Do you all use RAW files, or do you shoot in JPEG? I'm using RAW mode but I have to admit that it took me quite a while before I got comfortable with it and I largely attribute that to the fact the Camera Raw feature of Photoshop Elements became more and more usable :-)

I used to shoot JPEG only, then I upgraded to a camera with the ability to shoot JPEG+RAW and used that method for a while, but found myself never touching the RAW files.

Finally, I discovered Adobe Lightroom. The ability to process RAW files quickly and easy made me switch to RAW only and I have never looked back.

One of the biggest advantages for me is the ability to create multiple copies of the same image without taking up any extra storage space on your hard drive. Lightroom simply stores the information about the edits you made, adding only a few kb. You later have the option of exporting to whatever format you need. Your original file is never touched and you always have the ability to revert back to the unedited file.

I shoot RAW all the time now. One drawback was that I always had people asking me to show the pictures when I still was working on them. I then discovered that every RAW image included a JPEG and how I could retrieve that JPEG to show my friends and family something while I could tinker with the photos in peace. For me the major benefit of working with RAW is the ability to change the white balance and exposure in a controlled way.

I have my camera set to do both but I can't get the RAW to download properly. It just downloads the jpg.

I shoot RAW and a low res jpg. I will never shoot just jpg again. RAW is so powerful you can recover almost anything.

I use Capture NX to process images. Even though I have the jpg version I never use them for anything other than a quick review on screen. If I want a jpg I process the raw and save as jpg.

There is nothing to be afraid of shooting RAW but if you shoot only jpg and blow the white balance you are stuck.

With RAW you just change it. It is virtually as if you were back where you shot the image and able to tweak it to what you want.

I am scared to make the transition to RAW......I feel like I need to read a book about it or something?!?!? Any good pointers on where to learn more about this RAW business?!?

Wayfaringwanderer, if I were you I would just go visit some place in your neighbourhood and shoot in RAW and try to make the best of it to get some experience. The threshold is high but it is rewarding. I'm using Camera Raw 4.? that comes with Photoshop Elements. If you have Photoshop, make sure that you have the latest version of the Camera Raw plug-in as Adobe has added a lot of very useful functionality to the more recent versions.

One thing that I discovered recently is that RAW allows me to make HDR images by adjusting the exposure + or - a stop. Really great for landscape photos where the sky is completely blown-out when the foreground is correctly exposed. For HDR too, there are free tools available. I'm using Picturenaut.

RAW has allowed me to recover incorrectly exposed shots on several occasions, ...to me it's worth it's weight in gold.

Of course there are drawbacks relating to the large file sizes, and the additional post processing steps involved, but I still love it.

;-)

hoshisato, you'll get even more dynamic range in your HDR shots if you use AEB (auto exposure bracketing) on your camera, and generate your HDR images from the "true camera generated" exposures rather than fiddling with one RAW file to make the 3 exposures.

;-)