Fuji JPEG editing do or don't?

Todd Jones · Sep 15, 2018

Hi all. This question has been bothering me lately. I shoot raw + jpeg but find it's so much easier getting the look I want wether B&W or COLOR by just editing the jpeg file I Lightroom. I honestly can't see any degradation of the file. Tweak the tone curve, adjust whites, blacks, exposure, reduce saturation, vignette or whatever. Probably the only thing I don't do is sharpen.

I know, why don't I just do the same to the raw file? Because it just takes a lot longer. A lot. And multiply by 100+ images and kiss your evening good bye.

So what do you think? Do you only edit raw? Or are you editing your jpegs? How much? Do you see degradation, if so how? Thanks a bunch!

dual12 · Sep 15, 2018

I only crop or perspective correct jpeg. Jpeg has already been edited by Fujifilm.

Sal Baker · Sep 15, 2018

Todd Jones said:
Hi all. This question has been bothering me lately. I shoot raw + jpeg but find it's so much easier getting the look I want wether B&W or COLOR by just editing the jpeg file I Lightroom. I honestly can't see any degradation of the file. Tweak the tone curve, adjust whites, blacks, exposure, reduce saturation, vignette or whatever. Probably the only thing I don't do is sharpen.

I know, why don't I just do the same to the raw file? Because it just takes a lot longer. A lot. And multiply by 100+ images and kiss your evening good bye.

So what do you think? Do you only edit raw? Or are you editing your jpegs? How much? Do you see degradation, if so how? Thanks a bunch!

Very light edits should be OK. The bigger issue is saving the edited jpeg as a jpeg again. Try to avoid 2 or more generations of 8-bit compression. RAW allows you to edit and then save the final image as a first generation jpeg.

Sal

Todd Jones · Sep 15, 2018

Sal Baker said:
Todd Jones said:

Hi all. This question has been bothering me lately. I shoot raw + jpeg but find it's so much easier getting the look I want wether B&W or COLOR by just editing the jpeg file I Lightroom. I honestly can't see any degradation of the file. Tweak the tone curve, adjust whites, blacks, exposure, reduce saturation, vignette or whatever. Probably the only thing I don't do is sharpen.

I know, why don't I just do the same to the raw file? Because it just takes a lot longer. A lot. And multiply by 100+ images and kiss your evening good bye.

So what do you think? Do you only edit raw? Or are you editing your jpegs? How much? Do you see degradation, if so how? Thanks a bunch!

Click to expand...

Very light edits should be OK. The bigger issue is saving the edited jpeg as a jpeg again. Try to avoid 2 or more generations of 8-bit compression. RAW allows you to edit and then save the final image as a first generation jpeg.

Sal

Understood. I do try to only export once regardless of the size I need. If I need another size of the same image then it's another export.

Elyharbour · Sep 15, 2018

I do it all the time (JPEGs instead of RAW) if I'm travelling or short of time and if you want to use a mobile app such as VSCO, Snapseed, Google Photos or whatever, you have to use the JPEG. The sort of adjustments you want to make are fine. Don't expect to start pulling back skies by -2EV or whatever, else you'll get horrible banding. As a rule, I'll always develop RAW files for landscapes with sky, or any extreme DR. Otherwise, family, travel, street shots within normal exposure limits I'm happy with the JPEG most of the time. I usually add just a touch of sharpening, but it depends on how much is done in the camera.

LBThang · Sep 15, 2018

I do not use Lightroom, but isn't there an option to save edits XMP files? I do that on Adobe Bridge.

A couple of things about editing JPGs that came to mind

- It is a good idea to back up the originals. This way, if you after repetitive edits have found the edits you like, you can get a new copy of the original, and make those edits on a fresh image. (My experience - When you think you got it right, do not think that is the final edit. I have changed my mind and re-edited some 15year old photos many, many times.)

- The most destructive edit is lens corrections and rotations (these alter every single pixel every time you apply them) Make sure that when you rotate, you get it right the first time, instead of rotating, and then rotating again. If you don't get it right, undo and try again. Cropping is Ok, it only deletes the pixels you cut off, and leaves the rest untouched.

- Make sure you don't burn highlights/shadows. when they are gone, you cannot get them back.

Todd Jones · Sep 15, 2018

Elyharbour said:
I do it all the time (JPEGs instead of RAW) if I'm travelling or short of time and if you want to use a mobile app such as VSCO, Snapseed, Google Photos or whatever, you have to use the JPEG. The sort of adjustments you want to make are fine. Don't expect to start pulling back skies by -2EV or whatever, else you'll get horrible banding. As a rule, I'll always develop RAW files for landscapes with sky, or any extreme DR. Otherwise, family, travel, street shots within normal exposure limits I'm happy with the JPEG most of the time. I usually add just a touch of sharpening, but it depends on how much is done in the camera.

excellent post and that has been my experience!

Elyharbour · Sep 15, 2018

Lr is a parametric editor whatever the original file, so nothing gets changed in the original so long as the output is a new file (not over-written). Even for RAWs I use the prefix LR-xxxx to differentiate the LR output from the SOOC JPEG if I'm shooting RAW+JEPG.

dv312 · Sep 15, 2018

With Fuji I tend to edit the JPGs more often for they're so good to start with , especially in the film types I chose to shoot with

The JPGs are large enough not to yield side effects when edited

I only edit RAF when I shoot landscapes and the light is challenging

In short, JPG editing is fine and sufficient in most cases AFAIC

Todd Jones · Sep 15, 2018

LBThang said:
I do not use Lightroom, but isn't there an option to save edits XMP files? I do that on Adobe Bridge.

