Why don't I shoot in JPEG format. Or how I process my photos in RAW. Why do photographers choose RAW format for photography? What is raw format

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The electrical signal generated at the time of shooting by the matrix of a digital camera enters the camera's processor in the form of an array of digitized, but not yet processed or, if you like, "raw" data. This data is then either written without further processing to the memory card in the form of a so-called. RAW file, or they are pre-processed by the camera processor, which forms a full-fledged image based on them and saves it in JPEG format. JPEG photographs are the final product of the photographic process and are fully usable for viewing, printing, publishing on the web, or any other practical need. Pictures saved as RAW files must be edited in a special converter program, which allows you to turn the raw data provided by the matrix into a graphic image in JPEG or TIFF format. Shooting in RAW is used in cases where the photographer, for one reason or another, does not want to trust the processing of the image to the camera's processor and prefers to do the conversion on his own. In any case, all digital photographs are born as RAW data and the end result is a JPEG, but manual conversion gives you more control over the properties of the resulting image than automatic in-camera conversion. It is important to understand that using RAW does not necessarily improve image quality, it just makes the process of taking a photo more manageable and predictable.

While JPEG is a full-fledged .jpg image format, RAW does not stand for a standalone file format, but rather a family of formats with different specifications and extensions depending on the camera manufacturer: .cr2 (Canon), .nef (Nikon) , .arw (Sony), .pef (Pentax), .orf (Olympus), .raf (Fujifilm), etc.

In addition to the digitized brightness values ​​for each photodiode of the matrix, the RAW file contains a JPEG image generated by the camera, which is necessary for previewing, as well as various metadata, such as: specifications of the camera and its sensor, description of exposure parameters, white balance settings and image styles, date and shooting time.

By its nature, a RAW file is not an image, but contains the information necessary to form an image. Because of this, the RAW file is often compared to a film negative in traditional photography. Digital negative is a good metaphor. Just as a traditional negative, which contains a latent image after exposure, needs to be developed, a RAW file needs to be converted in order for the image hidden in it to see the light of day. And just as a traditional photographer has a choice: to send the captured film to a photo lab for automatic development and printing, or to develop and print with his own hands, controlling all the nuances of the photo process, so the non-traditional digital photographer can choose whether to entrust the conversion to the camera processor or edit files manually using RAW -converter.

Despite the fact that I myself shoot mainly in RAW, I do not at all urge you to follow my example. This is an individual matter. Both RAW and JPEG have their own unique advantages and disadvantages, and therefore neither approach can be considered the absolute best.

Benefits of JPEG

• Shooting in JPEG saves time. Manual processing of images is a slow process and requires special skills.
• A JPEG shot with a good camera looks better than a badly edited RAW.
• JPEG files take up much less space on both the memory card and hard drive. Storing a lot of RAW files eats up disk space faster than you'd like.
• Because small files are written to the memory card faster, the camera's buffer is also freed up faster, allowing for longer bursts during continuous shooting.
• JPEG is the most versatile and popular graphic format. Photos in JPEG immediately after shooting are completely ready for use. They can be easily opened in any program, and after decades they will still be available for viewing and editing. At the same time, RAW files cannot be rendered directly and need a specific converter that supports a specific RAW format, a specific camera, and a specific lens. Photo equipment manufacturers have a bad habit of changing their own standards from time to time, and no one can guarantee that current RAW files will be readable in the future.

Benefits of RAW

• RAW files have bit depth from 12 to 14 bits (4096-16384 gradations), while JPEG files have only 8 bits (256 gradations). High bit depth makes very bold manipulations with the image possible without the risk of posterization and other artifacts. The difference between RAW and JPEG is especially noticeable when trying to lighten the dark areas of the frame.
• The photographic latitude of a RAW file is several stops greater than that of JPEG, which is important when shooting in contrasting lighting conditions.
• A RAW file does not formally have a color space, and all color manipulations are performed before the data is converted to the gamut-limited sRGB palette of the final file.
• White balance can be adjusted after shooting.
• Brightness, contrast, color saturation, noise reduction, sharpening and other image parameters are under the complete control of the photographer.
• Editing RAW files is non-destructive: the original data remains intact during processing and you can always return to it for a new conversion.
• Different RAW converters interpret the RAW file differently, which allows the photographer to choose the program according to their taste and image quality requirements.

What format to choose?

Many novice amateur photographers, having learned about the existence of RAW formats, come to the conclusion that they need to shoot only and exclusively in RAW, since this is supposedly a sign of professionalism. This is fundamentally not true. Professionals use both RAW and JPEG with equal success, depending on their needs. For example, landscape photographers tend to take relatively few photographs, but they value image quality and pay a lot of attention to the individual processing of each shot, and therefore work mainly with RAW. Photojournalists, on the other hand, shoot mostly in JPEG, because they know that their footage will still be published in a small size, but they need to promptly provide the editor with fresh footage as soon as possible in a form ready for publication.

Now let's try to figure out which format suits you personally.

You should shoot in JPEG if...

