Difference between JPEG and RAW

Photographers may capture the image in RAW or JPEG format. JPEG and RAW are image file formats that include various amounts of image information, with JPEG containing a restricted quantity of image information. In contrast, the RAW file format contains massive amounts of detail about an image. The many file formats are utilized to process various types of files, including audio, text, image, and video, and the file content helps distinguish the files.

In this article, you will learn about the difference between JPEG and RAW. But before discussing the differences, you must know about JPEG and RAW with their advantages and disadvantages.

What is JPEG?

JPEG is an abbreviation for "Joint Photographic Experts Group". It is a cross-platform format because it is not specific to any software or program and is supported by all manufacturers. This JPEG image format is capable of compressing bitmapped images with a wide range of colors efficiently. It is mostly utilized in digital cameras, and the format is highly preferred for the web due to the great quality of its photographs. It was initially released in 1992. As of 2015, JPEG was the most frequently utilized image compression standard worldwide, as well as the most commonly utilized digital picture format, with various billion JPEG images produced daily.

JPEG uses 24-bit colors and interlacing to display a low-resolution version prior to the full image file, which avoids the black screen during the downloading process.

JPEG files come in various formats. JPEG/Exif is a file format that is utilized in digital cameras and other image-capture equipment. JPEG/JEIF is a file format that stores and transmits photographic images over the Internet. Both of these formats are simply referred to as JPEG. JPEG/JFIF typically allows a maximum image resolution size of 65435 x 65535 pixels.

Advantages and Disadvantages of JPEG

There are various advantages and disadvantages of JPEG. Some main advantages and disadvantages of JPEG are as follows:

Advantages

1. JPEG files take up less storage space and may be processed by any standard software.
2. JPEG photos may be opened or altered by almost every smartphone, computer system, camera, and software on the market.
3. JPEG photographs can be printed directly from your camera or smartphone without any photo editing software.
4. You may compress a JPG image whose quality and resolution are comparable to a BMP or PNG copy.
5. The small size of JPEG images enables you to communicate via infographics pretty easily. You may share the JPEG photographs in the cloud, attach them to emails, and even post them to your Facebook or Twitter profile right away.

Disadvantages

1. This specification is better for digital images with smooth color changes, like portraits and original shots. However, it is not compatible with writing, sharp lines, or images with sharp edges.
2. A JPEG image compresses every time it is saved, significantly reducing its quality.
3. The JPEG format does not support transparency and opacity.
4. Resaving a JPEG is not a good idea because many JPEG saves can degrade your image.

What is RAW?

RAW is an image file that comprises minimally processed data from a digital camera's image sensor, motion picture film scanner, etc. There are several RAW formats in various models of digital equipment. These RAW format images are not processed, so it is not possible to print them directly. As a result, the user must first turn the RAW file into a JPEG file to print it.

It is not feasible to view the RAW file directly, and it must first be processed to view it. Furthermore, RAW files necessitate the use of specialized software to open and modify. As a result, if that type of program is not installed on the computer system, it may not be seen or edited.

RAW files have a wide range of applications because they hold more detail about brightness and other image qualities. They are designed to be used with photo-processing software that supports a wide range of editing options. You may utilize proper software to convert RAW files to other formats such as JPEG, TIFF, and PNG.

Advantages and Disadvantages of RAW

There are various advantages and disadvantages of RAW. Some main advantages and disadvantages of RAW are as follows:

Advantages

1. It doesn't lose any data, but when turned into an image, the image is stored in the lossless TIFF and PSD formats.
2. White balance is simply adjustable.
3. It gives you more flexibility over image processing and editing.
4. A 12-bit RAW image may have 68.7 billion colors, whereas an 8-bit JPEG image can only have 16.8 million colors. 14-bit RAW photos dramatically enhance RGB tonal values to 16,384, bringing the total color space to 4.4 trillion.
5. RAW photos may be used to establish ownership and validity.

Disadvantages

1. RAW file formats are not standardized among camera manufacturers. When you build a RAW file on a Canon system, the Sony software is unable to read the RAW photographs.
2. RAW files should be turned to a format, such as JPEG or TIFF, before you may exchange RAW files.
3. It takes up more storage space.
4. All RAW data need post-processed and converted to a format like JPEG before they may be viewed normally.

Key differences between JPEG and RAW

There are various key differences between JPEG and RAW. Some of the key differences between JPEG and RAW are as follows:

1. JPEG is an image file format that usually employs the lossy compression approach for digital images. In contrast, RAW is an image file that comprises minimally processed data from a motion picture film scanner, a digital camera's image sensor, or another image scanner.
2. RAW files have all of the data stored by the optical instrument. On the other hand, JPEG discards some of the data from the file.
3. JPEG is a standard image format that is supported by several images processing software. On the other hand, RAW files need specialist converter software to open and edit the file.
4. RAW files are uncompressed. In contrast, JPEG files are compressed.
5. JPEG format has a lesser file size than RAW format. If a RAW file has a size of 25472 KB, the equivalent JPEG file size is 5877 KB.
6. A JPEG file can have 256 different brightness levels. On the other hand, RAW files may store 4096 to 16,384 levels of brightness.
7. RAW files should be turned to JPEG or another picture format to print and share images. On the other hand, JPEG is an easy format to share and print.
8. JPEG files are simpler to use as compared to RAW

Head-to-head comparison between JPEG and RAW

Here, you will learn the head-to-head comparisons between JPEG and RAW. The main differences between JPEG and RAW are as follows:

Conclusion

Photographers may capture images in RAW or JPEG format. The RAW and JPEG file formats differ in that the RAW file is an unprocessed file, an uncompressed file that cannot be utilized without specialized software. In contrast, a JPEG file is a processed and compressed file that may be utilized in any graphics software.