Why you should shoot RAW format for your holiday photos

I'm not talking about snapshots at the office holiday party. But if you're using a dSLR or high-end compact to capture family memories to cherish for years, shooting RAW format along with standard JPEGs will not only provide you with more image data to work with now (which translates into higher-quality files with more flexibility for adjustments), but as CNET's Stephen Shankland points out, shooting RAW now also gives you the opportunity to take better advantage of technology improvements in the future.

In his DeepTech blog, Shankland provides an in-depth explanation of the RAW files that all dSLRs and some high-end compacts shoot (essentially the unprocessed data taken straight from the camera's sensor) and makes a great point that I hadn't thought of before. While I appreciated that computers have much more processing power than cameras, so they can do a better job at processing a RAW image, it hadn't occurred to me that saving important photos in RAW format will allow you to revisit that file later as processing technology and algorithms continue to improve.  And that can make the holiday shots you take with your new dSLR gifts that keep on giving.

[Via CNET Deep Tech]