use Tiff when you are willing to relinquish some of the image manipulation to the camera's settings that you preset on the camera.

Jpeg is good to use when memory storage space is an issue as it compresses your shots, but in that process, you lose some of it's quality. There are different quality settings for jpeg. A high quality setting will only compress the image 2:1. A medium quality setting maybe 5:1 and low quality setting 10:1. The image degrades the more it is compressed so try to use the highest quality jpeg setting and resolution your camera supplies. Also, image quality decreases greatly the more times you open and save in jpeg so it's wise to shoot in say Tiff and save in Tiff until all of your post processing is done and then when ready to send your picture out to DPC over the internet, the final save should be in jpeg at the rules stated resolution.

Also, if your final output is going to be print, then I would recommend shooting at the highest quality settings in Tiff or RAw and finally saving in Tiff before printing, which requires a minuimum of 200 dpi, but best would be 300 dpi.

Sorry for so many words :)
Hope it's clear now.
 01/18/2004 08:10:34 AM · #9
Do I have to convert into tiff mode on my canon? I have never been able to fool around with a raw photo- I can't find the software I guess. It always converts to tiff. Can someone help?

i wish I knew how to do this because raw files are supposedly as good as tiff's and 1/5 the size.

Message edited by author 2004-01-18 08:12:00.
 01/18/2004 09:01:05 AM · #10
Originally posted by eswik:
I'm still a little confused.

So what are the advantages of shooting in RAW or TIFF mode?

There should be a tutorial on uncompressed images and RAW mode, or something.

Hi Eric;

RAW format is the digital equivalent to film negative. It allows you to do all things that you can do in a darkroom while processing the film. You will had some dificult to understand it's value, unless you had taken part in a film photography. In any other format you can correct the image throught a set of methods that changes the image by the picture data. In RAW format you can correct an underexposure, IE, with 2 sets of data, sensor data (CCD or CMOS) at photocells level, and exposure control data. In fact it's more than one negative! When you set the brightness or curves to try to correct an underexposed JPEG or TIFF image, not all data present in your camera at shoot time is present in that file. You probably will create a tone diference among the original colors to try to reveal an hiden detail by your worng exposure. Well, if you have a RAW file, you can correct the exposition, not brightness or curves. It's like a time machine that brings you to the shooting time now! Allowing you to adjust the picture as your camera was been done.
Obviously, this bill it's price. Memory consuming. In my 256MB CF card I can store only 30 RAW files, against 105 JPEG Fine. But if your intentions are professional printing, and you can afford the time to write the file in place. It's strongly recomended.

Message edited by author 2004-01-18 09:04:06.
 01/18/2004 11:42:23 AM · #11
some free RAW conversion software (not bad, either). Invariably Cam's that can shoot in RAW come with conversion software bundled. If not, here's an alternative Irfanview
 01/18/2004 12:03:26 PM · #12
Why don't you go to the Canon web site and see if they have download for your camera, or even just a RAW conversion plug in or standalone program?

Originally posted by blindjustice:
Do I have to convert into tiff mode on my canon? I have never been able to fool around with a raw photo- I can't find the software I guess. It always converts to tiff. Can someone help?

i wish I knew how to do this because raw files are supposedly as good as tiff's and 1/5 the size.
 01/19/2004 12:08:04 PM · #13

I started shooting raw recently with canon 300D and processing the images with C1 Rebel before editing with photoshop CS. You will never look back. The tiff images developed from raw is 37MB but you get almost total control on colour temparature.
 01/19/2004 02:56:27 PM · #14
yup changing the color temp is the best part ;)

I changed from Tif to RAW when I got my D100, and will never ever shoot in anything else again, love it.

RAW is also smaller and saves much quicker (than tiffs) onto your card, thus letting you take more shots quicker.

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