• You are new to photography. Indeed, if you're only going to shoot in RAW because you want to be able to fix exposure or white balance errors retroactively, wouldn't it be better to learn how to avoid those mistakes first?
• Image quality doesn't matter. This is true not only for reports, but also for most amateur protocol shots.
• You produce a huge amount of photos and don't want to spend time converting them.
• Your images do not need aggressive processing.
• You are completely satisfied with how the photos look when they exit the camera. RAW files are not associated with a good life, and if you manage to achieve the desired result using the camera, then there is no need to complicate things.

You should shoot in RAW if...

• You have time, desire, excess disk space and confidence in your own advantage over a soulless machine.
• You tend to subject your photos to deep creative processing. This is where the redundant information contained in a RAW file comes in handy.
• You want to make the most of your camera's sensor's dynamic range.
• You just don't like how the photos look when they come out of the camera, and you are convinced that they will look better when they come out of the RAW converter.

RAW+JPEG

Some photographers prefer to shoot in RAW+JPEG mode, which allows each shot to be recorded in two formats at once. There is a rational grain in this. You immediately receive finished photos in JPEG format and, if they are in order, continue to work with them, and in cases where in-camera processing has not done its job, you turn to RAW files and convert them manually.

If you're the type who personally edits most of your photos, then an extra JPEG becomes redundant. Shoot in RAW, and if you need an in-camera JPEG for some shots, it's easy to generate it from a RAW file. The imaging software that comes with the camera (such as Nikon View NX or Canon Digital Photo Professional) usually allows you to convert the image "as is", successfully simulating in-camera processing.

TIFF

I don't see the point in shooting in TIFF format, even if this option is present in your camera. TIFF contains already interpolated and processed data and therefore cannot serve as an alternative to RAW if you plan to seriously edit your images. Also, TIFF has no practical advantage over JPEG, although it takes up much more space. At the same time, the TIFF format is quite appropriate for intermediate processing of already converted photos, as well as for their subsequent storage.

When shooting in JPEG, your work on the photo should be considered largely complete as soon as the shutter is released. In this regard, all decisions that affect the final look of the picture must be made in advance, and the camera settings must fully comply with the shooting conditions.

exposition

The exposure must be perfect. You will be able to slightly lighten the shadows, but the overexposed areas will be lost forever. When determining exposure, you should focus on scene-relevant objects, even if this automatically leads to overexposure or underexposure of minor elements of the frame.

white balance

The white balance needs to be determined as carefully as possible, as color grading a JPEG file is fraught with headaches. Learn how to fine-tune white balance, and in the most critical situations, set white balance manually.

Picture style

A Picture Style determines the overall appearance of a photo and affects parameters such as contrast, brightness, color saturation, color balance, and sharpness. Despite the fact that all these properties can be adjusted in Photoshop, it is still desirable to immediately guess with the style at the time of shooting. When in doubt, opt for more neutral styles with lower contrast, saturation, and sharpness values, since these settings are easy enough to increase later, but very difficult to decrease without damaging the image.

Quality

I advise you to shoot in high quality, i.e. with the lowest compression ratio. You can always resave images with lower quality, but getting rid of overcompression artifacts will not work. Choose the resolution based on practical needs.

color space

If sRGB is not set by default, then you must manually select sRGB. This is the most universal color space and by choosing it, you insure against incorrect display of colors in various programs.

Noise suppression

It is advisable to choose the minimum necessary level of noise reduction so that the photos do not take on an unnecessarily glossy look. Even better, the camera can automatically adjust the noise reduction level according to the ISO sensitivity value.

Editing

As has been said many times, JPEG is not designed for deep processing, but minimalist editing can be quite acceptable. Allowed: slight increase in contrast and color saturation, selective sharpening, subtle dodge and darken. Retouching debris and pimples is also not a crime.

You should shoot in RAW with an eye to the subsequent processing of the frame. When choosing shooting parameters, you should not only take into account the current conditions, but also plan in advance the further stages of realizing your creative idea. The more clearly you imagine the strategy for converting a future photo, the more manageable the entire photo process will be.

exposition

Exposure by highlights, guided by the principle of ETTR (Exposure To The Right). If the scene has a high contrast, then the picture may turn out quite dark. It doesn't matter - you can easily brighten it in the RAW converter, while maintaining the details in the highlights. It should be remembered that at the time of shooting, you are not trying to get the final result, but rather a blank for a future photo.

If you're using a histogram to determine exposure, remember that it's calculated from a JPEG thumbnail, which means it's affected by white balance and Picture Styles, and in some cases can lie about the actual exposure. Over time, you will learn to recognize these situations and make adjustments accordingly.

white balance

The white balance settings at the time of shooting do not affect the RAW data in any way, but they affect the histogram, and therefore it makes sense to adjust the white balance at least approximately by choosing one of the ready-made modes. You will fine-tune later.

Picture style

The choice of image style, again, does not oblige you to anything, but I personally like it when a photo looks more or less presentable on the camera screen. If you don't have time for that kind of aesthetic, then just go for Neutral or Faithfull.

