rlv567 Loc: Baguio City, Philippines

As has been said here on UHH 7,495,339 times (by those who know), once a JPG is created – as the original and only, direct from the camera, or from the modification of a RAW (of any type) file – it has a specific set of data from which the image can be produced (actually a subset of the original data). It can be modified through use of postprocessing software, and elements can be added and/or deleted, but in NO instance can all the original data (from which the JPG has been produced) be recreated; it’s gone forever, as a function of the creation of the JPG! It’s as simple as that!!!

Loren – in Beautiful Baguio City

tuthdoc

Topaz has a Jpeg to Raw AI software, might be worth checking it out.

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

I suspect it's possible that we have a misquote.
Jim requires an image in raw format for his exercise.
Since Jim is doing an exercise for the club, he probably knows something about postprocessing. I think it's possible that he said "I need a raw image for the exercise" rather than "Can you give me that photo in raw format'?

In the former case, that would be the end of the story. But the latter case has generated 10 pages of repetitive comments.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Perception.

Maybe he thought the original RAW was available?

rlv567 Loc: Baguio City, Philippines

Here’s what Topaz claims for their “AI” JPEG to RAW software:

“JPEG compression affects photo quality in some very specific ways. Here's how JPEG to RAW AI recovers image quality.”

“There’s normally no way of recovering lost detail. JPEG to RAW AI is currently the only machine-learning powered software capable of doing this.”

“Whenever you would edit a JPEG, put it through JPEG to RAW AI first for best editing results. Standalone application for Mac + Windows that allows batch processing.”

“Your image loses significant dynamic range when it's converted to JPEG. JPEG to RAW AI helps you recover a portion of this lost dynamic range by bringing back lost shadow and highlight details. While you won't be able to recover completely missing details, it can work with even very small amounts of information.”

“JPEG images are usually in the sRGB color space, which works great for web but less for printing and editing. When editing a photo in sRGB, adjusting saturation or vibrance will often reveal ugly color blotchiness.”

“You can prevent this from happening by running it through JPEG to RAW AI. JPEG to RAW’s machine learning models expand the sRGB color space to ProPhoto RGB, which is even better than a regular RAW file! This works so well because there is usually enough information in at least one color channel for our models to reconstruct missing detail with a high level of preciseness.”

“Color depth (also called bit depth) is how much color information the image can store. When editing an image with low bit depth, you will see color banding in smooth gradients like skies.”

“An 8-bit JPEG only has 256 values per channel. Running that JPEG through JPEG to RAW AI will expand it to 65,532 values per channel. This will prevent posterization and banding when you adjust the contrast in your images.”

“You'll see visible compression artifacts in your image when editing highly compressed images. JPEG to RAW AI is exceptional at removing these artifacts while preserving natural image features.”

“Artifacts won’t be easily visible in high-quality JPEGs, but they can completely ruin an image if they are. They’ll also get accentuated by post-processing, especially sharpening. Run your images through JPEG to RAW AI to ensure artifacts don't impact your workflow.”

“JPEGs will often feature smoothed details due to a small sensor or heavy processing. For example, iPhone photos are heavily processed before being saved, which sometimes ends up removing a lot of image detail.”

“JPEG to RAW AI helps you recover fine detail removed during the conversion process.”

If you believe their claims of making something out of nothing, it’s $99.99.

Loren – in Beautiful Baguio City

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

It's really making up something out of nothing.
AI is coming. It really is. Whether or not you're ready. Whether or not it's ready.
I think some AI is possible, but it's not there yet.
Just think about the state of software today. Your computer probably has all sorts of things that it wants to do its way. The way the software engineers want it to. It may not be the way you want to do it. (I've been seriously annoyed by the way Windows sorts my files. I spent too many years with alphameric sorts and the "natural" sort just doesn't work for me. I know you can change it, but every update undoes your changes, and Windows updates are approximately monthly).

The AI you will have to watch for is your new self-driving car. Last year I went to a party about 150 miles from home. About 9pm I started to drive back, just as the snow was starting. No problem for about 15 minutes, but when I got to the interstate it wasn't plowed or salted. The road surface was not visible. That meant the lane markings were not visible. It was a matter of estimating where the lanes were based on what looked like the edges of the road (guard rail on the left, flat surface changing to rough surface off the road surface on the right and guessing how many lanes there were). AI is not there yet. (If you get a self-driving car it will probably tell you it can't do the job and will pull over and stop. Fully autonomous cars? Don't get in one if there's any possibility of bad weather).

brow3904 Loc: Upstate South Carolina

Check out the Ashampoo.com website. I saw something to that subject just this week.

k2edm Loc: FN32AD

"raw" varies from camera manuf to camera manuf.... jpg is universal, suggest you replace Jim!
Ed

profbowman Loc: Harrisonburg, VA, USA

I am glad you checked it out, but be assured that I loaded the file into PhotoShopPro X9 as I said and set the parameters as I said, and the picture came back as exactly as expected. Since each RAW formats are unique, one must specify the parameters somewhere. Irfanview lets you add them at the time of uploading so that they can handle lots of different kinds of RAW formated files. If you did not use the same parameters as I did (maybe using the defaults in the program), you will not get the same results as I did.

I contacted Irfan Skiljan, the owner, creator, and developer of IrfanView. He said he will update that list when he can get to it.

BTW, a file format is only a way to format the data in the file, it is not reserved to only one program if another program has similar data and wants to format it the same way. I am a professional photographer and digital artist, and I keep my photos in JPG format (usually, but I do work with them in BMP if I am doing certain types of editing) while my artwork is also usually in BMP and is out-putted to JPG when I am finished. It all depends upon what stage I am at and what I am doing. --Richard

JBRIII

My Subaru has eyesight which helps with warnings for lane shifts, etc. However, snow, rain, fog, road spray shuts it down. Cameras can't see cars, road markings, etc. in bad weather. I have wondered how they get or plan to get around weather. Radar might work, but I don't know if the resolution is there. UV works better in water than longer wavelengths, but I see cars using UV lasers? Imagine every car in the state shutting down due to weather.

hpucker99 Loc: Anchorage, Alaska

You nailed it. The JPG can be converted in Photoshop, OnOne and others to a TIFF, PSD, PNG, etc. file. Since it is a JPG, it does not contain the full dynamic range as the original RAW file. The output TIFF should be similar/identical to the JPG. The original RAW file can not be supplied; it is lost forever. You might as well give him the JPG, it is no worse than a TIFF, etc. Also, a JPG would be an interesting exercise in a programs ability to edit them.

rlv567 Loc: Baguio City, Philippines

And you got it: "The original RAW file can not be supplied; it is lost forever." The conversion of a JPG to any other format "does not contain the full dynamic range as the original RAW file"!!!!! You are now number 7,495,340 in the attempt to provide the truth in this "situation" to the residents of UHH.

Loren - in Beautiful Baguio City

duckfan48

[quote=PaulBrit]I have a photograph Jim, of our local Caveman Camera Club, wishes to use the photograph in an exercise to see how we members of the Club edit the image.
But Jim requires the image to be converted to ‘RAW’ format.”

Well since Jim’s a “Caveman”. Ask him if he can take the supper from last night and make it RAW again. That might be easier. JPEG is a finished product. Maybe he was asking if you had the original RAW file in your archives.

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

Since Jim is looking for a subject for editing as a club exercise, it might be appropriate to do the exercise on a jpg where a raw file is not available. That would teach people about the limitations of the jpg relative to the raw.

topcat Loc: Alameda, CA

In Photoshop Elements there is an option to open in camera raw. Don't think that it is as good as a raw file, but it does open camera raw.