Question
Most of my images are in RAW format. When I bring an image into Photoshop, does it make a difference whether it's a JPEG or RAW? I understand the difference between JPEGs and RAW images. I'm just wondering if it is better to bring in a JPEG or RAW into Photoshop, not Camera RAW?
Answer
The short answer to this question is: The raw option is better.
The slightly longer answer is: The raw image data gives you the chance, in ACR, to effectively "develop" the image based on your own desires and do that many times in a non-destructive manner with a lot more data available because it's the base data for the image. Drop into jpeg and you've already started with data being lost, partly a result of the 8 bit image format, but also because jpeg is lossy in compression. So, you've already dropped some color information and you've also discarded some pixels. Not to mention, your start point is what the camera maker decided was a "good" result.
So, seriously, there is no condition in which jpeg is superior to raw when you have the time ans space to deal with the image. The only time I would recommend jpeg is when you won't have the time to post-process, but in the last 4 or 5 years, for me, that has never happened... Your mileage may vary.
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