Quality

color space

The color space set in the camera (sRGB or Adobe RGB) has absolutely no meaning and in no way limits the really important choice of color space at the output of the RAW converter. However, I prefer to have the camera set to sRGB, just in case I want to shoot in JPEG.

Noise suppression

Noise reduction settings can be safely ignored with the exception of subtractive dark noise reduction at slow shutter speeds. The latter affects both JPEG and RAW.

Editing

My personal procedure for converting RAW files is described in sufficient detail in the article "How to use Adobe Camera Raw". The popular catalog editor Adobe Lightroom uses the Camera Raw engine, and therefore conversion to Lightroom can be carried out using a similar protocol. good converters are also DxO Optics Pro and Phase One Capture One PRO. The programs offered by manufacturers of photographic equipment are not very convenient, and their only purpose, in my opinion, is fast conversion RAW to JPEG using camera settings.

Thanks for attention!

Vasily A.

post scriptum

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All professional and many amateur cameras allow you to save pictures in RAW format. RAW is the general name of the format, photo file extensions may vary depending on the manufacturer. It can be *.NEF, *.CR2, *.ARW and others.

The name RAW was formed from the English word raw, which means raw, that is, unprocessed. These files contain the maximum amount of raw image information. This allows you to get the maximum quality of the final image in the process of editing a picture on a computer and manipulate the photo as you like.

RAW is formed from receiving data from . A matrix is ​​a device that perceives the light flux projected onto it.. The semiconductor photo sensors that make up the matrix are approximately equally sensitive to all colors. Therefore, in order to obtain a color image, each photosensor is covered with a color filter of red, green or blue. This forms the RGB (Red, Green, Blue) color model.

Due to the light filter, each photocell perceives only 1/3 of the color spectrum. Data on the rest of the spectrum is taken from neighboring photosensors. All this information is processed and assembled by the processor. The formation of the final color of one pixel occurs due to the receipt of data from at least nine photocells of the matrix.

The Bayer filter involves the placement of photo filters in a strictly defined order.

It is worth noting that there are twice as many green photocells as other colors. This allows you to achieve an image that is maximally adapted to human vision.

To reduce the number of artifacts, various variations of Bayer filters were developed. They contained changes in the homogeneity of the arrangement of photo filters. Thus, devices were obtained that built an image based not on 4 elements, but on 12 and 24 elements. This approach has not received wide distribution, since a very large computing power was needed to work with such systems.

To illustrate the principle of the Bayer filter, let's take a picture:

Photograph through a Bayer filter (400%)

End photo (400%)

End photo (400%)

The result is a photograph, each pixel of which contains only one color. Separately, each color does not give a clear idea of ​​​​the image, but by combining the three components, you can get a picture. After receiving such a result, the processor must add the missing colors to each pixel based on the color of neighboring pixels. This is done by interpolation.

Blurring of the image is associated with the peculiarity of the Bayer filter. To fix this, the camera's processor forcibly sharpens the image. Sometimes the contrast and saturation of colors are also corrected, noise is removed. Improving the clarity of the image allows you to achieve and increase the number of pixels of the sensor. Due to the fact that the computing power of the camera is limited, all processing can be done on a computer. Most professional cameras do not include the ability to process images at all. They only take raw RAW photos or have the ability to turn off camera processing.

Modern SLR and some compact cameras have the ability to record images in raw RAW format. Such files contain data about the brightness signal in each diode and data about the color of each pixel. This allows you to get a file on your computer that can be processed in a RAW converter and control a large number of image parameters.

When saving an image in Jpeg format, the camera processes the raw image and compresses it to a value acceptable for output on modern monitors and for printing on a printer. There is very little data in the Jpeg file. Therefore, if the wrong exposure or white balance was set during the shooting, Jpeg will be very difficult to recover. This will certainly affect the quality of the image. In some cases, the snapshot cannot be restored. When shooting in RAW, the image contains a very large amount of data, so they can be freely manipulated. This allows you to extract details from bright or dark areas of the photo, improve the detail and colors of the picture without losing quality. RAW files are usually 12 or 14 bits/channel, Jpegs are only 8.

The detail of processed RAW files is always better than jpeg. This is due to the fact that the image processing in the camera is carried out according to a rough and not always optimal algorithm. The lack of computing power and the need to work quickly are to blame for everything, because it is very important for the camera to have a high speed of recording images. RAW allows you to set basic shooting parameters, such as exposure compensation, white balance, Picture Style, saturation, contrast, and sharpness, not before shooting, but after.

Processing of raw RAW files is carried out by special converters. This software, which allows you to make final JPG files from raw data.

There are a lot of converters. Each camera manufacturer supplies its own converter with the camera: Konica Minolta Dimage Viewer, Canon Digital Photo Professional, Olympus Master, Nikon Capture NX, Pentax Photo Laboratory, Sony Image Data Converter SR. There are also third party converters. They are universal and suitable for any RAW files: Adobe Photoshop Lightroom, Adobe Camera Raw, Apple Aperture (Mac OS X only), Capture One.

