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4 - More Advantages

Processing Power Advantage

A JPEG is processed with the less powerful computer and software on your camera.

By delaying the processing, you can use your more powerful desktop or laptop computer.

For example, you can fine-tune the exposure, contrast, and color of a photograph when you process the raw file.

Go to Raw Processing - An Introduction.

Choice Advantage

You can use your camera's menu to change how a photograph is saved as a JPEG, but that's cumbersome.

With a raw file format, you make all of the decisions.

Always an Original File

You can return to the raw file later, and it's still the same raw file.

You can undo what you've already done, and can make further modifications.

You can also take advantage of raw conversion software improvements in the future.

Summary

The JPEG file format is convenient.

Raw file formats are flexible.

One More Thing

Unlike the JPEG file format, there are many raw file formats.

Camera manufacturers have their own.

For example, the Nikon raw file extension is .nef, Canon's is .crw, and Adobe has .dng.

Photoshop Elements will process many raw file formats.

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