ESFotoClix Blog

The question of whether to shoot in JPG or RAW, and what if any are the advantages of using the RAW format comes up often. The following is not a definitive proof of the benefits of one approach vs. the other, but a sampling of how “getting it right” in camera with JPG shooting works when compared to getting right or almost right in-camera with RAW, then following up with some post-processing tweaks. We will approach this by answering 3 basic questions: (1) How does an out-of-camera (OOC) JPG compare to a JPG resulting from straight-up, none-edited conversion from RAW in post processing; (2) How do minor exposure adjustments to a fairly well-exposed OOC JPG compare to a JPG resulting from the same adjustments on the RAW file; and (3) How do white balance (WB) adjustments on the OOC JPG compare to a JPG resulting from the same adjustments on the RAW file?

Equipment, setup and software used
Images were taken with a Nikon D80 and AF 35-70 f/2.8 lens, using the “Normal” picture mode and WB=Direct sunlight. A tripod was also used to ensure exact framing. Straight conversions to JPG and 16-bit TIF were performed in ViewNX without any adjustments. All exposure and WB adjustments were performed in Paintshop Pro X2, ensuring that the same adjustment was applied to both the OOC JPG and its corresponding TIF version. JPG files resulting from adjusted original files were saved using the same and high JPG quality settings in Paintshop Pro X2.

Comparison of OOC JPG against post-converted RAW-to-JPG version
To answer the first question, here are two sample image pairs. You decide what, if any, are the differences between the OOC JPG and the RAW-to-JPG converted (using ViewNX, in this case) versions. Please note that the OOC JPGs are going to be rotated as I did not want to make any modifications to the camera output (and saving JPG is a lossy process).

OOC JPG	ViewNX JPG

Comparison of exposure-compensated OOC JPG against post-converted RAW-to-TIF version
Now we start by toning down the highlights and adjusting midtones with the Highlight/Midtone/Shadow (HMS) tool, then adding a little contrast with Unsharp Mask (USM) as I prefer doing to some of my images to add pop; and I do this both with the OOC image and the RAW (after 16-bit TIF conversion in ViewNX).

Edited OOC JPG	Edited TIF

Since the exposures we’ve seen were a tad clipped in the highlights, I took a second set of sample pairs, this time with -0.7EV of compensation. Here are the OOC JPGs, prior any adjusments. As you can see, the highlights are in better shape, but the shadows and midtones are under-exposed and dull.

OOC JPG 1	OOC JPG 2

Comparison of WB and exposure-compensated OOC JPG against post-converted RAW-to-TIF version
And here they are after using the HSM tool to bring out the shadows and lighten the midtones a bit, and some USM contrast added in. I would point you in particular to the color/shade transitions in the blue tile for the first sample pair and to the color/shade transitions in the red petals of the second sample pair. See a difference, and if so, is it significant enough for you?

Edited OOC JPG	Edited TIF

Finally, we look at the third question and adjust WB to better resemble the colors in the scene. We do this with the images taken with -0.7EV for the first sample pair, so we also have to add the exposure adjustments discussed above. Again, look for color transitions, and if you are so inclined, go digging through the shadows in pixel-peep mode and see what you find.

OOC JPG	ViewNX TIF

This is a controversial subject and one where expressing any hard conclusions is bound to be unproductive in the face of what is ultimate a matter of preference for many digital photographers. I will say that given these very mild (low contrast) and unchallenging (regarding exposure) images, even the subtle differences I can see are enough for me to continue shooting and enjoying the benefits of the RAW format. I will try and come with additional samples, and if anything more significant than these results comes of it, I will follow-up with a future blog entry.

If like me, you don’t have that Ansel Adams knack for visualizing an image in gray tones, perhaps the following tips will help you figure out how your photographs can work as Black and White (B&W) images. First, if you want to receive immediate feedback as to what your image will look like, shoot monochrome. This may be a paradigm shift for you because the experts have told you to capture in color, then convert to B&W in post-processing. The myth, left over from the days before you had a competent DSLR, is that capturing directly into B&W is an irreversible process. Not so if you capture RAW images.

When you do this, avoid if you can the blah grayscale option. Instead apply color filtering to your B&W capture. Here’s what I do with either of my DSLRs (Nikon D80 and D90). I go into the Picture Mode (D80) or Picture Control (D90) menu and select the monochrome option and enable a color filter. Which color you use is up to you, but I find red, orange and yellow to give me the best results for most situations, and I use green occasionally. When you select one of these color filters, this is somewhat equivalent to attaching a physical color filter of the same color without having to worry about having the right diameter for your particular lens. Nifty, but keep in mind that it’s not perfect. Think of it as an approximation to give you a rough idea of how a B&W capture will work out.

Nikon D80 Monochrome filters

Nikon D90 Monochrome filters

Make sure you set the camera’s capture format to RAW, and later, if you repent from having chosen B&W, or if you want to try a different filtering technique, you can switch back to color. With Nikon RAW files (NEF), ViewNX will let you swap Picture Controls to revert back to color. Whether you do this or capture your original image in color, this brings us to our next option for generating B&W images with pop to them.

