What is RAW? Explained in a simple and understandable way

If you deal with image processing and photography, you will quickly come across the term "RAW". We'll tell you what it is and whether you really need it.

Photography and image editing: what are RAW files?

• The term "RAW" stands for a file format in which images are saved. The English word "raw" means "raw". Mostly, only higher quality digital cameras can save images in RAW format.
• As a rule, digital cameras convert the photos taken directly into a common image format such as JPG or PNG. The data of the image is compressed and the size of the file to be saved decreases considerably. This allows you to take more photos until the memory card is full.
• However, images in the untreated RAW format have the advantage that the image has not yet been technically processed. Because the image was not saved as a smaller JPG image, it takes up much more space on the memory card.
• Due to the large amount of storage space, RAW images are not suitable for normal users of a digital camera. The compression in JPG format is primarily intended to save space and only lead to low quality losses. RAW images are therefore mostly aimed only at professional users who later want to edit their images extensively on the computer.

For more information, see the practical tips below on the differences between JPG and RAW.