RAW, JPEG or TIFF 

Your digital camera normally stores your images in a format called JPEG (Joint-Photographic-Experts-Group). This format has been chosen as a standard format because it allows the compression of images so that they take up less space on your memory card. This would appear to be a significant advantage, but unfortunately another result from using this format is a reduction in quality. Using the JPEG format the photo is compressed to take up as little memory as possible. Fortunately, many cameras allow you to store your photos in different formats.

Choose RAW if you can

More and more cameras allow you to store your images in the RAW format. The name of this format indicates that it contains all raw data captured by the light receptive sensor of the camera (the CCD) during exposure. For this very reason the RAW format is the best choice when you need to be able to work on your photos on your computer back home. So if you want to make sure to get the best possible quality you should go for RAW. 

Choosing the right format for your photos/files is something you need to consider even before you start shooting.
 
A RAW image is sometimes referred to as a digital negative. This format allows the photographer a much better control of different parameters than other formats because the image is not actually “developed” until it is post treated using one of a wide variety of programs. It is often possible to correct very incorrect exposure, wrong colours, or even blurring caused by camera shake.
        Because RAW images are not compressed they take up much more space on your memory card than JPEG images. They are, however, absolutely worth the extra capacity. RAW images actually take up much less space than uncompressed TIFF images. In other words, when you choose the RAW format you choose the best possible quality using a minimum of memory capacity.  
 
TIFF
Some cameras allow the photographer to store his images in the TIFF format. As you will soon realise if you try taking a few photos in this format, TIFF requires quite a lot of space. This means that not only does the camera require an inordinate amount of time for storing your data on the memory card, but also that your memory card will only hold quite few images. For this reason it is, generally, not a good idea to store your images directly in the TIFF format. Images in magazines and books have most often been converted into the TIFF format only just before they were printed.
 
Software
Many different types of software allow you to work on your RAW images on your computer in your home. These programs are undergoing constant development and new programs are constantly being marketed. It is often possible to download free trial versions of these programs, this can help you choose what program you prefer. When you start working on your RAW images for the first time you will be surprised of the extent to which you can change your images on your computer.
 

The greatest advantage of the RAW format is that there are so many ways of using it creatively.
 
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