If you shoot with a digital camera (come on… since you are reading this blog, then you know how to use the Internet and other benefits of civilization, then you are a normal modern man, then ... why is this “if” - you definitely shoot with a digital camera) ... So, since you shoot with a digital camera, you definitely had a question - to shoot in RAW or in JPG. And this is the question we will answer in our short article.

First of all, RAW and JPG are different formats created for different tasks. And each of them has its pros and cons. The most important thing is to understand whether you really need the possibilities that RAW gives, or is the simplicity and compatibility of JPG more important to you?

To do this, we compare all the strengths and weaknesses of each format. So.

.JPG

The main task of the JPG format is to convey the highest quality image with minimal memory consumption. From this come all its shortcomings, however, and advantages too:

Outcome

JPG is the ideal format for those who value simplicity and ease of use. You can take pictures and immediately send them to a photo lab or home printer for printing. After copying them to your computer, you can immediately send them to friends over the Internet. They take up little space on a flash card and you will always have enough JPG to print a photo in 10x15 or 15x20 format in good quality.

If you need to shoot a large amount of photos (500, 1000, 1500 frames) and you do not have time to process all these photos in a RAW converter, choose JPG, because that's what it was created for.

.RAW

The RAW format is "raw", i.e. it requires subsequent conversion to JPG or TIFF. The fact is that when shooting in RAW, all information from the camera's matrix is ​​\u200b\u200bpreserved in a file with a photo. It is thanks to this "dampness" that we have extensive processing options, but also all the inconveniences associated with converting files.

Outcome

RAW format is used by all professional photographers and photo artists. For them, the processing capabilities and image quality that RAW gives is a must. If you're serious about photography, you're interested in working with color, or you want to print photos in large formats, try shooting in RAW.

P donkey FROM lovie.
In any dispute, a compromise can be found. And the format dispute is no exception, because you can always turn on the function of simultaneously shooting both RAW and JPG on your camera. This will certainly require more space on the memory card, but you can use the strengths of both formats.

Raw (English raw - raw, unprocessed) is a digital photography format containing raw data received from a photomatrix. These files contain full information about a stored signal that does not have a clear specification (standard).

The RAW format in digital photography corresponds to the negative in film: it contains raw pixel information directly from the digital camera sensor.

Digital camera raw files usually contain:
- discrete values ​​of the voltage of the matrix elements (before interpolation for matrices using arrays of color filters)
— metadata - camera identification;
— metadata - technical description of shooting conditions;
— metadata — default processing parameters;
- "preview", usually JPEG of medium quality.

The RAW file didn't even go through dematrization.

Dematrization is a complex process, which is why most digital cameras use quality-affecting simplifications to convert a RAW file to TIFF or JPEG. A personal computer with a more powerful processor allows the use of more advanced algorithms. The same applies to image sharpening, which requires large computational resources. A RAW file simply contains the red, green, or blue values ​​for each pixel. Typically, digital cameras process this file, convert it to a full-color JPEG or TIFF file, and write the result to a memory card.

When processing a RAW file, digital cameras must make several fundamental decisions, and therefore the original RAW gives the author more control over how the final JPEG or TIFF will look. The author himself chooses the necessary parameters in the process of converting the RAW format to JPEG on a computer.

The RAW file is converted to the final image in JPEG or TIFF format in several stages, each of which can make an irreversible image correction. One of the key advantages of the RAW format is that it allows the photographer to make adjustments on their own, as each image requires.

Types of RAW formats

Each manufacturer of photographic equipment at one time developed its own RAW format for its own camera matrices:

• .nef, .nrw - Nikon;
• .crw, .cr2 - Canon;
• .arw, .srf, .sr2 - Sony;
• .orf - Olympus;
• .raw, .rw2 - Panasonic;
• .raf - Fujifilm;
• .ptx, .pef - Pentax;
• .raw, .rwl, .dng - Leica;
• .srw - Samsung;
• .dcr, .kdc - Kodak;
• .mrw - Minolta;
• .3fr - Hasselblad;
• .x3f - Sigma;
• .dng - Adobe;
• .bay - Casio;
• .erf - Epson;
• .r3d - Red One.

Benefits of converting RAW to JPEG on a personal computer

Dematrization

Dematrization is a very resource-intensive step, and therefore the best dematrization algorithms require more processing power than modern digital cameras have. The use of dematrization on a personal computer allows better algorithms to be used, since its processor is usually much more powerful than that of a typical digital camera. Better algorithms can squeeze a little more out of your camera's sensor, resulting in more resolution, less noise, more hue accuracy, and less moiré.

Flexible white balance

White balance is the process of eliminating unnatural color ratios so that objects that are white will appear as white in your image. The color ratio in a JPEG image can often be changed by post-processing, but at the cost of color depth and color gamut. This is due to the fact that the white balance is essentially applied twice: first when converting RAW and then again in post-processing. RAW files give you the ability to apply white balance to your photo after you take it - without unnecessary bit loss.

