I'm greener than I thought...

[Josée]

Wow, in reading some of these posts, I've realized I'm WAAAAAY newer to photography than I thought...what exactly are all the file types you're all talikng about, such as 8-bit or 16-bit RAW, TIFF, etc?

[Keith]

i would say the majority of us use RAW Files when we shoot, then we post process into TIFF files for printing albeit some still use .jpg. I use 16 bit files for printing as I get a better gamut of color but 8bit is good for most. I use jpg only for websizing and posting..........

what format do you shoot in?

Wow, in reading some of these posts, I've realized I'm WAAAAAY newer to photography than I thought...what exactly are all the file types you're all talikng about, such as 8-bit or 16-bit RAW, TIFF, etc?

[Kevin]

This whole area of digital photography is very much overwhelming. I've been seriously trying to learn it and I've got a pretty good grasp on most items. Where I haven't delved into yet is profiling/printing. (Trying to get your picture in Photoshop to print looking relatively close to what's on your monitor).

But, everyone is on the same path, just different locations on it. Asking questions is a great way to learn. Sometimes answers can be given. Other times a link to a great resource is given. Either way, the speed at which you learn is directly related to how much time you're willing to spend reading and learning. :)

As to your question, cameras generally allow you to shoot your files as jpgs or as RAW files. Each manufacturer will have a different file extension for their RAW files (CRW/CR2=Canon, NEF=Nikon, RAF=Fuji, etc). You need software to work on the RAW file (ACR-Adobe, DPP-Canon's, Capture-Nikon's, RawShooters, Bibble, CaptureOne, etc). In those programs, you're able to manipulate or tweek your image to your liking.

I'm not certain on all other programs but I use RawShooters to open my RAW file and manipulate it then "convert" it to a TIFF file which opens in Photoshop. There I can do some additional things to the image and from there save it as a jpg, leave it as TIFF or save it as a PSD (Photoshop's proprietary file type).

The difference in 16-bit and 8-bit really boils down to 16-bit giving you more latitude when making corrections or applying special affects without degrading the image quality (file).

Hope this helps a little.

[Josée]

what format do you shoot in?

Honestly I don't think I'm really 'shooting' in anything at this point...all I have is my little Kodak 4300 P&S...I've saved up for a DSLR but I'm still not sure what I want...

I used to use an old Ricoh KR-10 SLR...

Hope this helps a little

Sure does! Thank you for taking the time to answer that for me!