Bring your color image into your editor of choice, make any adjustments you want to make to color, white balance, sharpness, or whatever else you want to modify, and then bring up your application’s color filtering tool — again avoid the grayscale conversion. In Paintshop Pro X2 (PSPX2), this interface presents you with a color wheel, as shown below, that lets you set any color filtering you want. You can start to see the additional flexibility in this approach: you can have a plethora of shades of yellow or green or cyan (try finding that filter at your camera store) or anything in between, allowing you to tweak the output exactly as you want it.

To demonstrate how this works, let’s review a couple of images from yesterday’s discussion.

B&W, as shot in-camera	Color, reverted from RAW in ViewNX with White balance correction
B&W conversion with color filtering in PSPX2	Result from B&W conversion (including contrast and sharpening)
B&W, as shot in-camera	Color, reverted from RAW in ViewNX with White balance correction
B&W conversion with color filtering in PSPX2	Result from B&W conversion (including contrast and sharpening)

As you can see, applying color filtering for B&W conversion in post-processing gives the greatest flexibility and enables you to improve monochrome output quality. My recommended approach is to shoot RAW with a Monochrome filter in the field to preview whether a shot works as B&W on the spot, i.e., as an aid to visualization, then go home and tweak away in post-processing to optimize and maximize the quality of the final image.

One word of caution with this approach: it just so happens that the filters I like best, red and orange, tend to reveal more noise in blue skies. Green filters, on the other hand, produce the least noise. We could get technical here about Bayer sensors containing a majority of green pixels which when excluded with red or orange filtering leaves us with a noisy image. But instead I’ll just recommend that you experiment to see how this approach works for you.

The question of what makes a good Black and White (B&W) photograph has puzzled me more than any other photography-related issue. Frankly, for some time I operated under the principle that I never saw a B&W image that didn’t look better in color. Then came a trip to Paris this last spring. Following someone’s observation that “Paris was made for B&W photography,” I gave B&W a try, even setting my camera to capture RAW files with a monochrome color profile. I was amazed.

After reviewing my results and trying out B&W on images from before and after the Paris trip, I still don’t feel like I completely understand and appreciate B&W, but I have come to the following guidelines to decide whether I should even consider an image for a B&W treatment.

• First, if color is an intrinsic, required element of the image, for instance if the image is about an explosion of color, it is unlikely that it will work well in B&W. I say “unlikely” because there are always exceptions.
• Second, if the image is more about form or line, and/or if color is a distraction or a lesser component, consider B&W as a viable, sometimes preferable alternative.
• Third, B&W images work best when they have black and white in them, and preferably whites should not come from blown highlights and blacks should not come from under-exposed shadows. Look around and see whether you have dark and light colors and visualize whether these will turn into good blacks and whites.
• My fourth, more informal guideline is “don’t use B&W to salvage a photograph with a blown-out or otherwise uninteresting sky.” Maybe other people can use B&W to save a bad sky, but my experience is that a bad sky tends to stay a bad sky, no matter what I do.

To see these two guidelines at work, let’s use some images that put them into practice. This image was one where I actually tried to visualize what this would look like in B&W, but took the image in color. When I got home and tried various conversion methods, none yielded a good result. After scratching my head for a while I realized I was fighting a losing battle. Even though there are some cool forms in this shot and a curvy diagonal formed by the rocky hillside, color is an important element because it helps to separate the shades of green from the tans in the rock face. In the end I don’t think this shot is all that remarkable in color, so overall, maybe it’s just a plain miss.

Before I took this next shot in the Paris subway, I had a sense it would work in B&W. In fact, I took it with my Nikon D90 set to capture RAW with a Monochrome Picture control (which we’ll discuss further tomorrow). As far as I can tell, my hunch was correct. What makes this photo work in B&W better than color? Those strong vanishing lines really pop in B&W, and note that where the lines travel, the prevailing colors are gray tones, anyway. In addition, other colors are somewhat of a distraction and draw the eye away from our subject — that mysterious, beautiful lady walking away from us, and not those bright yellow signs to either side of her. Yes, it would be nice if we could keep her red coat in the image, but we’ll leave selective color for another day. We can also point out an emotional, less objective component: B&W better fits the mood of a busy, metropolitan subway.

I captured this final image in Monochrome mode as well, and later converted to color. Immediately, right in-camera, I knew I had something I found appealing. Now, looking back, I can understand why this image tends to work better in B&W. First, is color an important component of this image? Only to the extent that it lends some warmth to the scene, but the dim lighting and near monotone colors lend themselves to a B&W treatment. More so in this image, it is the emotional component, that noir feeling one gets in a dimly lit place like a bar or an intimate nighttime café that makes B&W work so well here.

As we wrap up this little discussion, I don’t know that I’ve helped you much in deciding for yourself whether an image will do better in B&W than in color. You might even disagree with some of my assessments above and, for instance, prefer all three of these examples in color, as I used to before I went on my trip to Paris. If so, I recommend you allow yourself to look at your own images afresh and see if you can find some that would benefit from a B&W approach. As you do remember that it’s your vision that matters, and that some images may serve equally strong and valid purposes in both B&W and color.

Come back tomorrow as we look at some techniques to capture and post process B&W images.