High bit depth

In reality, digital cameras record each color channel with much greater fidelity than the 8 bits (256 levels) per channel used in JPEG images (see "What is bit depth"). Majority modern cameras record each channel with 12-bit precision (2 12 = 4096 levels), providing several times more color gradation than can be achieved using JPEG from the camera. Larger bit depths reduce the exposure of an image to posterization and increase flexibility in color space selection as well as in post-processing.

Dynamic Range and Exposure Compensation

The RAW format usually provides much more "dynamic range" than JPEG, depending on how the camera renders its JPEG. Dynamic Range defined as the interval of chiaroscuro that the camera can distinguish between absolute black and absolute white. Since the original color data was not logarithmic using curves, the exposure in the RAW file may be subject to exposure compensation afterwards. Exposure compensation allows you to correct for metering error, or it can help bring out details lost in the light or shadows.

Enhanced Clarity

Since the RAW file was not processed, the camera did not apply sharpening to it. Just like with dematrization, better sharpening algorithms are more resource intensive. Thus, sharpening performed on a personal computer can cause fewer halo defects with a similar amount of correction.

Because sharpness depends on the intended viewing distance of your image, the RAW format also gives you more control over what type and amount of sharpening is applied (at your discretion). Sharpening is usually the final post-processing step as it cannot be undone, so having a JPEG already adjusted is not optimal.

Lossless compression

The RAW format uses lossless compression and therefore does not suffer from the compression artifacts seen with lossy JPEG compression. RAW files contain more information and are more compressible than TIFF files, and moreover, without JPEG compression defects.

Disadvantages of the RAW format

• RAW files are much larger than the equivalent JPEG files and therefore fill up the memory card faster.
• RAW files take longer to process as they may require manual work at every step of the conversion.
• RAW files often take longer to write to the memory card, resulting in fewer frames per second than when using the JPEG format.
• RAW files cannot be immediately presented to viewers and customers, since they require special programs to download them, and therefore they must first be converted to JPEG.
• RAW files require a more powerful computer with more random access memory(RAM).

Other considerations

One of the problems with the RAW format is that it's not standardized. Each camera has its own RAW format, and it may be that one program is unable to read all formats. Luckily, Adobe has announced the Digital Negative Specification (DNG) to standardize the RAW format. In addition, any camera capable of saving RAW files must come with its own program to read them.

Good RAW conversion programs can do batch processing and often automate all conversion steps except for the ones you want to change. This can reduce or even eliminate the ease of use advantage of JPEG files.

Many newer cameras are capable of recording both RAW and JPEG at the same time. This allows you to immediately get the final image, but also keep the “negative” in RAW in case you want more flexibility later.

Results

So which is better, RAW or JPEG? There is no single answer, because it depends on the type of shooting. In most cases, RAW files are the best solution due to its technical advantages and the falling cost of large memory cards. RAW files give the photographer a lot more control, but at the cost of processing speed, space, and ease of use. Sometimes for sports and journalism, the hassle of RAW processing is not worth it, moreover, landscape and fine art photographers often choose RAW to squeeze the maximum potential quality out of their digital camera.

RAW or Jpeg - what's the difference and in which format is it better to shoot?

How to ensure high-quality color reproduction - this question worries, probably, any photographer. There are two ways to adjust color reproduction:

• Shoot in JPEG format and use camera settings - white balance, saturation, brightness, image contrast
• Shoot in RAW format (if the device allows this) and adjust the color reproduction when processing photos on a PC

Both of these methods have their pros and cons, I will try to briefly talk about them. But before we get started, let's first define what is the difference between JPEG and RAW formats.

JPEG format

The format got its name from the abbreviation Joint Photographic Experts Group - the organization that created this format. JPEG is by far the most popular photo storage format, therefore, without exception, all cameras can save images in this format, and all image and video playback devices ( personal computers all varieties, media, DVD, BlueRay players, digital photo frames and other devices) can read this format and reproduce the image on the screen. Compatibility with a large number of playback devices is the main advantage of the JPEG format. In addition, JPEG files are moderate in size compared to other graphic formats - BMP, TIFF.

However, JPEG also has its drawbacks. When encoding a picture in JPEG format, data is compressed, as a result of which part of the data is lost. With a high degree of compression, the quality of the image suffers seriously, so-called artifacts are visible on it, that is, distortions caused by the loss of too much information during compression.

The picture, I think, does not need comments.

Of course, the camera has several levels of image quality, for example, standard (standard, normal), good (good), best (fine, superfine). In standard quality, photos are of moderate size (a lot of photos fit on a USB flash drive), but in some cases artifacts may be noticeable in the photos. The most susceptible to quality degradation are photos that are full of small details - in this case, compression can significantly degrade the detail of the image.

