What software do you use to open the RAW files?

I use Nikon's Capture NX software. I almost never shoot anything but RAW files. With RAW i am in total control.

It's amazing to which extent you can adjust the picture before it "breaks"

my husband won't let me take anything in RAW! He doesn't like the memory issue and he's the man here for storing everything... little by little I'm convincing him. There are some of my pictures that I would love to have taken in RAW for future use... How would I 'technically' explain the benes of this to him?

My girlfriend takes ev. in RAW and then comes home and downloads it all on a separate system... I've tried to explain all this, but I have little technical knowledge yet. I'm thinking of taking a photography class... a good place to start.

Asegir, I hope you feel better soon.

These are the benefits:

* Higher image quality. Because all the calculations (such as applying the gamma curve, white balance, brightness, contrast, etc...) used to generate pixel values (in RGB format for most images) are performed in one step on the base data, the resultant pixel values will be more accurate and exhibit less posterization.

* JPEG is a lossy compression format. Raw formats are either uncompressed or use lossless compression, so the maximum amount of image detail is always kept within the RAW file.

* Finer control. Using RAW conversion software allows users to manipulate more parameters (such as lightness, white balance, hue, saturation, etc...) and do so with greater variability. For example, the white point can be set to any value, not just discrete values like "daylight" or "incandescent".

* Camera raw files have 12 or 14 bits of intensity information, not the gamma-compressed 8 bits typically stored in processed TIFF and JPEG files; since the data is not yet rendered and clipped to a color space gamut, more precision may be available in highlights, shadows, and saturated colors.

* The working color space can be set to whatever is desired.

* Different algorithms can be used, not just the one coded into the camera.

One drawback only:

* Memory use

(Benefits taken from Wikipedia. Couldn't have said it better myself)

One drawback only:

* Memory use

that's the thing... but, thanks for this.

appreciate you feedback, Asegir.

thanks!