RAW vs JPEG and Why Colour Management Matters
If you shoot JPEG, the camera decides the look. If you shoot RAW, you do. Here is the case for RAW, calibrated monitors, and a sane working colour space.
What a RAW file actually is
A RAW file is the unprocessed sensor data plus metadata. A JPEG is RAW data that has already been demosaiced, white-balanced, sharpened, contrast-curved and compressed — by the camera, using settings you may not have chosen. RAW gives you 12–14 stops of dynamic range to work with. A JPEG gives you 8.
Colour spaces
- 01sRGB: the web. Use this for everything that ends on a screen you do not control
- 02Adobe RGB (1998): wider gamut, used for high-end print
- 03ProPhoto RGB: largest common gamut, internal working space in Lightroom
- 04Display P3: modern phones and Apple displays — wider than sRGB
Why calibration matters
An uncalibrated monitor shifts with age, brightness and ambient light. Two photographers grading on uncalibrated displays will produce two different files from the same RAW. A hardware calibrator (Calibrite Display, Datacolor Spyder) costs under £150 and pays for itself the first time a print returns from the lab matching the screen.
Sources & further reading
Fact-checked against the sources above. Spot an error? Email studio@capturetime.co.