Photos taken in the best quality have a larger size in megabytes, fewer pictures are placed on a flash drive, but the detail on them is noticeably better. When asked what quality is better to shoot in JPEG format, I definitely recommend using the best quality. Flash drives and hard drives not so expensive as to save on photo quality. Photos taken with "standard" quality may look good on a computer screen, but even with minor processing, you can be disappointed.

If we are talking about detailing when shooting in JPEG, we cannot fail to mention the photo resolution setting. If the device has a resolution of, for example, 12 megapixels, then its maximum image resolution is approximately 4000 * 3000 pixels (this is enough for printing 30 * 45 cm). However, in the image quality settings, the resolution of photos can be changed. Usually, installations are marked with letters:

• S (English small - small)- the smallest resolution, which is barely enough to print 10 * 15 cm. As a rule, it corresponds to 2-3 megapixels.
• M (English medium - medium)- medium resolution. Photo resolution can vary from 5 to 10 megapixels, which corresponds to a print format of 20*30 cm.
• L (eng. large - large)- maximum resolution corresponding to the resolution of the matrix in megapixels. Modern devices have up to 36 megapixels, the print format is up to 90 * 60 cm.

The ability to print photos on huge canvases is a dubious advantage for the average amateur photographer. However, by saving photos in the highest possible resolution, we get additional opportunities to crop the image without visible loss in print quality. This is the decisive factor in favor of the L mode, in which photos are saved to a USB flash drive with maximum resolution.

So, in order to get the maximum resolution in combination with the best detail, in the photo quality settings, select the mode - maximum resolution (L) with minimum compression (best, superfine).

Sometimes pictograms are used instead of a verbal description of the compression ratio. Here is an example of a quality selection menu for a Canon DSLR. For now, look only at the left column:

We see that before the letters L, M, S there are pictograms with a smooth left edge and a stepped one. A pictogram with a smooth edge corresponds to less compression, with a stepped one - more. In the right column - different options for shooting in RAW format, which will be discussed below.

Setting the quality and compression ratio is only half the battle... Now you need to make a number of adjustments to ensure the best color reproduction. Color reproduction is configured in two stages:

1. Setting the white balance
2. Adjust image parameters - contrast, saturation, sharpness.

white balance

You probably noticed that different light sources have different color shades. A candle gives off yellow light, a setting sun gives off reddish light, and a fluorescent lamp gives off bluish light. Our eyes and brain are arranged in such a way that under almost any conditions a sheet of white paper will be perceived as white - even if it is lit on one side by a candle, on the other - by a fluorescent lamp. The brain "forces" itself to tell itself that the eyes see a white object, because it knows that the paper is white.

With the matrix of the camera, unfortunately, such a number will not work. The camera does not know what color the objects we are used to have, therefore, in unusual lighting conditions, significant color distortion can occur. The most typical example - when shooting without a flash in a room lit by incandescent lamps, photographs often go yellow.

To avoid such color distortion, it is in our power to "help" the camera decide which of the objects should be "considered" white. This is done using the white balance setting function.

The easiest way to set the white balance is to choose one of the preset programs. As a rule, the camera has several presets. They are usually the following:

• Sunny
• Mainly cloudy
• Sunset Dawn
• incandescent lamp
• Fluorescent Lamp
• Flash
• Custom white balance

In the auto white balance mode, the camera itself tries to determine the type of light source and adjust the color accordingly. Most often, he succeeds, but you should not rely 100% on this function. She especially likes to make mistakes in mixed lighting, for example, an incandescent lamp is on in the room (yellowish tint), and daylight (bluish tint) comes from the window. In this case, no one will insure against the appearance of yellow or, conversely, blue faces in the photograph.

This photo shows the automatic white balance error in mixed lighting. To avoid such errors, in some cases it is required to resort to a forced white balance setting in accordance with the prevailing type of lighting. In this case, setting the white balance to "incandescent" would help. The landscape outside the window would have turned a little blue, but the yellowness in the foreground would have disappeared, making the color rendition closer to reality. There is, of course, a way out - each time to set the white balance in accordance with the source of the main light. We entered a room lit by incandescent lamps - set the white balance "incandescent lamp". Went outside - set, depending on the weather, "sunny" or "cloudy".

In cases with mixed lighting, when there is light from a window on one side and light from a lamp on the other, a flash often helps. If it has sufficient power, it is able to "crush" other light sources and illuminate the scene being shot with uniform light. In this case, the white balance must be set to either "flash" or "auto" (when the flash is on, the device will automatically determine it as the main type of light source). The best result is achieved when using an external flash, but for amateur "household" photography, in most cases, the built-in flash is sufficient.

Manual (custom) white balance

The preset white balance modes, although they cover most commonly used light sources, there are situations when none of the proposed modes is suitable. Take, for example, an incandescent lamp. Powerful lamps (75-100 W) give light closer to white, while weak lamps (25-40 W) have a yellowish light. A special case is energy-saving lamps, especially cheap ones, whose spectrum is such that even the human eye is sometimes unable to adequately assess the color picture.

