What's the best format to export to?

[cinco312]

I just started shooting in Raw and was wondering what the best format would be to save my files? I use LR 5 and typically export to JPG for images that I share on social media sites. Not sure if I should save in the other formats for my personal collection and potential clients in the future.

 

[globeglimpser]

I use JPEG and have never given it much thought (until now). I know PNG is good for transparency but am actually unaware what's best for photographs.

 

[cinco312]

I just exporting an image in every format to compare. To me, they all look the same, I'm sure it's different once blown up and/or printed. There's a big difference in file sizes. JPG 10mb TIFF 40mb PSD 40mb DNG 60mb ORIG 17mb.

 

[ann]

I always export as a tiff file,

 

[SCraig]

It depends on what you want to do with them. For posting on the internet JPEG is fine. For printing either TIF or PNG works better, or even low-compression JPEG. JPEG is a lossy format whereas TIF and PNG are not. Another alternative is Adobe's self-proclaimed "Standard" DNG format however not everything can read that format so I avoid it.

 

[runnah]

Jpeg for web
Tiff for printing
Raw for storage

 

[KmH]

What's the best format to export to?

That depends on the output use.

PNG was designed for the web as a GIF file type replacement and was not developed for the production of professional quality prints.
Which is why PNG does not support non-RGB color spaces.

Humans cannot see the minute differences between a print made of an image from a JPEG file and a TIFF file. To be printed both file types need to have an 8-bit color depth.
While TIFF can be saved as a layered file - JPEG can't, so TIFF is often used for commercial images so an advertising agency's art department can edit the file by layer to suit their publication needs.
TIFF files, even when flattened so they have no layers, are many times larger than JPEG files.
Many online print labs don't accept TIFF files by dint of their many times larger file size as a means to most efficiently use their image file storage space.

The bottom line is that different file types have different uses, so there is no one-size-fits-all answer.
Use the file type appropriate to the image use.

DNG is a Raw file type as is NEF, CR2, CRW, ARI, DRF, FFF, RW1, RW2, RWZ, yada, yada, yada.
DNG is an open source file type while most other Raw file types (there are over 100) are proprietary.
Many digital cameras use DNG as their native Raw file type.

 

[jaomul]

No best as said but if all the required editing is already carried out there may be no use for anything but a full quality jpeg at this point for most users

 

[TCampbell]

Never "convert" your images from RAW. That's what they should be ... eternally. That's sort of the point of RAW.

When you are finished adjusting them in Lightroom, just leave them alone. No need to export.

When you want to share or print, then export ... cropped to the size needed for that specific use (your native images are likely in a 3:2 aspect ratio, but most printing sizes require at least modest cropping for the print). JPEG for web. You can use JPEG or TIFF for printing purposes. TIFF is non-lossy. JPEG is lossy. But the lossy nature of JPEG won't reveal itself if the quality is set high -and- if nobody tries to adjust them.