Everyone says you need to shoot in RAW for the best quality—but do you really? For most people, RAW is just a space-consuming hassle that adds extra work with little reward.
5
JPEG Files Are Less Prone to Over-Editing
The fact that RAW files give you more editing options is good and bad. If you aren’t careful, you’ll also be more prone to over-editing—especially if you’re a beginner. For example, when I look back at the pictures I edited earlier when I was a beginner, they often look like drawings rather than photos.
You can over-edit JPEG files, but it’s more difficult than RAW. If you’re new to editing, you can sometimes feel like you need to use every editing slider; at the very least, you don’t have as much flexibility with JPEGs.
You can always move on to RAW files later if you wish to take your photography more seriously. However, first take some time to first learn the editing basics. You’ll find plenty of photo-editing tutorial channels on YouTube as a starting point.
4
You Can Make Most of Your Desired Edits Without RAW Files
When you open your editing software, you’ll notice that many editing features are available, even if you have a JPEG. For example, you can still color-grade and alter the exposure in Lightroom. Moreover, you can access the Tone Curve tool and the option to edit saturation/hue/luminance in each image.
If you’re doing professional work, you’ll probably need to edit in RAW, but casual photographers can do most of their edits with JPEGs. I took photos for over two years before I felt I needed to edit RAW files. If you still need some wiggle room, you can always change your settings to shoot in RAW later.
3
Many JPEGs Look Good Off the Camera
Many modern cameras are incredibly advanced, whether they’re a smartphone or DSLR. As a result, the images often look great without needing much (if any) editing. Brands like Nikon and Fujifilm excel with their JPEGs in particular.
iPhones also have fantastic image quality; the jump in quality when I upgraded from the 8 Plus to the 13 was astounding. Even better, you can take great low-light pictures on a smartphone.
You can often customize how your JPEG looks in camera, too. Many DSLRs have camera profiles and the option to adjust lighting and saturation. On a smartphone, you can add filters.
2
Presets and Profiles Are Usually Good Enough
Going deeper with your editing is wise if you’re a professional photographer shooting for clients. However, it’s not necessary if you take pictures casually. Presets will do most of the editing you need; Lightroom and VSCO are excellent. You’ll find plenty of other apps to get Instagram-style filters, too. Instagram’s in-app filters are also ideal for many photographers.
Related
I Tried Editing Photos Without Presets for a Week—Here’s Why I’m Going Back to Them
The freedom was nice—until I realized I was over-editing every single shot.
People can argue that you can’t get camera profiles in editing apps with JPEGs, which is true of Lightroom. However, you can add these presets in-camera and download the images to your smartphone later. Some manufacturers, such as Fujifilm, even let you create your own recipes.
1
Most People Won’t Notice the Difference
Editing RAW files instead of JPEG can easily give one a sense of professionalism or prestige. But to be truthful (and speaking as someone who used to have this mindset), most people won’t notice the difference.
When someone is moved by a picture, they don’t care about the technicalities. It’s because the image speaks to them. Even with tons of editing experience, you still won’t notice when someone edits with JPEGs unless they explicitly say so.