Some devices have the ability to fine-tune the white balance relative to the preset one, however, in order to optimally adjust the color rendition for these lighting conditions, you need to take several shots with different settings and choose the setting with which the color rendition is as close to reality as possible. This takes a long time and is not always effective, because you have to focus on the picture displayed on the LCD screen, the color reproduction of which is not always ideal.

It is much easier to use the "manual white balance" function. To do this, you need to take a picture of some white object (or just a sheet of white paper), and then tell the camera this picture as a sample, according to which the white balance should be set. I see no reason to describe in detail how this is done - different devices have their own sequence of actions, so I recommend using the instructions, everything is described there step by step specifically for your device.

Most cameras can save one or more custom white balance settings. If you regularly need to photograph in specific lighting, it makes sense to save the white balance setting so that you do not have to suffer with photographing a white sheet later.

To illustrate the possibilities of manual white balance, I propose to compare the color reproduction in two photographs:

Automatic BB

Manual BB (the white jacket of the left character was used as a sample of white color)

The result is noticeable - in the first case, the photo went yellow, in the second, the color rendition is close to reality.

Setting the picture style

The "picture style" function is, probably, in all cameras. With its help, you can adjust the brightness, contrast, color saturation, picture clarity, as well as "force" the device to shoot in b/w, sepia mode.

As a rule, the device already has a set of preset picture styles - landscape, portrait, natural tones, accurate reproduction of tones, and so on, as well as several "empty" cells for user settings. Here is an example of the menu item "picture style selection on a Canon EOS 5D camera:

All presets are a combination of parameters:

• sharpness
• contrast
• saturation
• tone color

It is somewhat reminiscent of the TV picture adjustment function :) With contrast, saturation and tone color, I think everything is clear. Sharpness refers to the software "enhancement" of the contours of objects, due to which the picture will appear sharper. The key word is "appear". In fact, software sharpening does not increase the detail of the image. If the object in the photo is slightly initially blurred (out of focus, or the lens could not convey all its nuances), no software algorithm will be able to "invent" the missing details. In the hope of improving the quality of the photo, you should not unscrew the "regulator" of sharpness to the fullest.

As you can see, setting up your camera to shoot in JPEG format for the best results is not as easy as it might seem at first glance. This is precisely the main disadvantage of JPEG over another format - RAW - which will be discussed later ...

RAW format

What is the RAW format for and why is it better than the JPEG format?

The format got its name from the English word "raw", which means "raw, unprocessed". In principle, this is quite consistent with the essence of the matter. When using the RAW format, the signal taken from the matrix is ​​written as a file to a USB flash drive (the file extension may differ for different cameras). At the same time, the camera does not do any processing, allowing the user to process information on a PC using a special program - a RAW converter. This gives a huge advantage - the photographer does not have to worry about white balance, brightness, contrast, saturation of the image - all this can be adjusted later on a good monitor. "Raw" data carries a large amount of redundant information, which, if necessary, will allow you to adjust all these image parameters as accurately and correctly as possible.

In the JPEG format, all "redundant" data is eliminated to provide the smallest file size, which seriously limits the processing possibilities. If the brightness and contrast can still be adjusted, then the wrong white balance is much more difficult to correct, especially if the error is large. In this case, you have to sacrifice the naturalness of the colors. Here is an example when a photo that went yellow was pulled out of JPEG and from RAW.

original version

Corrected version (JPEG)

Corrected version (RAW)

As can be seen from the examples above, when trying to correct the white balance in JPG, the picture acquired a somewhat unnatural hue, as if the photo was taken on a cheap negative film that was scanned on a consumer scanner. I note that in this case, I did not make much effort to bring the colors closer to real ones, but this required several operations in Adobe Photoshop. You can read more about editing white balance in JPEG in this article /article45.html. The point of the article is that fixing a minor white balance error in JPEG is possible, but it's not a trivial task. With a serious white balance error, it is unfortunately impossible to restore color reproduction without a visible loss of quality when working with the JPEG format.

Key features of RAW

Instead of describing the possibilities of RAW here, I will show an example of how one initially unsuccessful photo was saved. During a summer trip to St. Petersburg, my wife and I visited the Hermitage, of course, taking a camera with us. As in all museums, flash photography is prohibited in the Hermitage. Anticipating this situation, I took a Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 fast lens. But the main trouble lay in the fact that in different halls there was different lighting - in some the daylight from the windows, in others - artificial lighting. If I were shooting in JPEG format, I would be tormented by setting the white balance. Looking ahead, I’ll say that the shooting was carried out in RAW and it was possible to simulate the situation, what would be the result with certain BB settings in JPEG. So let's start from the beginning:

Auto white balance:

A terrible mixture of yellowness with redness! Such photographs are often obtained when the room is lit by a large number of incandescent lamps of relatively low power, in which case the photograph is painted in a yellow tint. Well, let's try to set the white balance "Incandescent" ... Here's what happened:

A bit better. There was less yellowness, but an incomprehensible green appeared. The result is also unsatisfactory.

