Jpeg Shooters only!

Compromise, put the camera on raw+jpeg for a day and take a bunch of shots, have a go at pp'ing a jpeg and another at pp'ing the same raw image. If you find a borderline keeper of a jpeg, you will probably be able to use the raw to make it a definite keeper. I'm with you on the "get it right in the camera" but sometimes you just have to recover a shot because it means something to someone.

The raw should give you more room to play with, but if you don't know what to do with that room its no good to you. (Ever see someone not able to park in an empty spot with no cars to either side of them)

DPP is free with your camera and more than good enough to get benefits and only really adds 30 seconds to your processing time. Changing the colour profile, white balance and brightness of a raw are as simple as using a jpeg in picassa. If you are pp'ing the jpegs their is nothing new here, just better results, if you want them.

After that go out to a jpeg or tiff, open in your favourite editor and do whatever you normally do with a jpeg.

After a day trying you will know yourself if you are a jpeg or raw guy. Of course if you shoot in the auto modes most of the time raw is not an option which is fine as you end up with a high quality P&S camera which is all a lot of people really want.

I red an interview with a motorsport photographer recently and he shots raw+jpeg because he gets it right in the camera but realises even as years of a pro their is always one shot in a days work that you will need to rescue, and with the cheap price of 16gig flash cards we have nothing to loose by giving ourselves the option.

Look, everyone knows you CAN get excellent images from Jpeg, and that you CAN process them to a certain degree to improve things even more.

However, everyone also knows that you can get BETTER images from processing Raw.

Those are the facts. Why is there so much frustration with all this. If Jpeg is "good enough" then it is good enough. If you want the very best image quality you can get from your camera, Raw is the solution.

To the OP, that is all there is to it. If you don't want to shoot Raw, shoot Jpeg. But don't delude yourself that you are getting the very best image quality your camera could produce if you use the advantages Raw presents. And it is a waste of time to go through the process of trying to get someone to present pictures that will "prove" you are making a good choice. It is simply a choice. Make it and move on with life (that is go take some pictures),

AndreaBFS wrote in post #6040820
Oh gosh. I'm sorry my take on it doesn't interest you. My opinion still stands. No reason at all to shoot JPG if you plan to post process. If you want to see post processed JPGs, you might as well be asking to see RAW files with basic processing. No difference at all, except that you have a different file extension.

I used to think the same thing but now I have a little different approach after shooting JPEG all last month for JPEG July.

I don't edit much, usually a little bit here, a little bit there. So why use RAW? I can tweak a JPEG just as easily now (thanks Lightroom). Before, when I had no clue what I was doing with a camera I had to rely on RAW to save me. But as I learned more and more about exposure and light my edits dwindled. So now I can edit a JPEG just as easy, but save on file space, computing time, and if I absolutely nail a shot I don't have to do anything.

A few JPEGs from lately.

HTTP response: NOT FOUND | MIME changed to 'image/gif'

HTTP response: NOT FOUND | MIME changed to 'image/gif'

HTTP response: NOT FOUND | MIME changed to 'image/gif'

poloman wrote in post #6043604
The point being made is that it is a lot easier to take a RAW file where you want it to go. It will also take less time. And give you a better product. We don't really care what you choose to shoot. We are honestly trying to help you. Either Andrea or myself could have written you a thorough description on converting RAW files in the time we have spent here. It is much faster to refer you to the wealth of information that is already out there. You could probably open ACR or DPP and do it yourself with very few problems. Keep your money.
Now...regarding shooting RAW....What software do you have?

Hey you too I'm not trying to be sarcastic at all....I'm taking you up on RAW and NEED some step-by-step instruction...And because of your persistence and being so adamant about it here I'm thinking I should at LEAST give it a try!...I'm willing but yet NOT the most capable guy that I have stated here time and again...I've read several tutorials and I'm still not getting it as they are quite too vague for me...And hence why I am seeking your step-by-step instruction....I am very sincere and wish at that at least you can help me if she doesn't care to...It seems like I could learn it best in this fashion than a thread where too much might be going on all at once and add to my confusion...

Okay I thank you very much for allowing me to keep my money as I've been unemployed for a few months...However my offer was most sincere...I need some personalized help and I was willing to give a very modest price for it ...

Okay I'm ready....thanks poloman...

I have CS2 and DPP and probably a limited version of ACR as I was told that came with my PSE 6...

Please PM me with instructions and I thank you for staying with me on all of this and seeing me through...Its very kind and generous of you sir!

I am very excited...thanks for your help!

Hey Mike...Those three shots you posted are RAZOR sharp...

GREAT WORK and thank you for taking the time to contribute them for me to review...I appreciate it...I'll go and check out the other Jpegs in your link...

I mainly shoot sports and it's jpeg 100% of the time. It might go back to the film days but I prefer to get everything correct in the camera. I want to be the best photographer I can be, not the best post processor.Can I post process a raw file? Sure, it's not that hard, but when I shoot 800+ shots at a game I'm not taking the time convert and work each one. I'll never make any money if I did that, especially if I have to transmit live from an event. A lot of people use RAW as a crutch instead of getting it right in the camera to begin with. I know your looking for lightly PP'd jpegs but these are straight from the camera with just a crop.

