Image Quality Settings Explained: RAW, JPEG, Bit Depth & What I Actually Choose

 

One of the most misunderstood areas in photography isn’t exposure. It’s image quality settings.

 

If your photos look “pixelated,” don’t print well, or feel limited in editing — the issue often isn’t your camera. It’s how the files are being recorded.

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Let’s break this down clearly.

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1. File Type: RAW vs JPEG vs RAW + JPEG

📁 JPEG

When set to JPEG, the camera converts the raw sensor data into a finished file.

The camera:

• Applies contrast

• Applies sharpening

• Applies white balance

• Compresses the data

• Throws away information

 

JPEG is smaller, lighter, and ready to share just about anywhere. But it has less flexibility in post-processing because much of the original data is permanently discarded. That means there isn't much room to reinterpret the image after you push the button.

 

Good for:

• Fast delivery

• High-volume shooting

• Situations where you don’t plan to heavily edit

 

Limitations:

• Less dynamic range

• Less color depth

• Less recovery room in highlights and shadows

 

📁 RAW

A raw file isn't an image — it’s unprocessed data from the sensor.

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Raw contains:

• Full sensor data

• Maximum dynamic range

• Greater color information

• No processing

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It looks flatter out of camera because no adjustments like contrast or saturation have been baked in yet. That “rawness” is flexibility.

 

RAW files give you significantly more flexibility when adjusting:

• Exposure

• White balance

• Highlights

• Shadows

• Color grading

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If image quality is your priority, RAW is the foundation. Since raw is data, not a picture, each camera manufacturer has its own proprietary recording format with its own file extension -- NEF for Nikon Electronic Format, CR2 for Canon Raw, and so on. Raw files require a raw converter, like Lightroom or DXO, to interpret and edit.

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📁 RAW + JPEG

This records both files simultaneously. Some cameras can split the file types to different card slots.

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You get:

• A quick-share JPEG

• A flexible RAW file

 

Useful when:

• You need speed and flexibility

• You’re shooting events

• You want backups in two formats

 

Downside:

• More storage

• Larger card usage

• Slower buffer clearing

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2. Image Size & Resolution (Pixel Dimensions)​

Image size settings in-camera (Large, Medium, Small) simply determine how many pixels are recorded. For reference, a 24 megapixel camera image sensor is roughly 6000 × 4000 pixels, so the Large setting on that camera would record 6000 x 4000 pixels

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High resolution is more than sufficient for:

• 18×24 prints

• 20×30 prints

• Even larger canvases

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If you’re being told your file is “too small,” it’s usually one of these issues:

• The file was resized during export

• It was compressed for social media

• It was heavily cropped

• The wrong export settings were used

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If you want maximum print and cropping potential, always choose Large.

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3. Compression Levels & Bit Depth (The Important Part Most People Skip)

This is where real quality differences happen.

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Bit Depth: 12-bit vs 14-bit RAW

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Bit depth controls how much tonal information is recorded per pixel.

• 12-bit RAW records 4,096 tonal levels per channel.

• 14-bit RAW records 16,384 tonal levels per channel.

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That’s not a small difference. Higher bit depth = smoother gradients and better highlight recovery. If your camera allows it, 14-bit gives you the most data to work with.

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RAW Compression: Uncompressed vs Compressed

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Some cameras offer:

• Uncompressed RAW

• Lossless compressed RAW

• Compressed RAW

 

Compression reduces file size. But depending on the method, it may discard subtle data. There's often no noticeable difference between lossless compressed and uncompressed. When I want maximum archival quality, I choose the least compressed RAW option available.

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JPEG Quality: Fine vs Normal vs Basic

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This controls compression for JPEGs only. More compression = less archival information and detail and smaller files.

• Fine or Fine+ = less compression, better quality

• Normal = more compression, smaller file

• Basic = most compression, smallest file

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If you’re shooting JPEG, choose Fine. When you choose a lower quality, you're throwing away a lot of data that you bought your sensor for.

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What I Personally Choose (And Why)​

This is where intention matters. There is no universal “correct” setting. There's only alignment between purpose and outcome.

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🎨 For Personal Art or Anything With Long-Term Value

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I choose:

• RAW

• Highest bit depth available

• Least compressed option

• Full resolution (Large)

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Why? I think of raw files as information archives. Raw gives me the most information I can possibly record visually about that scene, meaning I have the most room to interpret the file at any later date, with new software as it becomes available. Because you can't recreate data that was never recorded.

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If there's any chance the image could become:

• Fine art

• A large print

• A portfolio piece

• A legacy image

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I want the most complete file possible. Storage is cheap. But I can't go back and record detail.

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🏃‍♂️ For Most Paid Jobs​

I choose:

• Compressed RAW (if buffer speed matters)

• Full resolution

 

Why? Paid work requires flexibility, but usually not museum-level archival quality. I still want fast capture speed and efficient workflow. Compressed RAW still gives editing flexibility but improves workflow efficiency.

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⚽ For Kids Sports Where I Deliver Unedited Files​

I choose:

• JPEG

• Fine quality

• Large size

• Picture profile dialed in-camera

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Why? I usually provide these photos complimentary to other parents with kids on the same team. The volume is more than I want to sit down and edit. By dialing in exposure, color, and contrast how I want it in camera, I can shoot files that are ready to send immediately. In this case efficiency is worth more to me than post-production flexibility and archival information.

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The Real Point

Your image quality settings determine:

• How much flexibility you have later

• How large you can print or how much you can crop

• How much tonal data you preserve

• How future-proof your work is

 

If you care about longevity, growth, or mastery, choose the highest quality your camera offers. You can always compress later. You can never add back information that wasn’t recorded.