The option of manually setting the white balance is very time consuming, since you will have to carry out this procedure in almost every new hall. Fortunately, there is a RAW file that allows you to set the correct white balance on your computer with 1 mouse click.

RAW was processed using the Digital Photo Professional software that came with the Canon camera EOS 5D (on software disc). As for other devices, I am more than sure that something similar is given to them.

The program has a very simple interface, so it will not be difficult to understand it. In fact, it duplicates the camera settings regarding color reproduction, and also has a number of other functions.

To set the white balance, take the pipette (shown by the red arrow) and poke it into the place of the photo, which should look white or light gray. In this case, it was my jacket. What are the colors in the photo, you can see in the picture. The result obtained cannot be compared with what is obtained only with the standard camera settings.

The Digital Photo Professional program allows you to "backdate" the color settings of the picture, which are available through the camera's menu. Thus, you get the opportunity during shooting not to waste time setting the white balance, choosing a picture style. This is especially true for reportage shooting, where every second counts. The program allows you to do some things that are simply not available through the menu, such as adjusting noise reduction, adjusting sharpness, correcting chromatic aberrations and distortion (distortion of straight lines at the edges of the frame). The only condition under which all this works is that the photo was taken in RAW format. With JPEG, most features are not available.

I must say that the Digital Photo Professional program has relatively little functionality compared to the popular Adobe Photoshop Lightroom program, but you should take into account the fact that a licensed Adobe Photoshop Lightroom costs about $ 200, and updates to new versions of this program are paid (about $ 100). ). Digital Photo Professional comes to us completely free of charge and is just as free to upgrade to newer versions. However, there is a caveat - the program itself cannot be downloaded, it must be installed from a disk. From the Canon website, you can only download the update to the latest version.

I see no reason to write a Digital Photo Professional guide here for two reasons - firstly, it will be of interest only to owners of Canon devices, and secondly, such a guide already exists - http://www.ixbt.com/digimage/canon_dppix.shtml

Even if the JPEG version is set to the correct white balance, the RAW version of the photo will most likely be of better quality. The reason is simple. The performance of the computer processor is much greater than the performance of the camera and it is "too tough" for more complex image processing algorithms - improving detail, filtering noise, and other processing. Even if the processing takes some time, it is not scary for the computer - the user can wait. When photographing, every second is worth its weight in gold. As a result, the algorithms used by the camera to process the image taken from the matrix are clamped in a tight time frame so as not to reduce the speed characteristics of the camera. For example, those actions that a computer can do in 10 seconds, the device must perform in no more than 1 second. This inevitably affects the quality of processing, especially when the device does not have the most modern and fast processor. That is why the result of shooting in JPEG is almost always worse than a properly processed RAW.

There is one more technical aspect to mention. When shooting in JPEG, pixel color information is encoded in 24 bits, when shooting in RAW, from 30 to 42 bits. It's not hard to imagine how many more colors can be encoded in 42 bits instead of 24.

The main disadvantages of the RAW format?

RAW is not available on all cameras. Owners of DSLRs and "top" cameras can be calm, but those who have relatively inexpensive compact devices may be disappointed - they most likely do not support the RAW format.

RAW files cannot be opened on any device other than a PC with special software installed. media players, digital photo frames, tablet computers photos in RAW format will not be shown. To do this, they need to be converted to JPEG format (on a PC, using RAW processing software).

The RAW processing program that comes with the camera on a disk has a rather meager set of features. More functional software is most often paid.

The file size is about 2 times larger than JPEG in the best quality. If you are going on a long trip in which you intend to take pictures in RAW, stock up on a larger flash drive.

What is the RAW+JPEG format?

In most devices, it is possible to select such a mode when photos are recorded on a flash drive in the form of 2 files - one RAW, the other JPEG. This is useful in cases where the main shooting is in JPEG format, but you need to play it safe so that in which case you can "pull" the wrong shot from RAW.

If the results in JPEG format satisfy the photographer (or customer), RAW files can be safely deleted. As you can see in the picture, for the JPEG option, you can choose different resolutions and quality. Keep in mind that when shooting in RAW + JPEG, the flash drive will run out faster than just in RAW.

What format to shoot?

If you're interested in getting the most out of your camera in terms of the best possible photo quality, I highly recommend shooting in RAW. All subsequent chapters of the tutorial will assume that the shooting is done in this format.

Questions for self-control

If your camera can shoot in RAW:

1. Install a RAW processing program on your computer (if not already installed). If you do not know where to get it - look on the disk that came with the camera.

2. Take some RAW+JPEG photos. If shooting indoors, try to do without a flash.

3. Download the shooting result to PC and process the RAW files in installed program. Set the correct white balance (according to the white area of ​​the image), brightness, contrast, noise reduction level. Compare your results with the JPEG images.

If your camera does not support RAW

1. Check which image quality you have selected. Set the maximum resolution with minimum compression.

2. Experiment with image styles - change brightness, contrast, saturation, hue. Save your favorite settings as a user mode. How to do this - read the instructions for the camera.

3. Learn to set the white balance on a sheet of white paper.