Which format after Raw?

[Arjay12345]

So after I shoot in Raw and then tweak in ACR and PS, which format should I save in so I can print, distribute, etc?

Are there different preferences depending on sharing and printing, etc?

Thanks..

[jdepould]

For most applications jpeg is your best bet, but be sure to save a lossless version--probably psd--if you want to change your edits.

[rvpals]

Originally Posted by jdepould

For most applications jpeg is your best bet, but be sure to save a lossless version--probably psd--if you want to change your edits.

Besides layering and other PS things, is there any other things makes saving to PSD better than save in another lossless format. Such as PNG. ?

[jdepould]

Originally Posted by rvpals

Besides layering and other PS things, is there any other things makes saving to PSD better than save in another lossless format. Such as PNG. ?

Don't think so, I just tend to stick with whatever is native. Lossless is lossless.

[deepspring]

Originally Posted by Arjay12345

So after I shoot in Raw and then tweak in ACR and PS, which format should I save in so I can print, distribute, etc?

Are there different preferences depending on sharing and printing, etc?

Thanks..

JPEG (*.jpg) is recommended for sharing and printing.

If you do a lot of tweaks to the photograph that you want to go back and edit later, then TIFF (*.tif) or PSD (*.psd) is recommended. Be warned though, these formats take up a bit of disk space.

[Arjay12345]

Deepspring >>

So to be clear, you're saying that JPG is still ok (even if it's inferior to RAW when shooting), because by shooting in RAW and then Photoshopping, I have captured the data in it's rawest format and used this info to tweak the image to its optimum and then decided to save this version as JPG instead of letting the camera make the amendments before saving to JPG? Correct?

I always thought that JPG was itself a sub-standard format, i.e. whilst it is a good balance between size and quality, if want a format that retains maximum quality, then JPG isn't the format to choose.

Saving in PSD obviously retains the PS layers, but is only usable by others that have PS.

Does TIFF hold more detail than JPG when flattened in PS?

Thanks..

[deepspring]

Originally Posted by Arjay12345

Deepspring >>

So to be clear, you're saying that JPG is still ok (even if it's inferior to RAW when shooting), because by shooting in RAW and then Photoshopping, I have captured the data in it's rawest format and used this info to tweak the image to its optimum and then decided to save this version as JPG instead of letting the camera make the amendments before saving to JPG? Correct?

I always thought that JPG was itself a sub-standard format, i.e. whilst it is a good balance between size and quality, if want a format that retains maximum quality, then JPG isn't the format to choose.

Saving in PSD obviously retains the PS layers, but is only usable by others that have PS.

Does TIFF hold more detail than JPG when flattened in PS?

Thanks..

I'm saying JPEG is perfectly fine for sharing your photos with friends, family, etc. And it is the preferred format of most mini/pro labs.

16-bit and above TIFF images hold and retain more image tonal/color information than an 8-bit JPEG image (Keeping in mind that most common RAW file formats are between 12-bit and 14-bit). TIFF also supports lossless compression, which means image tonal/color data is retained when saving the file in a compressed format. TIFF files in Photoshop retain layer data as well.

To cut a long bloated explanation short, shoot RAW, share JPEGs.

Edit: PSD files are accessible (with some limitations) to people with these applications: Photoshop, Photoshop Elements, Corel PaintShop Photo Pro, The GIMP and Serif PhotoPlus to name a few.

[Arjay12345]

Thanks, but just in your unbloated summary, what do I save in if my PS image is large (i.e. 2 metre square) AND I want to get it high-end printed (not a cheap high street option)?

I need to keep crisp edges, vivid colours, etc..

Thanks.

[deepspring]

Originally Posted by Arjay12345

Thanks, but just in your unbloated summary, what do I save in if my PS image is large (i.e. 2 metre square) AND I want to get it high-end printed (not a cheap high street option)?

I need to keep crisp edges, vivid colours, etc..

Thanks.

Check with the printer.

Different print houses can have different file standards. For example, Pixel Perfect here in Australia expect the following minimum requirements to be met: JPEG @ 300ppi - Adobe RGB (1998) color space.

Your average mini-lab (walmart, etc) only require that the image be a JPEG and have the sRGB color space (default for most cameras),