How would the PRO’s edit your RAW file?

Much like those speedlights you put on top of your camera or take off-camera and shooting in manual mode, the term shooting in RAW can cause the onset of a hot flush and in some cases, the need to take an Atavan and have a bit of a lie-down.

If you currently shoot JPEG we have introduced a new feature on the Hunters of Light to show you the flexibility of the RAW format. Patron members can now submit their RAW file for a selection of PRO’s to edit. No brief, no requirements, just as they see it and how they think it will look best.

This could be incredibly inspiring and hopefully entice you to try something that challenges you.

You don’t shoot RAW?, well here are 2 big reasons why you should consider switching.

There are loads of articles about the RAW vs JPEG debate, so a thought i’d do a quick comparison as an intro into the new feature on the Hunters of Light for Patron members where the PRO’s do an edit on your RAW file.
For my photography, RAW is essential, in fact, I am scared to shoot JPEG because i would miss the amazing amount of control i would be giving up.

Here is a quick comparison of the 2 formats.

The Benefits of Shooting JPEGs

• Image Processing is Done For You
• A Smaller File Size
• Easily Shareable for Quick Posting

The Drawbacks of Shooting JPEGs

• Loss of Detail
• Less Colour Options
• Lower Dynamic Range

The Advantages of Shooting RAW

• High-Quality Image Files
• Increased Brightness
• More Colours in Your Images
• Higher Dynamic Range
• Process and Edit Files to Your Standards

The Limits of the RAW Format

• A Larger File Size
• Image Processing is Required
• Software Compatibility is a Must

So let’s take a moment to consider two issues when shooting using the JPEG format instead of RAW.

Your images are compressed.

On the left is the image with very little compression and on the right, a heavily compressed image that has been opened and resaved a few times. As you can see the image becomes unusable. © Quintin Mills

JPEG is a popular file format used for images and graphics especially on the internet. It’s able to compress up to a ratio of 10:1 without any noticeable degradation, depending on your settings. This alone is one of the main reasons why JPEG has become the de facto standard of images on the internet.

However, all that compression doesn’t come without a loss. JPGs are considered a “lossy” file format, meaning that during the compression procedure, redundant blocks are permanently deleted. The more you compress a file, the more data you lose and subsequently the worse your final image is going to look after multiple iterations through the algorithm. When you save an image as a JPEG, some data from the image will be lost and deleted forever to reduce the size of the file.

Forever really is forever.

Here you can see the same image with 4 different white balance settings. It can be rescued, but it will never be perfect. ©Vassia Atanassova

When the image is captured, all your settings are baked in forever. The white balance, highlight and shadow detail, sharpness, yup, that is all locked in. So if you have slightly overexposed the highlights, sorry for you… White balance up the wazoo, sorry for you…

The Advantages of Shooting RAW

Unlike a JPEG file, RAW format is uncompressed and is not an image file. In fact, RAW files are a collection of data from your camera’s sensor that are saved on your camera. Software like Adobe Photoshop or Adobe Lightroom allow you to view the data as images and edit the RAW files. And most importantly, it allows for non-destructive editing.

With RAW files, you can achieve much higher image quality and make any necessary corrections during post-production. RAW file format is a much better option if you plan to do any editing. With newer cameras you can pull back the highlights by 2 or more stops and retain the detail, change the white balance to whatever you want to and change it again tomorrow – all with no loss of quality because you are editing the RAW file. Once you are happy, you can just export a JPEG.

Obviously there are good reasons for shooting RAW, especially press and sports photographers that need to upload images to their editors within seconds of taking them, but when it comes to images that are to be crafted – RAW is the choice for  many professional photographers.

Patron Members – Submit your RAW file for the PRO’s to edit.

As a Patron member, you can now get the PRO’s to Edit your RAW file and show you another viewpoint and hopefully inspire you to try new things. Patron memberships also include Ask a PRO where you can submit questions across all aspects of the photo industry: gear, marketing, vision, pricing, branding, light, models, work/life balance, technical advice, post production, etc. Portfolio reviews (coming soon), the Tutorials which we are adding to as often as we can, as well as preferential booking for workshops and meet-ups and a free month on the Hunters of Light with every workshop booked.

But more importantly, with your Patron membership, your R60 a month is helping us keep the dream alive and we want to reward you for believing in and supporting the Hunters of Light Initiative.

If you are already a Patron member, I cannot tell you how much I appreciate your support. The more Patrons we have, the more we can do for you and the industry as a whole.