Every photography tutorial tells you to “shoot RAW.” But most people’s cameras default to JPEG, and honestly, their photos look fine. So what’s the actual difference, and does it matter?

After years of shooting both formats depending on the situation, here’s my honest take on when RAW matters and when JPEG is perfectly adequate.

What’s Actually Different

When your camera’s sensor captures an image, it records a huge amount of data. RAW files preserve all that data. JPEG files process, compress, and discard most of it to create a smaller file.

Think of RAW as a film negative. It contains all the information captured but needs to be developed. JPEG is like a print, already processed and ready to display.

A RAW file from a 24-megapixel camera is typically 25-30MB. The JPEG of the same image might be 5-8MB. That extra data in the RAW file gives you editing flexibility.

The Advantages of RAW

You can recover detail from shadows and highlights that would be lost in JPEG. Underexposed your photo? RAW lets you brighten it significantly without ugly artifacts. Overexposed? You can often recover blown highlights.

This “dynamic range” advantage is RAW’s biggest benefit. You have much more latitude to fix exposure mistakes.

White balance is fully adjustable after the fact. Shot indoors with the wrong white balance setting? In RAW, you can completely change it as if you’d set it correctly in camera. In JPEG, you’re limited in how much you can adjust.

Color information is deeper. RAW files typically contain 12-14 bit color data (4,096-16,384 tones per color channel). JPEGs are 8-bit (256 tones per color). This means smoother color gradations and more subtle adjustments without banding.

Non-destructive editing. The RAW file never changes. Your edits are instructions saved separately. You can always return to the original data and re-edit differently.

The Advantages of JPEG

JPEGs are ready to use straight from camera. No editing required if the exposure is good. You can email them, post them online, print them immediately.

File sizes are much smaller. This means more photos fit on memory cards and hard drives. For photographers shooting thousands of images, storage costs matter.

Processing speed is faster. Your camera processes and saves JPEGs quicker than RAW files. This matters for burst shooting sports or action.

JPEGs look better straight from camera. Your camera applies sharpening, contrast, color, and noise reduction automatically. RAW files look flat and dull until you edit them.

Almost any device can open JPEGs. RAW files require specific software (Lightroom, Capture One, etc.). You can’t email a RAW file to your grandma and expect her to open it.

When RAW Makes Sense

Challenging lighting situations. Wedding ceremonies in dim churches, concerts, sunrise/sunset landscapes. Anywhere the light is difficult and you might need to recover detail in editing.

When you’re learning photography. RAW files are more forgiving of exposure mistakes. You can fix errors in editing that would be permanent in JPEG.

Professional work where quality matters more than convenience. Clients expect excellent results, and RAW gives you the best chance of delivering.

When you plan to edit anyway. If you’re going to spend time in Lightroom adjusting photos, RAW’s extra data helps.

High-contrast scenes. Bright sky with dark foreground, indoor rooms with bright windows, anywhere the brightness range exceeds what your camera can capture in a single exposure.

When JPEG Is Fine

Casual photography where you’re not planning to edit. Family snapshots, holiday photos, everyday documentation.

When you need files immediately and won’t be editing. Event photography where you’re delivering images quickly.

When storage or speed matters. Sports photographers shooting thousands of frames need the smaller file sizes and faster processing of JPEG.

When you’re consistently nailing exposure. If your camera skills are solid and you’re not making exposure or white balance mistakes, JPEG is perfectly adequate.

For sharing online. Social media compresses everything to JPEG anyway. Shooting RAW for Instagram is overkill.

The Middle Ground: RAW + JPEG

Most cameras can save both formats simultaneously. You get RAW’s flexibility for important images and JPEG’s convenience for quick sharing.

The downside is double the file size and slower processing. Your memory card fills faster and writes take longer.

I use this mode for important events. Weddings, big trips, anything where I want the safety net of RAW but the convenience of JPEGs for quick previews and sharing.

For everyday shooting, I pick one or the other.

The Editing Workflow Difference

JPEG workflow: Import to computer, select the best images, maybe do minor edits, export/share. Quick and simple.

RAW workflow: Import to Lightroom or similar, edit the RAW files (exposure, white balance, color, contrast, sharpening), export as JPEG for sharing. More time and skill required.

If you’re not willing to learn photo editing software, shooting RAW doesn’t make sense. The files look worse straight from camera and you need software to process them.

Quality Differences in Practice

Here’s the uncomfortable truth: For images that are properly exposed and white balanced in camera, the difference between RAW and JPEG is minimal for most uses.

If you’re posting to Instagram or viewing on a phone screen, you won’t see the difference. Even large prints from JPEGs look excellent if the original exposure is good.

The difference matters when you need to make significant adjustments. Brightening an underexposed JPEG creates noise and artifacts. Brightening an underexposed RAW file looks much cleaner.

File Format Wars

Some cameras now offer HEIF (High Efficiency Image Format) as an alternative to JPEG. It offers better quality at similar file sizes. But compatibility is limited. Stick with JPEG for maximum compatibility.

Compressed RAW vs uncompressed RAW is another choice. Compressed RAW files are smaller with no practical quality loss. Use compressed RAW unless you have a specific reason not to.

Some manufacturers have proprietary RAW formats (Canon’s .CR3, Nikon’s .NEF, Sony’s .ARW). They all work similarly. Major editing software supports them all.

DNG (Digital Negative) is an open-source RAW format. Some cameras offer it, or you can convert other RAW formats to DNG. It’s more future-proof but offers no quality advantage.

Storage and Backup Considerations

If you shoot RAW, plan for significant storage needs. A day of shooting might produce 50GB of data. You’ll need large hard drives and robust backup systems.

Cloud backup becomes expensive with RAW files. Many photographers keep RAW files on local drives and only back up their final JPEGs to the cloud.

After delivering final images to clients or finishing a project, some photographers delete RAW files to reclaim space. Keep the finished JPEGs but ditch the original RAW data. This is controversial but practical for space management.

The Learning Curve

RAW requires learning photo editing. You can’t avoid it. If you’re not willing to spend time in Lightroom or similar software, RAW doesn’t make sense.

JPEG lets you focus on photography skills (composition, lighting, timing) without worrying about post-processing.

There’s no shame in shooting JPEG. Many excellent photographers do, particularly for work where turnaround speed matters more than ultimate quality.

My Actual Practice

For personal photography (family, casual stuff), I shoot JPEG. The photos are fine, I’m not editing them much, and the convenience is worth more than the flexibility.

For paid work, I shoot RAW. Clients expect excellent results, and RAW gives me the safety net to deliver even when conditions are challenging.

For travel photography where I might want to create prints or edit seriously later, I shoot RAW.

For teaching and demonstrations, I shoot RAW + JPEG so I have immediate images to show while retaining flexibility.

The Recommendation

If you’re just starting photography, shoot JPEG while you learn. Focus on composition, exposure, and basic camera operation. Don’t overwhelm yourself with RAW editing.

Once you’re comfortable with camera operation and want to improve your editing skills, switch to RAW. Learn Lightroom or similar software. Develop a workflow.

If you’re happy with your JPEG images and don’t want to spend time editing, stay with JPEG. There’s no law saying you must shoot RAW. Photography should be enjoyable, not a chore.

The best format is the one that fits your workflow and goals. RAW offers flexibility for serious editing. JPEG offers convenience for everything else. Both have their place.

Make an intentional choice based on your needs, not because someone online told you RAW is always better. Sometimes it is. Sometimes it doesn’t matter. Understand the difference and choose accordingly.