RAW v JPEG : A Shootout Challenge.

[480sparky]

OK, so my schedule today got shot out of the water, so I'm bouncing off the walls looking for something constructive to do.

So I came up with this "Shootout" challenge: RAW v JPEG....White Balance.


To demonstrate the difference between shooting RAW and JPEG, I set up a little experiment I'd like you to participate in. I set up my D7k to RAW + Jpeg/Fine/Large and took the following shot. White balance was set to Incandescent, and I included a gray card for testing purposes. No editing has been done to this image other than resize it so it uploaded to PhotoBucket quicker:

I then changed the white balance in the camera to Direct Sunlight. This obviously will produce a terrible yellow image, which looks like this:

I then loaded the NEF image with the incorrect white balance into NX2, and corrected the white balance. This is the result:

I'll put the Control image and the NEF Corrected White Balance images side-by-side so you can compare them:

The challenge I offer (for anyone who wants to try it) is to take the full-size JPEG image with the incorrect white balance and try to correct it, producing an image with the same color quality and depth as the Jpeg shot with the correct white balance.

The full-size incorrect white-balance JPEG can be seen & downloaded here. To give you the equivalent full-size control image (the first one in this post), click here. In other words, try to make the first linked image look like the second linked one. Let's see if anyone can accomplish this, and if so, hopefully they'll share their PP method.

 

[480sparky]

Wow? Not takers?

Has anyone even tried?

 

[EchoingWhisper]

This is the best I could do. Contrast increase is unavoidable. Used smart sharpen (color balance makes the picture murky), color balance (increase magenta slightly in highlights and midtones, increase blues in midtones and shadows, increase red and yellow slightly in highlights), vibrance (desaturated) and curves (to remove murkiness in the blown out part). Is this good enough (I didn't bother downloading the full size image)?

 

[EchoingWhisper]

Here is the animated GIF for the changes:

Here is the animated GIF for the difference between the NEF and mine:

 

[addicted2glass]

Raw Vs jpeg. You are using only jpegs to get the white balance the same as the first image? I would think that using a raw file to change the white balance and saving it as a jpeg is cheating.

 

[480sparky]

Raw Vs jpeg. You are using only jpegs to get the white balance the same as the first image? I would think that using a raw file to change the white balance and saving it as a jpeg is cheating.

The challenge is to take the incorrect white balance JPEG and get an image that's close to the correct white balance JPEG. The idea is to show why shooting raw can be a much better option. If you took an entire photo shoot (say, a kid's birthday party or football game) at the wrong white balance and you shot only JPEG, you can end up with some serious headaches. Shooting raw allows you to correct the problem, in post, with a simple click.

 

[EchoingWhisper]

Yes it is a headache and will be one. It is possible to repair the white balance but repairing 1000 photos is crazy.

 

[EchoingWhisper]

I would really want to see how others fix this.

 

[xzoup]

I'm new at raw and still learning, when I get the shot to look the way I think looks the best that's when I switch it over to jpeg.

 

[480sparky]

I'm new at raw and still learning, when I get the shot to look the way I think looks the best that's when I switch it over to jpeg.

It already is a jpeg.

 

[bianni]

i cheated by selecting areas and adjusting colors,

 

[Crollo]

No go. The floor is blue, not white.

 

[CanonEOS]

A better way to understand Jpeg vs Raw and to slove it,

JPEG vs RAW – Let’s Settle it With a Single Example:

 

[jkzo]

Here is the animated GIF for the changes:

Here is the animated GIF for the difference between the NEF and mine:

quite interesting

 

[snowbear]

I tried and, as I suspected, it failed - still a bit pink. I'll post results in the AM - I have to downsize the files.