Chapter 13

Working with RAW and Other Formats

In This Chapter

arrow Discovering all those formats

arrow Understanding dSLR format options

arrow Choosing the right file format

arrow Using RAW as a digital negative

You can find many bones of contention in the digital SLR world, but the choice of file format is one of the boniest. Some photographers swear by RAW, a misnamed “unprocessed” format (RAW isn’t really unprocessed) that supposedly retains all the information the sensor captures (it doesn’t). Others scoff at RAW, feeling that the JPEG format is the key to taking pictures most efficiently, with a minimum of after-shot processing required. Old-school photographers might insist that the TIFF format is the only way to go, despite the fact that few digital SLRs support that format these days.

This chapter removes the mystery surrounding RAW and other formats and helps you choose which one is right for you in any particular situation. Should you shoot RAW, JPEG, or both at the same time? In this chapter, ...

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