nat Loc: Martha's Vineyard, MA

No problem, everyone thinks I'm a male. I'm Nathalie.

Picdude Loc: Ohio

Nat, you're almost there. The thing to keep in mind is that jpeg is not only a format but a process. It's prime function is to compress an image in a universal format to make it easier to transmit or distribute. When you "take a picture" and save it in both RAW and jpeg, it's not that you are capturing more information in RAW (you're not). What you are doing is processing the information more by saving it in jpeg format. RAW gives you more information to work with because it has been processed less coming out of the camera. You will not have as much detail in a jpeg image that has been converted from RAW because the jpeg process compresses the image, and it will recompress the image every single time you save or resave the image.

If you have a jpeg image that you want to edit multiple times, the popular recommendation is to save the image as a tiff file after each edit so that you do not compress the file any more than it already has been. Once you are done editing, or at a time you want to transmit or distribute the image, only then do you save the image a final time as jpeg.

Hope this isn't too confusing.

nat Loc: Martha's Vineyard, MA

Thanks, PicDude. I understand everything you said! And that's a personal accomplishment!!

Crwiwy Loc: Devon UK

Remember that you should be able to tell your software how much it should compress the JPG file. Many do not realize this and leave it on the default setting which seems to be between 80 and 90% although I came across one once that was 60%.

Do many edits and you can see how quality will degrade.

gessman Loc: Colorado

My preferred process is to take only RAW in "Faithful" which is "dumbed down" and neutral which gives me the most options available to bring an image up to what I remember seeing or otherwise want to project. I use Canon's Digital Photo Professional (DPP) to process RAW, and convert out to TIFF, further process if needed, and if I want to share I then convert the tiff to jpg which I then may crop, re-size or alter the shape and fine tune further for sharing.

I have seen it said, right or wrong, that once a file is converted to jpg, it has already been degraded in the compression process and cannot be improved, and therefore gains nothing, by being converted to tiff beyond avoiding further degradation while re-saving it multiple times as a tiff after further processing as opposed to the loss that occurs re-saving a jpg. I use RAW to gain maximum data, process, convert to tiff to keep maximum data in a more readily usable format with minimal loss, and convert to jpg to ship or share. It's a natural process for going from best to least best while saving each phase for posterity.

PhotoGator Loc: Florida

Yes because it contains more details to work with as RAW.
JPEG is a compressed image file.
Edit in TIFF or RAW, then export to JPEG.

GHK Loc: The Vale of Eden

You don't edit photos in TIFF or JPEG, or PSD for that matter; they are file storage formats and have nothing to do with editing.
You edit in an editing program such as Photshop.
GHK

gessman Loc: Colorado

Are we perhaps picking a few too many nits here? :roll:

GHK Loc: The Vale of Eden

I don't think so; I have seen far too many examples of confusion caused by use of incorrect terminology.
GHK

charles brown Loc: Tennesse

Heck, for what its worth - most pros I talked to shot in raw, convert to tiff and edit, finished product then converted to jpeg. As for me I shot in raw, edit using raw file, then convert to jpeg most of the time. Good point about quality when saving to jpeg. My system will ask what quality each time a jpeg is saved. Assumed this was normal. I always save to highest quality. Then downsize later if necessary.

charles brown Loc: Tennesse

Heck, for what its worth - most pros I talked to shot in raw, convert to tiff and edit, finished product then converted to jpeg. As for me I shot in raw, edit using raw file, then convert to jpeg most of the time. Good point about quality when saving to jpeg. My system will ask what quality each time a jpeg is saved. Assumed this was normal. I always save to highest quality. Then downsize later if necessary.

PhotoGator Loc: Florida

So illustrate me genius: can I open and edit a TIFF, RAW or JPEG image file in an image editor that supports either of those image file formats?
My limited knowledge thought I could edit any image file format provided the software image editor supports it.
Am I mistaken or ill informed?
Please, help me out.

gessman Loc: Colorado

I understand your point quite well but your comment may be going a little too far toward absolute and abject perfectionism for our needs here. The fact is that without a jpg, tiff, psd, et. al., there is no reason for an editing program to exist and the expression of "editing in tiff" is simply a shortcut method of saying "using an editing program to edit a tiff file." Shortcuts are not only acceptable but can be quite functional at times in cutting down on unnecessary verbiage. Rather than make sure that we wipe out all ignorance in one fell swoop, maybe we should leave it up to each person to solve their own ignorance issues at their own pace by maybe asking a question the answers to which will then be open to everyone. You're approach to this is likely to only generate conflict even if you're dead right and have good intentions which I respectfully submit that are and do. And to the OP, please excuse me for interrupting the flow of the thread.

PhotoGator Loc: Florida

:thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

GHK Loc: The Vale of Eden

When you open, let's say a JPEG, you bring it into the chosen program, at which point it ceases to be a JPEG. After editing you can resave it as a JPEG if you wish, but tou can also save as PSD, TIFF, or any other appropriate storage format.
GHK