KarlosDaJackal wrote in post #6043737
I read an interview with a motorsport photographer recently and he shots raw+jpeg because he gets it right in the camera but realises even as years of a pro their is always one shot in a days work that you will need to rescue, and with the cheap price of 16gig flash cards we have nothing to loose by giving ourselves the option.

I agree--- I am a wedding shooter and trying to simply due to the amount of work I do I am trying to get away from RAW and go the jpeg route. I am now shooting RAW + jpeg --just to back myself up-- I do not want to loose one shot because I missed the lighting etc----

Sledhed wrote in post #6045203
...I want to be the best photographer I can be, not the best post processor... A lot of people use RAW as a crutch instead of getting it right in the camera to begin with...

As for the OP, choose what you want; it is not my concern to sway you either way. Actually, as you correctly pointed out, you need to nail the shot whether you use JPEG or RAW.

What I have grown weary of is the notion that people who shoot RAW are somehow getting "it wrong in the camera" because they have to post process, at least for sharpening in most cases. I have said this on previous threads, and I will say it again. Shooting JPEG involves post processing; it is just that the settings for digitally manipulating the image through software are made before taking the exposure instead of after. To me, playing around with the parameters in the camera is no different than playing around with a slider in Photoshop, except that the former provides expediency while the latter offers greater flexibility.

With JPEG, RAW, or film, getting it right in camera involves composition, exposure, focus, and an interesting subject matter. As for film analogies, people did a lot of "post processing" in the darkroom when shooting monochrome, but that hardly reflected on their ability to "get it right" in the camera or on their status as a photographer.

Okay booju...open a RAW file in ACR or DPP. I prefer ACR as that is what I have been using lately. First...you will see a slider for white balance. Slide this right and left and watch what happens to the image. Normally, you will want whites to look white and not blue or yellow. Next check the exposure slider. Is the image too bright or too dark? ACR has a recovery slider to dim blown highlights and a fill light slider to boost the darker areas of the shot. Just take it easy and play around with these. The brightness slider will boost your midtones (skin,etc.). You know what contrast is. Saturation brightens up your colors.
I need to tell you that the first step in all this whether it is jpg or RAW is to calibrate your monitor. Then it will show you what you are doing more accurately.
Post a shot that you have processed from RAW and let the people here tell you what they think of it.
Everyone here is happy to answer questions.

Hey Chris... I was just going to tell the OP that a lot of sports photogs shoot jpg because of the speed and the number of shots they take.
Nice shots!

poloman wrote in post #6046184
Okay booju...open a RAW file in ACR or DPP. I prefer ACR as that is what I have been using lately. First...you will see a slider for white balance. Slide this right and left and watch what happens to the image. Normally, you will want whites to look white and not blue or yellow. Next check the exposure slider. Is the image too bright or too dark? ACR has a recovery slider to dim blown highlights and a fill light slider to boost the darker areas of the shot. Just take it easy and play around with these. The brightness slider will boost your midtones (skin,etc.). You know what contrast is. Saturation brightens up your colors.
I need to tell you that the first step in all this whether it is jpg or RAW is to calibrate your monitor. Then it will show you what you are doing more accurately.
Post a shot that you have processed from RAW and let the people here tell you what they think of it.
Everyone here is happy to answer questions.

Thank you very much for your HELP and INSTRUCTION and for your very CIVIL mannerism on this thread of mine despite you advocating me to look into RAW...It seems to me I at least OWE it to myself to try as you had mentioned earlier and I agree...I should at least try and NOW that you are providing me with some instruction and it should behoove me to give it a go...

I'll go outside now and shoot a few shots in RAW+JPEG so at least I can do a comparison...

I most SINCERELY appreciate your gracious guidance and your desire to see me through on this...

I'll PM you from now on to iron out the kinks and then we'll post up here for the viewing audience so maybe some other noobs like me can benefit from the drill in a more precise fashion...

Hey your're a pretty cool guy after all...

But MOST sincerely I REALLy do appreciate what you've taken on to do...

As Isaid many a times you will have your hands full with me as I ain't the most computer technical savvy guy I wished I were...

I hope you have the patience for the tasks ahead...I'll do my BEST....

Thank you!!!!

Sorry gang...but I gotta charge my batteries....

I'll post up tomorrow...Thanks!

booju....when you need help perhaps you should start a new thread like "need help converting RAW files". Then you will bring the expertise of the entire group to bear on whatever trouble you might be having. I certainly don't know it all. There are people here that can help you with any aspect of your photography knowhow.

poloman wrote in post #6047036
booju....when you need help perhaps you should start a new thread like "need help converting RAW files". Then you will bring the expertise of the entire group to bear on whatever trouble you might be having. I certainly don't know it all. There are people here that can help you with any aspect of your photography knowhow.

OKAY...

Also, for tips on converting RAW, look in the Raw and Post Processing forum and read up on the Sticky/FAQ threads,