Custom raw compression

1. Is it better to shoot RAW compressed or uncompressed?
2. Can you compress raw files?
3. Can raw files be compressed without losing information?
4. What is the difference between RAW and compressed RAW?

Is it better to shoot RAW compressed or uncompressed?

Shooting in Uncompressed Raw is recommended when both high image quality and developing speed are required. This format allows for faster processing using development software compared to lossless compressed RAW.

Can you compress raw files?

Sure. Open the file in a RAW editor, move it to a post processing application like PhotoShop and then save it as a JPEG or GIF. Both formats are compression routines that analyze the image and, depending on the compression setting, simplify the image data accordingly.

Can raw files be compressed without losing information?

Lossless Compacted – as the title implies, lossless compression means that the RAW file is compressed as an archive file without any loss of information.

What is the difference between RAW and compressed RAW?

As McKeegan explains, “An uncompressed Raw file is all the information from the sensor, wacked into a file and slung on a memory card, whereas compressed Raw files compress the data down.” As you may have guessed, the main benefit of the latter is smaller file size.