Quote Originally Posted by Firestarter


You guys already mentioned that RAW gives you more flexibility in post-processing, which is - of course - absolutely true. But for me, there is one more major reason I never use JPEGs to shoot my images: JPEGs are 8-bit and they simply do not contain all the important color and tonal data necessary included in RAW files to achieve high quality photos.


Even if your printer is not capable of using 16-bit information, all post-processing and tweaking should be done in 16-bit to preserve smoothness of transitions/gradations in your photographs. It is equally important for color and B&W. Only after you process, you could convert to 8 bits.


And BTW, the pro line of Canon printers is capable of printing in 16 bits, which, of course, stretches the gamut and makes both color and tonality richer.


For those who only view their photos on computer or TV screen, JPEGs are good enough.
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And with those comments brings into question color space and color management, sRGB vs Adobe RGB etc. Now I know if you shot and process RAW files it doesn't matter what your cameras color space is set on. RAW files already contain all the image data. However if you do shoot in Jpeg, especially for prints then it does matter.
A popular misconception is that sRGB is the industry standard. Maybe for wally world but not a professional photo print shop or for publication. sRGB is the Internet standard, not the industry standard for print.


What are your Workspace and color management profile settings in your image processing software, and your printer? Ever wonder why your pictures don't look the same when you print them as they do on your computer screen?


What resolution is your image vs dimension size. i.e 72ppi or 300ppi. For the internet 72 is pretty much the standard, however for print 300 is often the recommended.