Subtitles of the Movie

So, now you've heard of the different digital imaging file types, well just what do they all mean? What's the difference between the various file types? Well, each has its role and of course each has its advantages and disadvantages. Well, let's start with the raw file. The reason you should always shoot in raw is because you're capturing all of the color and detail information the camera sensor is capable of capturing and as we know this is a good thing. Within this digital raw file is an extremely high quality image that only needs to be extracted. But the bad news is that there's a different raw format for not only each camera manufacturer but each camera model and this is because each camera model has a different sensor in it and subsequently a different AD conversion process. In other words, when a new camera model comes out the raw conversion software makers have to scramble to update their software to allow their users to convert that new camera's raw files. The other disadvantage is, as we mentioned previously, that the extremely high quality image needs to be extracted and cannot be used to print or post to the Internet until it has been extracted and converted into a format that can be used by Photoshop Elements 7, or any other image manipulation software. Now this is where Adobe Capture Raw comes in, or Capture One version 4.7, or any other raw conversion software package on the market today. Personally I use Capture One, and you can explore the reasons for my preference in the VTC Tutorial Capture One. Obviously the necessity to convert raw files can result in the expenditure of additional software unless you use Adobe Capture Raw, which, by the way, is kind of one of the weakest conversion software converters in use. And lastly, using raw files adds to your file storage requirements. Raw files are rather large and can quickly accumulate on your hard drive. Back up to DVDs is mandatory. I have stacks of hard drives all over my studio all filled to capacity with raw files. Now, let's take a look at TIFF files. Well, TIFF files feature a lossless compression algorithm which means you have complete capture of all of the image information from the raw file. TIFF files are a high quality universal file format that uses a standard algorithm so it can be recognized by Element 7 and any other image manipulation software package. TIFF files can utilize 16-bit color for the transfer of all color information when printing. Plus, when printing, TIFF files can be huge, especially when using high resolution, large size prints. Now TIFF files cannot be used on the Internet. You must convert them, yet again to a JPEG file, a far inferior image file format, not meant for printing even though many people do it. Now, this brings us to the issue of JPEG files, which is the format used for the Internet. Now JPEG files are, indeed, the file format of choice for the Internet. They are that because the file sizes are so small, which obviously translates to minimal storage requirements. JPEGs are good because, well, they're everywhere. Anyone and everyone can deal with JPEGs. Small file sizes, universal acceptance, make it a great file format. But the downside is that the image quality is far inferior to TIFF files. JPEGs are, in 99 percent of the cases, limited to 8-bit color rather than 12- or 16-bit color, which degrades the image quality, and there are some high-end professional DSLRs that can take a 14-bit JPEG but these cameras cost 5000 to 8000 dollars and simply are not worth the money just to get 14-bit JPEGs. As a result of the degraded image quality, JPEGs are not suitable for printing, although many people do it. Many print labs, in fact, will only accept JPEGs for no other reason than the file sizers are smaller, making it easier to handle, plus the latest algorithms for JPEG conversions have improved somewhat for the mass consumer. A printed JPEG, eh, does look acceptable but to the fine art print makers JPEGs do not yield good results when printing. Now, coming up in the next lesson I'm going to compare the various file types and show you specifically in pictures what the differences are.