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I start out with a RAW pic, now

When I PS it & save as PSD is this similar quality to saving as a jpeg ?

What usable quality could I expect out of it, meaning what size I could I get a print out of it ( 6x4 , 5x7 etc etc ) before quality becomes an issue ?

Should I always file finished pic as a tiff ?

Now, say I have saved as a PSD, can I save that again as a tiff ?

Will I lose quality in doing this ?

Thanks,

Mic.

Hi Mic.

The advantage of saving as a PSD file is that it keeps all the layers and channels and stuff in the file. If you save it as a TIF file you can keep the layers I think, but PSD would be better suited. PSD and TIF both save the data without losing image quality. Therefore they are better quality than a JPEG, and if you convert your RAW files to a 16bit TIF, then you are getting the best quality that you can.

Regards,
Owen.

mic wrote:I start out with a RAW pic, now

When I PS it & save as PSD is this similar quality to saving as a jpeg ?

Better, assuming that there is no lossy compression.

What usable quality could I expect out of it, meaning what size I could I get a print out of it ( 6x4 , 5x7 etc etc ) before quality becomes an issue ?

Assuming no crop, you should be able to print rather large, before pixelation becomes too evident, easily 8x10 with the standard 3008x2000 size file. But, that depends on the dpi you want to print and what software you're using for printing.

Should I always file finished pic as a tiff ?

Dunno. Depends on what you want to do. You can save as PNG, which is a good lossless compression, but you'll lose EXIF. You could save as TIF, which can also be lossless compression and include EXIF, but it will be a large file. You could save as the best quality JPG, which is lossy, but prolly wouldn't hurt a great deal, at best quality and would preserve EXIF. Personally, I'd keep the original RAW and save as PNG or JPG. Keeping the original RAW would allow you to use future RAW conversion software, which might be able to extract better images from the RAW file.

Now, say I have saved as a PSD, can I save that again as a tiff ?

Will I lose quality in doing this ?

Yes, you can save as TIF anytime and no, you shouldn't lose quality, assuming you don't do something else that's destructive.

Thanks Mic for asking the questions a lot of us "RAW recruits" were thinking and a particular thank you to Owen and Kerry for allowing us to pick your brains.

I've always been a little confused over the extent to which I can manipulate an image, or the methods of saving it, without losing EXIF data.

The fog is slowly lifting....

I've printed a multiple 8x12's from normal local labs that look perfect photo quality.

Thanks guys, this is good stuff for my feeble mind to absorb.

Mic.

Personally, I use TIF format for most of my editing.
It keeps EXIF, has lossless compression, and maintains layers.
I quite regularly print 8x12s (250dpi) & 11x14s from this & am very happy with the IQ (though it does vary with labs).
Having said that, my business partner and I have printed quite a few 20x32 images and he shoots jpeg. So although the end file is often TIF, it has already been compressed at one stage.
We upres the files in PS and get excellent portrait style prints from 6mp images, which do not need as much detail as something like a large group shot (and only if you want to see individual faces clearly).
However, printing at these larger sizes means further viewing distances (on a wall etc.), so the image holds up quite well unless you are staring closely at the photo.
jpeg artifacts can sometimes be apparent at even smaller sizes, which is why I shoot RAW & convert to TIF, but then, I'm @nal.
As always, YMMV.

Joolz