Yes, and i do.

LBThang said:
A couple of things about editing JPGs that came to mind

- It is a good idea to back up the originals. This way, if you after repetitive edits have found the edits you like, you can get a new copy of the original, and make those edits on a fresh image. (My experience - When you think you got it right, do not think that is the final edit. I have changed my mind and re-edited some 15year old photos many, many times.)

Lightroom keeps the original jpeg, just like raw and keeps the edits as instructions to the jpeg, raw.

LBThang said:
- The most destructive edit is lens corrections and rotations (these alter every single pixel every time you apply them) Make sure that when you rotate, you get it right the first time, instead of rotating, and then rotating again. If you don't get it right, undo and try again. Cropping is Ok, it only deletes the pixels you cut off, and leaves the rest untouched.

The jpegs are already lens corrected (if fuji lenses) so good there. And again I believe the rotation or any manipulation is only instructions an not saved to the original image!

LBThang said:
- Make sure you don't burn highlights/shadows. when they are gone, you cannot get them back.

Yep for sure!

tdwesbo · Sep 15, 2018

Since about 2010 I only shoot raw occasionally (when i know in advance that I’ll need it). I’m perfectly comfortable allowing the camera to conduct the first step in my workflow... I really like the jpg output from all of my current cameras.

I know it isn’t for everybody, but this has allowed me to adopt a very mobile workflow on my iPad, reducing the amount of post-processing and increasing the amount of shooting.

As others have mentioned, as long as you aren’t doing multiple jpg conversions, your images will be fine.

Elyharbour · Sep 15, 2018

I just thought of a definite benefit in editing JPEGs in Lr - it'll never go out of date! Even old versions of Lr open/edit JEPGs from new cameras

ikaika777 · Sep 15, 2018

Todd Jones said:
Hi all. This question has been bothering me lately. I shoot raw + jpeg but find it's so much easier getting the look I want wether B&W or COLOR by just editing the jpeg file I Lightroom. I honestly can't see any degradation of the file. Tweak the tone curve, adjust whites, blacks, exposure, reduce saturation, vignette or whatever. Probably the only thing I don't do is sharpen.

I know, why don't I just do the same to the raw file? Because it just takes a lot longer. A lot. And multiply by 100+ images and kiss your evening good bye.

So what do you think? Do you only edit raw? Or are you editing your jpegs? How much? Do you see degradation, if so how? Thanks a bunch!

Do what you want that gives you the outcome you like. Professional photographers do it all the time so you’re in good company. The only thing that I highly suggest is that you set the in camera NR to -3 or -4 on all your custom settings.

--
After all is said and done and your photo is hanging on the wall, no one is going to know or care what camera, lens, or what post processing you used. All they care about is if the image moves them.

Doug MacMillan · Sep 15, 2018

Shooting Fuji has been a revelation. I only shot RAW with my Canon FF. I now shoot RAW + JPEG, but most of the time the RAWs are just a safety.

I’ve found I have so much control in camera that most images are great SOOC. I revert to RAW and L/R-PS in challenging situations. What few JPEG edits require just a light touch. If I go to PS, I save the unedited JPEG plus a PSD.

Todd Jones · Sep 15, 2018

Doug MacMillan said:
Shooting Fuji has been a revelation. I only shot RAW with my Canon FF. I now shoot RAW + JPEG, but most of the time the RAWs are just a safety.

Raw only for me also with the Nikons i've used, but i was younger then ;-)

Doug MacMillan said:
I’ve found I have so much control in camera that most images are great SOOC. I revert to RAW and L/R-PS in challenging situations. What few JPEG edits require just a light touch. If I go to PS, I save the unedited JPEG plus a PSD.

Foxjet · Sep 15, 2018

Absolutely agree, Fuji jpgs are great. I will sometimes just resize and post to my Flickr.

curiouspeter · Sep 15, 2018

Todd Jones said:
Hi all. This question has been bothering me lately. I shoot raw + jpeg but find it's so much easier getting the look I want wether B&W or COLOR by just editing the jpeg file I Lightroom. I honestly can't see any degradation of the file. Tweak the tone curve, adjust whites, blacks, exposure, reduce saturation, vignette or whatever. Probably the only thing I don't do is sharpen.

I know, why don't I just do the same to the raw file? Because it just takes a lot longer. A lot. And multiply by 100+ images and kiss your evening good bye.

So what do you think? Do you only edit raw? Or are you editing your jpegs? How much? Do you see degradation, if so how? Thanks a bunch!

eric333 · Sep 15, 2018

curiouspeter said:
Can't you use Fuji RAW studio to bulk convert to Tiff files from raw?

Not with X system cameras.

As I recall, X Raw Studio only has a tiff feature when using raw files from GFX cameras. Even then, it’s only 8 bit tiff.

But it’s possible Fujifilm could add tiff support someday.

LBThang · Sep 15, 2018

This already came up - the title is a little misleading, so I also thought it was about editing JPGs. OP is asking about adjusting OOC jpegs in LR, then outputting the result. No actual repeated editing of the JPG is taking place. I see no harm in doing that, and that is what I am doing in Adobe Bridge & PS, given that Fuji's OOC JPGs are already very close to what I want.

LBThang · Sep 15, 2018

Fuji Silkypix does RAF to TIFF conversion. (This is a little off topic, since the point here was that Fuji OOC JPG is a better starting point towards finished photo as opposed to RAF)

Fuji JPEG editing do or don't?

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