RAWformaatti

RAWformaatti is a term that refers to data in its original, unprocessed state, particularly in the context of digital photography. When a digital camera captures an image in a RAW format, it stores the minimally processed data directly from the image sensor. This means that information such as color, exposure, and white balance is captured with the greatest fidelity possible, without the in-camera processing that occurs when saving to formats like JPEG.

Images saved in RAW format are not immediately viewable or editable by standard image viewing software without specialized applications or plugins. This is because RAW files are proprietary to camera manufacturers and contain a complex data structure. Photographers often choose to shoot in RAW to retain maximum flexibility in post-processing. This allows for more extensive adjustments to exposure, highlights, shadows, white balance, and color saturation without degrading the image quality as much as would occur with a processed format like JPEG.

The process of converting a RAW file into a usable format like JPEG or TIFF is called "developing" or "processing." This is typically done using software such as Adobe Lightroom, Adobe Photoshop (with Camera Raw), Capture One, or proprietary software provided by the camera manufacturer. During this development process, the photographer makes decisions about how the image will ultimately look, applying adjustments and then exporting the final, processed image. While RAW files offer significant advantages for image manipulation, they also require more storage space and a dedicated workflow.