RAW- explain to me ?

I read some info on this forums about RAW so i switched from jpeg to raw to test it out on my 400D xti with 2gb Utlra II.

I dont see any different...am i missing something?? is it suppse be better pix than jpeg?

I m just guess that RAW allow me to do whatever i want with some edit photoshop more than jpeg, right?

I tried it with canon digital photo prof, coreal ablum 6 etc and it doesnt do anything.

What RAW is suppose be?? My manual book didnt really say that much about it...so i m lost...

I ll try again to search in here..

Thanks!
Jake

A short answer is that JPEG images are compressed and do not contain all of the information that the camera held when it took the image. RAW contain all of the info the sensor collected. In addition using Adobe Camera RAW or Canon Photo Professional you can make numerous changes to the RAW file and have the ability to undo changes w/out losing any data. Editing a jpeg and saving throws data away every time you save.

Also there are numerous forums and online resources discussing RAW and it's benefits. This is one http://www.cambridgein​colour.com/tutorials/R​AW-file-format.htm

If you are at all concerned about having the most detail possible to work with and especially if you plan on making printed images I would use RAW all the time.

Thank you guys...

I search some and found some interested info..

Thank you!
Jake

Quick answer: RAW files need processing to get full potential... they take some work.

But a good place to start may be the FAQ's at the begining of the section...

These may explain RAW better than a new thread might.

Feel free to come back and ask more questions to help clarify subjects if needed.

so many program for photoshop....i dont have that much money for fancy photoshop..

I guess Corel photo Album 6 is not correct for RAW, but Canon offered CD included Digital photo Prof. i only see 2 "click" for RAW only thats it...

I ll do search again for programs...thanks!

Sorry for being PITA!

thanks
Jake -rookie

You can use Canon's DPP to do RAW conversion (RAW->Jpeg or Tiff) and also do some enhancements such as adjust exposure, white balance, sharpness, curves, and even some noise reduction. You can also do batch processing, batch rename. It's really a pretty nice application.

JPEG is a lossy format.

You can perfectly good jpegs out of the camera, however just as you already guessed, RAW offers you more flexibility when it comes to the aforementioned adjustments, not to mention what you can do in Photoshop.

BTW, I shoot in RAW and I almost always sharpen, and often times will adjust WB, exposure, etc...it's just part of the workflow and once you get used to it, it becomes routine.

JakeF150FX4 wrote in post #3168601
so many program for photoshop....i dont have that much money for fancy photoshop..

I guess Corel photo Album 6 is not correct for RAW, but Canon offered CD included Digital photo Prof. i only see 2 "click" for RAW only thats it...

I ll do search again for programs...thanks!

Sorry for being PITA!

thanks
Jake -rookie

Take a RAW + max jpeg shot. Convert the RAW file to jpeg & look at the two file sizes.
A max jpg from my 20D is 2,754 KB. The exact same shot with the jpg extracted from RAW is 4,315 KB which is 1.57X larger.
Why throw those extra bits away?

While this thread started out with the AWB subject, there's a great illustration on page 2 (Post #58.) that illustrate easily seen information loss in a web jpeg shot in the camera & one derived from a RAW file.
Auto White Balance - works really well

Agree... don't get discouraged if not ready for full blown photoshop.

DPP is actually a great RAW converter... the "click" you may be talking about is for White Balance... but you also have some good grayscale tools there (Experiment with different colored filters for great effects), and as mentioned... the edits are "non-destructive". YOU are doing what the camera usually does... when the camera does it, bits are lost, the file is compressed, and further edits can cause degredation... with RAW you are in control, and those same edits that may have not been possible in jpeg, are often within reach with RAW... its a learning curve, but with practice its worth it.

(Don't forget that you can shoot RAW+Jpeg as a "safety-net" while learning.)

Read this:
http://www.ronbigelow.​com/articles/raw/raw.h​tm