If you shoot and save your images in the JPEG format then you have already thrown away some of the original information that the camera captured when the shot was taken. This cannot be retrieved.

In most circumstances, this will not matter and the vast majority of high quality JPEG images produce highly acceptable and pleasing results.

Your camera itself may save the image as a JPEG in which case, its internal processing has already discarded some of the original information. If you then subsequently manipulate the file on your computer and then re-save, even more information is lost. As the file loses information, so the image becomes progressively degraded.

Things are worse with JPEGs over some other formats as the process also compresses the file when it is saved leading to even greater potential degradation of the final image. With a TIFF image, not so much data is lost.

If

you want to avoid loss of image information, then shoot in RAW format. Then make a copy of the resulting file and save the original as a "master”. Use the copy to work on and save as a JPEG. You can then always go back to the original RAW (don't forget to make a copy!) and regain the original information once more before working on it further.

Tell Your Friend